Top 10 Number-Three Batsmen in One Day Cricket of all time

Much like football, cricket too is a team sport, where each member is assigned a vital role as part of the team’s game plan. If the opener’s role in cricket is to fend off the new ball and provide the opening salvo for their team, the number three is a pivotal position in the batting order and generally assigned to the most accomplished stroke maker. The number three batsman is responsible to play the sheet anchor’s role and build an innings. So the person in question has to be technically sound to stabilize the innings and also play the role of an aggressor if the situation demands.Dependability and consistency have to be the forte of a number-three batsman. If we go into the history of ODI cricket, some of the batting legends of the game donned the number three position for their team’s and went on to become the lynchpin of their batting orders.So, it would be very interesting to compile a list of the all-time top 10 number-three batsmen who have played in that position in ODI cricket.In this list, only those batsmen are considered who had a fairly long run playing at the number-three position and scored runs consistently for their teams. For this selection, only those batsmen have been taken who scored more than 2000 runs at an average of nearly 40, batting at the number-three position in One Day Internationals. Batsmen who were consistent run-getters with an impressive strike rate and penchant for scoring 100s definitely make a greater impact on their team and on the matches overall. Hence, they have been ranked higher on the list of the top ten number-three batsmen in the history of One Day Internationals.Honourable Mentions:India - Gautam Gambhir, Mohammad Azharuddin and Mohinder AmarnathPakistan - Zaheer Abbas, Ijaz Ahmed and Mohammad YousufSri Lanka - Marvan Atapattu and Asanka GurusinhaWest Indies - Richie Richardson, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine ChanderpaulEngland - Graeme Hick, Jonathan Trott and Ian BellSouth Africa - Hansie Cronje and Faf Du PlessisNew Zealand - Stephen FlemingAustralia - Dean Jones10. Kane WilliamsonKane WilliamsonKane Williamson has been hailed as New Zealand’s greatest ODI batsman after Martin Crowe. The supremely gifted Williamson has been Kiwis standout batsman at the number three position. Kane has all the shots in his armoury and scores his runs at a brisk pace. The Black Caps had to wait for a dependable number three after Stephen Fleming's retirement from ODIs and Williamson put up his hands to take up the pivotal position in the batting lineup.Kane is equally adept against pace or spin and his calm temperament helps him occupy the crease and play the long innings for the Black Caps in the limited overs cricket. ODI Record Batting at Number 3Matches 95 Runs 4404 Avg 50.62 SR 84.20 100s 9

Top 10 Number-Three Batsmen in One Day Cricket of all time

8. Inzamam Ul Haq