6 all-rounders from the past who would have been a big hit in T20 cricket

Cricket has evolved over the years and so have all-rounders in the sport. The advent of T20 cricket has brought in novelty and flair to the game more than ever. With more sixes, fours and power-hitting, T20 cricket has grown into an unprecedented gradeur.

Over the years, batsmen and bowlers have changed their style of play and have upscaled it to match the fast pace of the shortest format of the game. All-rounders, a rare breed of cricketers, have done the same. They excel in both batting and bowling departments and provide stability and balance to the team.

Although cricket in the present and past are of a contrasting nature, there were a few all-rounders in the bygone era who had everything to match and excel in T20 cricket in the present times.

The list comprises of all-rounders who have little to no experience of playing T20s, but have delivered splendid performances in limited-overs cricket.

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#6 Heath Streak

Heath Streak in action

Heath Streak is probably the finest bowler produced by Zimbabwe. He played in the golden years of Zimbabwean cricket alongside match winners like Alistair Campbell, Andy Flower, and Grant Flower. He fortified the fragile-looking Zimbabwean bowling attack single-handedly. Streak's figures of 216 wickets in 65 Test matches and 239 wickets in 185 ODI matches are testimony to his bowling prowess.

He was quite effective with the bat too. His capability to flourish the run flow in the ultimate overs and even tonk the bowlers out of the ground provided stability in the lower-batting order. Streak amassed 2943 runs in 159 ODI innings with 48 sixes to his name.

Although he featured in a few T20 games in the initial years of this format, he never really participated in a fully-fleged competitive T20 tournament.

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#5 Neil Johnson

Neil Johnson was the highest run scorer and leading wicket taker for Zimbabwe

Another bright star who showed promise of turning into a prominent all-rounder was Neil Clark Johnson from Zimbabwe. Although he retired very early in career, he shone in a bright light during his brief stint in international cricket.

He was a naturally gifted player who batted aggressively and forged the same energy in bowling. He made his Test debut against India in October 1998 in Harare and left a strong impression after dismissing Sachin Tendulkar in both innings. He couldn't contribute much with the bat though.

However, Johnson exuberated his brilliance as an all-rounder in the 1999 World Cup by becoming the leading run-scorer and leading wicket-taker for Zimbabwe. He stamped his class in tough games against Australia and South africa. Johnson scored an unbeaten 132 in an unsuccessful run chase against Australia and a gritty knock of 76 runs alongside bowling figures of 3/27 to defeat South Africa.

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#4 Chris Cairns

Chris Cairns was the sixth player to achieve the feat of 3000 runs and 200 wickets in Tests

When Sir Richard Hadlee finished his illustrous career, New Zealand were in dire need of an all-rounder who could fill his shoes. That is when the dawn of Chris Cairns happened. Although the stature of Hadlee was hard to scale, Cairns obliged the role of an all-rounder quite fittingly.

He is one of the best all-rounders to grace the game. At the start of his career, Cairns was primarily a bowler who tonked the ball high and long. However, due to several back injuries, he shifted his focus to batting and reinvented his bowling to match the needs.

His peak came in the 1999-2000 season when after shining in Tests, he starred in New Zealand's title win in the 2000 ICC Knockout trophy with his all-round performance.

#3 Lance Klusener

Lance Klusner was adjudged Man of the tournament for his heroics in the 1999 WC

The star of the 1999 World Cup, Lance Klusener is one of the finest all-rounders to have played the game and would have been best suited to T20 Cricket. The swanky left-hander from South Africa took the world by surprise with his performance at the 1999 World Cup. His hard-hitting and composure in the semi-finals against a formidable Australia almost took South Africa through to the final of the event.

He was an effective bowler. His match-winning figures of 8/64 against India in his debut established the impression of a dependable all-rounder. However, the inconsistency in form and frequent derailments due to injuries could let this all-rounder play for a long time.

Klusner's style of play was best suited to shorter formats of the game and he would have been a great hit in T20 cricket.

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#2 Sir Ian Botham

Botham was the first to player to score a century and take 10 wickets in a game in Tests

"Free flowing" and "gritty" are the two words that come to mind when one thinks of Sir Ian Botham. As an all-rounder, he could hit the ball long and hard, and could bowl spells that would blow the opposition away. He made an impactful debut against arch rivals Australia at Trent Bridge in 1977 by picking up 5 for 74 to put England on top. He was the first player to score a century and pick 10 wickets in a Test. He continued to grow in Tests, but Botham's form slumped when he became captain.

Botham, as an all-rounder, saw new heights when his heroics helped England clinch the 1981 Ashes from Australia. Despite the woeful form in the first two tests of the series, Botham made a comeback with a fiesty 149 runs and propelled England to a win after facing a follow-on in the second innings.

In the fourth test, he picked up a five-wicket haul to seal the win. In the last match of the series at Manchester, he breathed fire and scored a brutal 118 runs that comprised of six huge sixes. His performances as an all-rounder established his supremacy. He had a fine balance between power and skills.

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#1 Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev is the only player to score 5000 runs and take 400 wickets in Tests

Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev is indeed one of the most prolific all-rounders to have ever played the game. He was the first proper fast bowler and an all-rounder for India and perhaps the best ever for India. In a country where it is not very usual to find an outstanding pacer, it is hard to accept that at one point in time he was the leading wicket-taker in the world, until he was surpassed by Courtney Walsh.

He was a firey all-rounder who could hit the ball hard and long. His batting strike of almost 95 in both Tests and ODI stands testament to that. He is the only cricketer in the history of cricket to have taken 400 wickets and scored 5,000 runs in Test cricket.

His style of play was fearless. He was leading the Indian Team in the 1983 World cup. In the must-win win game against Zimbabwe, India were five down for 17. Kapil then walked out to play one of the best innings of ODI cricket ever. He scored an unbeaten 175 in 138 balls, an innings that was studded with 16 fours and six huge sixes. His brutal innings ensured that India stayed in the competition. Later, India went on to win their maiden World Cup.