Best ODI Chasers and Finishers

Great analysis BUT I dont agree with your conclusion !

You can only play against the Countries that ICC grants status ...

to exclude them is an exercise in futility !

I believe it is time we put this "minnows" classification to Bed as well

Mail's awesome points on this issue is "duly noted" 

And what is the argument?


No substance...as usual.


Would you dispute Bevan was a great finisher?


Ah cricket so might be a tad difficult for you.

Hey, I gave you a compliment :

Bevan was a great W.I finisher .....saw him at Bourda 

TD , you thread is about to be sabotaged...

TD, henceforth lets instead EXCLUDE the guys that did not have the Glory !

OF playing against MORE cricket Nations 

than denigrating the Nations with "minnow status"

Cricket is a game of Glorious uncertainty : we should not jump to conclusion

HOW these circa 70s and 80s players would have performed !

Hussey was also a good and clinical finisher.

It depends how greedy you are. Gayle's a decent opener, but he's not great or even excellent.

The benchmark for ODI batting nowadays are guys like Kohli, AMla, Sanga, ABDV and Joe Root. In the 90s, which had the toughest ODI bowling attacks, it was guys like Tendy, Lara and Anwar. In the 80s, Greenidge, Viv, Chappell. Gayle's well below all those groups.

In ODIs, opening is the easiest position and Gayle is in the easiest era of ODI batting rules, pitches and opponents. Yet he only averages 37, or 34 as an opener when you omit Zimbabwe, Canada, Netherlands, Scotland and Bangladesh. With his skills, he should be averaging in the high or mid 40s. If you're greedy, he should be averaging in the 50s like Amla.

Gayle's arguably WI's second, third or fourth best ODI opener (Greenidge, Haynes, Lara and Chanders are the only other names in contention- I'd personally only put Greenidge and Lara ahead of him, both of whom averaged 46 opening), but he still basically gives you 9 ducks for every decent innings. He never evolved beyond his block/slog style.

Part of this is bad management. He was dropped for some years at his peak and WI never paired him with another reliable opener.

Regarding Bevan, watch this chase if you have time:



Bevan vs Wasim, Murali and Kumble.

Brilliant analysis Trini.

Perhaps not surprisingly, of the 93 players to have scored 2000+ runs in run chases, Kohli (61.22) and ABdV (56.66) are #1 and #2 in averages.

Greenidge (49.11) holds the highest average by a West Indian, followed by Richards (44.92), Sarwan (43.80), Chanderpaul (42.83) and Lara (42.71).

Just for fun, highest average (min. 1000 runs) chasing in overseas ODIs:

ABdV (62.09), Richards (59.00), Bevan (58.57), Misbah-ul-Haq (57.65) and Kohli (50.62).

One more fantastic stat: In winning run chases, Dhoni has scored 2327 runs at an average of 105.77. 

Okay the mantra being touted is "The Modern Game"

ad nauseum last night on the Guyana/ Jamaica game !

So lets cut the crap of comparing ole time to modern times 


Is like asking how Garry Sobers would do in T20s


all subjective !