10 cricketers who would have excelled at T20 cricket

While watching the last couple of T20 tournaments, my thoughts cast back to the pre-t20 era. There were several players who never had the chance to try their hand at this format, but who I have no doubt, would have been fantastic players. This list is neither exhaustive, nor is it the 10 best players, it is merely a set of players whose style would have made them strong players in the format. I should also warn the reader that some of the players here may have played small amounts of T20 cricket towards the end of their career, but not enough at the highest level to have had a real impact.

#1 Chris Cairns - New Zealand

This New Zealander had a real presence on the field, and he had the ability to lift a side. Players such as Jacob Oram and now Corey Anderson have followed in his footsteps.

A swashbuckling middle order batsman, Cairns’s brute strength allowed him to hit sixes at will to break the shackles. He scored at a fast rate, without being reckless.

And let's not forget his bowling, which he was very good at. Though he wouldn't be able to lead a bowling attack, he would have been more than a formidable proposition in the shortest format. Though he did play T20 cricket in ICL and England later in his career, he was past his prime when the format arrived.

#2 Chris Harris - New Zealand

Just as I saw Robin Singh as India's Bevan, Chris Harris was of similar mould. A very clever cricketer who always had the ability to put his stamp on the game, he too won many a matches from very tight situations.

Great composure and assessment of the task at hand made him an important wicket for the opposition. His bowling too was more than useful, with batsman finding him difficult to get away. Even a couple of overs of his in a T20 game could be very useful.

#3 Venkatesh Prasad - India

While thinking of bowlers of the past who would have been great in T20s, I struggled a bit, as there are several great ODI bowlers who would have been almost equally effective in T20s.

Venkatesh Prasad was by no means express pace. He bowled a good line and length and with good control, but his biggest attribute in my opinion, was his slower ball out the back of the hand.

Several bowlers would use this technique later, particularly in T20 cricket. He too had a cool head on his shoulders, and had the ability to bowl at the death. For these reasons, he makes this list.

#4 Michael Bevan - Australia

The original finisher, Bevan could take his team home from seemingly hopeless situations. He always kept a cool head. Never phased by the situation, he was able to not only assess situations and what was required, but take his team home.

In T20s I would probably use him a little higher in the order, as he could manoeuvre the ball and set himself, and change gears in an instant.

Another important attribute was his lack of dot balls, something which I feel is an underrated but important attribute in T20.

#5 Romesh Kaluwitharana - Sri Lanka

Together with Sanath Jayasuriya (who doesn't make this list only because he didn’t miss out on the T20 extravaganza, playing 111 T20 matches in his career), Kalu redefined opening the batting.

A good wicket-keeper too, he took the attack to the bowling and didn’t let them settle. His style along with Jayasuriya's, probably laid the platform for many other batsman in ODIs and T20s.

#6 Kapil Dev - India

Unarguably India's greatest all-rounder, Kapil could play in any format. A very strong attacking batsman, a genuine fast bowler with great ability, a captain with the ability to inspire, he was a complete package.

He was a talisman for the Indian team for many years, which made him very capable of handling pressure situations, a very common occurrence in T20 cricket.

#7 Robin Singh - India

A clever, slightly unorthodox batsman, Robin Singh's strength lay in his reading of the game. He had the ability to finish an innings and bat with the lower order.

His bowling too was more than handy, taking pace off the ball and making it difficult for the batsman to set themselves for big shots.

Like Klusener, he too may not have necessarily had to bowl all his 4 overs, but would have been a good bowler to use to break partnerships and take pace off the ball.

#8 Lance Klusener - South Africa

Perhaps one of the first players of his kind, Zulu became a cult figure during the ‘99 world cup. While the game had seen the finishing skills of Bevan, Klusener brought a different style to finishing.

With the ability to win games while batting with the tail, he could steal the initiative from the opposition in almost hopeless situations.

In addition to his finishing with the bat, he was also a very good bowler. He too had good variation. In a T20 game I think he could be used cleverly, not necessarily having to bowl his full quota of 4 overs. He is however, a more seasoned T20 campaigner in this list, with 53 T20s to his name.

#9 Jonty Rhodes - South Africa

I don't think many would argue the fact that he is the best fielder of all time, and his fielding itself was probably enough to get him in the team.

However, as a batsman in the lower middle order, Rhodes had the ability to come in and take the game away without much fuss.His running between the wickets was exceptional, and his improvisation gave him many ways to score runs.

Batting at perhaps number5 inT20s, he could turn the momentum significantly in favour of the batting side.

T20 stats:

Matches 6

Runs 49Batting Avg 9.80, Strike Rate 94.23

#10 Heath Streak - Zimbabwe

A part of perhaps the best Zimbabwean squad, which had it in them to compete with the best, Streak was a key member in the 90s and early 2000s.

He was a good bowler, who bowled with control, and also had variations which would make him a tough customer in T20 cricket.

In addition to his bowling, he was a capable batsman too, with the ability to play a cameo, and the impact of a cameo has always been more prominent in T20s.