Lefties XI: Best left-handed players (2013-2018)

In cricket, a left-handed player is considered an asset to the team. There have been quite a few left-handed players to have played cricket, but those who have left a mark on the game have been only a handful.

Left-hand bowlers are known for creating awkward angles and sharp movement. Some of the finest bowlers in cricket have been left-arm bowlers and same is the case in the batting department as well.

Left-hand batsmen are elegant and have a glorious charm in their batting. The cuts, drives and the pulls look more magnificent when played by a left-hander. Not to mention, the left-hand-right-hand combination is a commonly used tactic in the sport today to get bowlers off their game and that has only increased the worth of the southpaws in the way cricket is played today.

Here is the list of best XI of left-handed players from 2013.

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#1 Quinton De Kock (South Africa)

Quinton de Kock has gone on to become a permanent fixture in the Proteas lineup in all formats

Role- Wicket-keeper Batsman

Batting style- Left handed batsman

The left-hander has been a revelation for the Proteas at the top of the order ever since making his debut and has been shattering all records in this format. He rose to prominence by scoring three centuries in a three-match ODI series against India in 2013 and has not stopped scoring since then.

The wicketkeeper-batsman has the right mix of consistency and aggression. Quinton De Kock emerged as the highest run-scorer for South Africa in 2017 and was in red-hot form throughout the year.

Batting Career Summary in ODI

Matches- 90, Runs-3860, Strike-Rate- 93.99

Batting Career Summary in Test

Matches-29, Runs- 1649, Strike rate- 72.48

#2 David Warner (Australia) (Captain)

Most explosive opener in this world

Role- Batsman

Batting Style- Left Handed Batsman

It is difficult to imagine a more fearsome batsman than David Warner when in full flow. The best thing about the way Warner bats is that there is no change in his aggressive intent regardless of the format that he may be playing in.

Warner has been very consistent in the last three years and has started adapting to the demands of the format, something that has been his undoing in ODIs for a while. Known for his big-hitting abilities, Warner has always taken his team off to good starts in the field restriction overs and now, has learnt to pace his innings and stay at the crease for a longer time, something that is making him even more dangerous.

Batting Career Summary in ODI

Matches-106, Runs-4343, Strike rate- 96.55

Batting Career Summary in Test

Matches-71, Runs-6146, Strike rate- 74.73

#3 Eoin Morgan (England)

Played a key role in England's 2009 T20 World Cup victory

Role- Batsman

Batting Style- Left hand batsman

Eoin Morgan has represented both Ireland and England at the international level. Morgan has earned respect as an inventive and a free-stroking middle-order batsman, especially in the shorter formats.

Morgan was named as the England captain for the 2015 Cricket World Cup after having already captained England in ODIs and T20Is as a stand-in. He is the only England captain to have scored more than 4 ODI centuries.

Batting Career Summary in ODI

Matches-195, Runs- 5900, Strike rate-88.14

Batting Career Summary in Test

Matches-16, Runs-700, Strike rate- 54.77

#4 Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) (Wicket-keeper)

One of the best batsman ever

Role- Wicket-Keeper Batsman

Batting Style- Left hand Batsman

Kumar Sangakkara is one of the best wicket-keepers Sri Lanka have produced in their history. During his time, Sangakkara was almost on-par with some of the best keepers like Adam Gilchrist and Mark Boucher. He also was an elegant stroke-maker, an ever-reliable keeper, an astute thinker and a crafty captain.

In the shorter format, Kumar Sangakkara scored a total of 14234 runs in 404 ODI matches, including 25 centuries and 93 half-centuries in his active cricketing career, with a high score of 169 and he finds himself second on the list of the highest run scorers in ODI Cricket history.

Batting Career Summary in ODI

Matches- 404, Runs- 14234, Strike rate- 78.86

Batting Career Summary in Test

Matches-134, Runs- 12400, Strike rate-54.19

#5 JP Duminy (South Africa)

Duminy is South Africa's leading T20I run scorer

Role- Batsman

Batting Style- Left hand Batsman

An attacking left-hander who goes for the big shots with impunity and clears the field with a swashbuckling flourish when at the top of his game, Duminy is also equally capable of attracting applause as an electric fielder in the circle.

The left-hander is a consistent scorer in all forms of the game. What's remarkable is how his strike-rate differs depending on the format. Duminy is South Africa's leading T20I run scorer. He has struck 42 sixes and 105 fours in his five-year T20I career.

Batting Career Summary in ODI

Matches-182, Runs-4756, Strike rate-83.28

Batting Career Summary in Test

Matches-46, Runs-2103, Strike rate-46.28

#6 Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)

Top ranking all-rounder in all three formats

Role- All-rounder

Batting style- Left Handed batsman

Bowling style- Left arm orthodox spin

Arguably, one of the world’s best all-rounders, Shakib Al Hasan has become the pillar of strength for the Bangladesh national team. Not only does Shakib bowl ten overs in the limited-overs format, but he will also strike the ball sweetly to all parts of the ground.

In Bangladesh’s historic Test win against Australia earlier last year, it was Shakib’s all-rounder display which led the Asian Team to a victory. His first innings score of 84, coupled with his fifer in the bowling department, led Bangladesh to a historic victory. He became the fourth bowler in the history to pick up fifer against all Test-playing nations and also became the second bowler to pick ten wickets in the game between Australia and Bangladesh.

Batting and Bowling Career Summary in ODI

Matches-185, Runs-5243, Strike rate-81.06, Wickets-235, Economy-4.44

Batting and Bowling Career Summary in Test

Matches-51, Runs-3594, Strike rate-62.3, Wicket-188, Economy-3.01

#7 Ben Stokes (England)

Best all-rounder of 2017

Role- All rounder

Batting Style- Left handed Batsman

Bowling Style- Right-arm fast-medium

Stokes is England's finest match-winner at the moment as he has won matches for the team with with both bat and ball.

One can safely say that England are dearly missing the services of their all-rounder, as the Durham star was dropped from the squad after his involvement in a street fight during the ODI series against West Indies.

Stokes' presence in the side is invaluable as the left-hander can change the course of the match with the bat in a matter of just one session as he scores his runs at a brisk pace.

Batting and Bowling Career Summary in ODI

Matches-62, Runs-1650, Strike rate-98.74, Wickets-53, Economy-6.13

Batting and Bowling Career Summary in Test

Matches-39, Runs-2429, Strike rate-63.13, Wickets-95, Economy-3.37

#8 Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka)

First ever left-arm spinner to scalp 400 wickets in Test

Role- Bowler

Bowling Style- Left arm orthodox spin

The left-arm spinner, who spent most of his career under the shadows of Muttiah Muralitharan, has come of age in the concluding stages of his career. He has won many matches for Sri Lanka in the last five years and is rated as the ‘ageless wonder’. Recently his heroics helped Sri Lanka defend 136 on the fifth-day pitch against Pakistan in UAE.

He also became the first ever left-arm spinner to scalp 400 wickets in Tests, which is a huge achievement. The wily old fox reached the feat in only his 84th Test match, which includes 33 five-fors and 9 ten wicket hauls. The statistics prove he is a stalwart for his team and is going strong even at the age of 39.

Bowling Career Summary in ODI

Matches-71, Wickets-74, Economy-4.37

Bowling Career Summary in Test

Matches-88, Wickets-411, Economy-2.81

#9 Mitchell Starc (Australia)

Starc was the joint highest wicket taker in the Cricket World Cup 2015

Role- Bowler

Bowling style- Left-arm fast

The Aussie spearhead is perhaps one of the most feared fast bowlers of the modern generation. He is known for his incredible pace and accuracy and he has also maintained a more than decent sheet in T20Is.

Starc was the joint highest wicket taker in the Cricket World Cup 2015, along with New Zealand’s Trent Boult, with 22 wickets at an economy rate of 3.58 and was declared the ''Man of the Series''. Starc is the fastest bowler to reach 100 ODI wickets, doing so in just 52 innings.

Bowling Career Summary in ODI

Matches- 71, Wickets- 141, Economy- 4.93

Bowling Career Summary in Test

Matches-40, Wickets-170, Economy-3.39

#10 Trent Boult (New Zealand)

Boult has the ability to swing the ball both ways

Role- Bowler

Bowling style- Left-arm fast-medium

The tall left-arm pace bowler from New Zealand, who made his Test debut in 2011, was the joint leading wicket-taker at the Cricket World Cup 2015. He makes up for his relative lack of height with deceptive pace and the ability to swing the ball both ways.

He is rightly considered among the best fast bowlers in the world at the moment and over the years, he has also added the perfect yorker and the slower ball to his repertoire, to become an excellent limited overs bowler.

Bowling Career Summary in ODI

Matches- 61, Wickets- 113, Economy-5.02

Bowling Career Summary in Test

Matches- 52, Wickets- 200, Economy- 2.98

#11 Mitchell Johnson (Australia)

Johnson was one of the most feared bowlers in the world

Role- Bowler

Bowling Style- Left-arm fast

Mitchell Johnson cemented his place as a great in the Australian team with his performance in the 2013 Ashes against England.

He was one of the fastest bowlers in the world, regularly bowling sppeds in excess of 140 kmph. Add sharp in-swing and a deadly yorker to that pace and you have a recipe for some great fast bowling. His performance in the 2013 Ashes series in Australia is considered as one of the greatest displays of fast bowling in modern cricket. Later, he went on to tear through the South African batting line-up on Australia’s tour there in early 2014, thus reinforcing his deadly reputation

Bowling Career Summary in ODI

Matches- 153, Wickets- 239, Economy- 4.84

Bowling Career Summary in Test

Matches- 73, Wickets- 313, Economy- 3.33