#3 Lance Klusener
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.
#2 Sir Ian Botham
"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.
#1 Kapil Dev
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.
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