What's new

5 most influential cricket people of all time

T

therealAB

Local Club Star
Joined
Nov 20, 2019
Runs
2,161
Who do we feel the 5 most influential people to the game have cricket have been, do not need to have played?

For me it is:
WG: grew the popularity of the game massively in the UK, and as a player was brilliant and ahead of his time

Bradman: he's the Don

Worrell: first black captain of WI, who is one of the main reasons for them dominating world cricket in the 80's

Imran: greatest player from the subcontinent, managed to unify a disparate team

Sachin: one of the main reasons for the growth of the game in India, which has led to hugely increased wealth

Honourable mentions to:
Hobbs
Ranji
Sobers
Benaud
Kerry Packer
D'Oliveira
Border
Wisden
Bosanquet
Jardine
Viv
Warne
Murali
 
From a pure sporting point of view, for me:

Grace
Bradman
Sobers
Viv
Warne

These 5 transformed the game in terms of how it is watched and played.
 
Gilchrist. Changed the role of a WK Batsman throughout the cricketing world forever.
 
Just to add, Imran is also the primary reason for the growth of the game in Pakistan to touch the masses. I think he is also singlehandedly responsible for Pakistan’s entire fast bowling legacy as Wasim and Waqar grew up watching him and then it was him that nurtured them under his wing as captain. This in turn set the tone for Pakistan’s culture which persists to this day. Very few other players have had this kind of impact on the entire nation’s culture, I think only Gavaskar and Tendulkar can lay a claim to that title in the last 50 years.

And this is just purely as a cricketer, his influence outside cricket obviously extends because of Shaukat Khanum and politics
 
Last edited:
This question was once asked to Geoffrey Boycott. He took 3 names -

1. W.G. Grace
2. Don Bradman
3. Garry Sobers.
 
Grace - spread cricket round the world

Bradman - set standards that may never be met again

Lloyd - united WI and developed the four-prong pace attack

Kapil - changed fortunes of Indian cricket and set them on the road to economic domination

Tendulkar - first modern megastar

Others - Bosanquet (developed leg spin), Barnes (developed swing bowling), Hobbs (father of modern batting).
 
WG Grace - founder father of batting techniques
Bradman - first global icon of cricket
Frank Worrel - galvanized West Indies into formidable force
Kapil Dev - 1983 triumph & Kapil's ebullience catapulted cricket ahead of hockey in India
Imran - made Pakistan a formidable force in cricket after the dire 60s & early 70s
Ian Chappel - changed the art of captaincy & ushered in new tough hard nosed style of cricket
Kerry Packer & Jagmohan Dalmiya ( + Lalit Modi ) - revolutionized cricket administration & economics
Stuart Robertson - little known figure but was inventor of T20 cricket
 
Robert said:
Grace - spread cricket round the world

Bradman - set standards that may never be met again

Lloyd - united WI and developed the four-prong pace attack

Kapil - changed fortunes of Indian cricket and set them on the road to economic domination

Tendulkar - first modern megastar

Others - Bosanquet (developed leg spin), Barnes (developed swing bowling), Hobbs (father of modern batting).
Click to expand...

How could you miss the great Garfield Sobers? No cricketer has revolutionised the game as much as the great man.
 
Bhaijaan's Top 5 cricketers who impacted the world's greatest and most beautiful game of Cricket :-


1. Sachin Tendulkar : Self explainatory and does not need any write up. His impact and the extent of it on the game has been a visible phenomena. Every modern day cricketer owes a part of his salary to Sachin in a way. Thank you Sachin.



2. Sir Don Bradman : He's the yardstick for excellence in cricket. The greatest batsman ever. Every batsman's record has a relevance only in comparison to Bradman's record.


3. Clive Lloyd : When Clive Lloyd's team got battered by Australian pace battery, he went back to the dressing room.at the end of the tour and vowed never again would he let that to happen to West Indies. With God in his heart, he created a pace quartet in the image of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and changed the game forever. Thank you Clive.


4. Douglas Jardine : He challenged the old norms of the gentlemen's game, a rather softer version of the game we know today. He gave birth to the side side of cricket. A side we thought never existed.

5. Ranjitsinhji : The father of batting in Cricket. Without Ranjitsinhji, there is no Bradman or Tendulkar or Gavsakar. An icon and a folk hero.
 
Robert said:
Grace - spread cricket round the world

Bradman - set standards that may never be met again

Lloyd - united WI and developed the four-prong pace attack

Kapil - changed fortunes of Indian cricket and set them on the road to economic domination

Tendulkar - first modern megastar

Others - Bosanquet (developed leg spin), Barnes (developed swing bowling), Hobbs (father of modern batting).
Click to expand...

As an Indian I feel glad to see respect for Kapil Dev. His legendary status is undermined on PP. What an absolute champion cricketer and at par with Gilchrist as the most clinical and devastating #7 in test cricket.
 
Proactive_ said:
Gilchrist. Changed the role of a WK Batsman throughout the cricketing world forever.
Click to expand...

Gilchrist has been the worst thing that happened to wicket keeping inn150 years.

Not his fault but it is what it is

People wished for wicket keepers who could bat, they ended up getting batsmen who could keep.
 
freelance_cricketer said:
Bhaijaan's Top 5 cricketers who impacted the world's greatest and most beautiful game of Cricket :-


1. Sachin Tendulkar : Self explainatory and does not need any write up. His impact and the extent of it on the game has been a visible phenomena. Every modern day cricketer owes a part of his salary to Sachin in a way. Thank you Sachin.



2. Sir Don Bradman : He's the yardstick for excellence in cricket. The greatest batsman ever. Every batsman's record has a relevance only in comparison to Bradman's record.


3. Clive Lloyd : When Clive Lloyd's team got battered by Australian pace battery, he went back to the dressing room.at the end of the tour and vowed never again would he let that to happen to West Indies. With God in his heart, he created a pace quartet in the image of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and changed the game forever. Thank you Clive.


4. Douglas Jardine : He challenged the old norms of the gentlemen's game, a rather softer version of the game we know today. He gave birth to the side side of cricket. A side we thought never existed.

5. Ranjitsinhji : The father of batting in Cricket. Without Ranjitsinhji, there is no Bradman or Tendulkar or Gavsakar. An icon and a folk hero.
Click to expand...

WG needs to be here I reckon. I'd have him as my first pick over Bradman
 
sweep_shot said:
375, 400, and 501.

Redefined batting.
Click to expand...

Lara didn't redefine batting. People had made big scores before lara and they have done so since. Blokes like Worrell and WG changed the game.

Just because Lara was a good batsmen doesn't mean he was very influential. Similarly, McGrath, Ambrose, Steyn, Chappell etc are not overly influential in the grand scheme of things despite being greates
 
therealAB said:
WG needs to be here I reckon. I'd have him as my first pick over Bradman
Click to expand...

Huge respect to Sir WG Grace. He's definitely in my Top 10. The first superstar in cricket but in his own era, Ranjitsinhji surpassed him in stature hence i put Ranjitsinhji slightly ahead of him.
 
Bradman: Arguably the game's first real icon.

Tendulkar: Cricket first real superstar. Called the god of cricket by many, such is his influence.

Dalmiya: Changed cricket from a sport that made no financial sense as a career to one that regularly churns out millionaires. Took out cricket from the grasps of Eng and Aus and made subcontinent its biggest market. Created the Colossus that bcci is.

Wasim Akram: Redefined swing bowling. Did things with the ball, both old and new, that wasnt seen before, hasn't been seen since.

Warne: Changed spin bowling from that of a slow death to an exploding phenomenon. Now spinner before or after could literally blast a batsman out like he did. His spin bowling was as exhilarating as that of a express fast bowler bowling at 90mph.
 
I agree with OP's list. But I would add the person who made a huge impact to financial side of the game - Dalmiya.

He transformed the game into a cash cow. He changed the business side of cricket and changed the lives of cricketers and that impact continues to do so even today.
 
Robert said:
He didn't change the game, he made a couple of monster scores in dead rubbers on uber-flat wickets, neither of which was matchwinning.
Click to expand...

Basically this.

Lara had a unique ability to score big but none of his monstrous scores helped in winning.

The 400 is one of the most hated and ridiculed knocks. He dragged WI to bat 8 sessions to achieve that selfish feat. What a weirdo.
 
Hitman said:
How could you miss the great Garfield Sobers? No cricketer has revolutionised the game as much as the great man.
Click to expand...

I don't see how he revolutionised the game. He was individually excellent, but he didn't change the way the game was played technically, or the way his nation (or rather his federation) played it.
 
Robert said:
I don't see how he revolutionised the game. He was individually excellent, but he didn't change the way the game was played technically, or the way his nation (or rather his federation) played it.
Click to expand...

As an Englishman, bit surprised you didn't mention Tony Greig. He was a tricky character but he had a part in revolutionizing the game, for the good or bad. What do you say.
 
U$ofA said:
I agree with OP's list. But I would add the person who made a huge impact to financial side of the game - Dalmiya.

He transformed the game into a cash cow. He changed the business side of cricket and changed the lives of cricketers and that impact continues to do so even today.
Click to expand...

Do you feel that he had a bigger impact than Packer?
 
therealAB said:
Nobody surpassed WG in his era. He was the man
Click to expand...

WG was past his prime when Ranjitsinhji emerged to become the hero the game always wished to have but never did.

WG is definitely the first cricketing hero and legend.
 
WG Grace - first superstar
Don Bradman - the Colossus
Keith Miller - made the game sexy in a drab and austere post-war period.
Richie Benaud - the Great Captain became the Great Communicator.
Frank Worrell - showed that a non-white man could lead.
Kerry Packer - invented modern cricket.
 
WG Grace
Bradman
Packer
Dalmiya
Lalit Modi

Let us admit it, most players are just pawns, especially true in the professional era.
 
Bradman (Cricket’s Augustus)

Richards (Showed the power of attack)

Warne (Revived and made relevant a dead art)

Tendulkar (Made the game truly global)

Gilchrist (Changed the role of a wicketkeeper)
 
Robert said:
Grace - spread cricket round the world

Bradman - set standards that may never be met again

Lloyd - united WI and developed the four-prong pace attack

Kapil - changed fortunes of Indian cricket and set them on the road to economic domination

Tendulkar - first modern megastar

Others - Bosanquet (developed leg spin), Barnes (developed swing bowling), Hobbs (father of modern batting).
Click to expand...

Not true. Kapil didn’t change the economic fortune of the game in India, it was Sachin Tendulkar(along with brains of Dalmiya)
 
Barry Richard - showed the world what it was missing during apartheid
Rashid latif--exposed match fixing
Sachin tendulkar-- the first cricket superstar with endorsements etc
Freddie Flintoff - revived interest in the ashes single handedly
Gareth sobers- extremely talented player who inspired a whole generation of all rounders
 
Responsible for the most radical shifts in the game:

  1. WG Grace (responsible for the spread of cricket)
  2. Kerry Packer (invented limited overs, WSC)
  3. Lalit Modi (one of the biggest revolutions in cricket, for better or worse, by creating the IPL)
  4. Tendulkar (spread cricket in India, set a legendary batting culture; takes credit for influencing GOAT Indian batsmen simply because young Indians grew up watching him - although I will split some of the influence with Gavaskar)
  5. Imran Khan (spread cricket in Pakistan, set a legendary fast bowling culture and takes credit for creating GOAT Pakistani bowlers simply because young Pakistanis grew up watching him - he single handedly spread cricket to 200 million Pakistanis and enters the list on pure numbers for growing the game)
I will rate these 5 as most influential in growing the game as well as creating cultures. They are followed by the likes of Bradman, Gilchrist.
 
freelance_cricketer said:
Gilchrist has been the worst thing that happened to wicket keeping inn150 years.

Not his fault but it is what it is

People wished for wicket keepers who could bat, they ended up getting batsmen who could keep.
Click to expand...

I disagree with you.However your statement clearly shows that literally every wicketkeeper wants to emulate him.
Thats the definition of influential infact revolutionary.
 
Last edited:
chacha kashmiri said:
Barry Richard - showed the world what it was missing during apartheid
Rashid latif--exposed match fixing
Sachin tendulkar-- the first cricket superstar with endorsements etc
Freddie Flintoff - revived interest in the ashes single handedly
Gareth sobers- extremely talented player who inspired a whole generation of all rounders
Click to expand...

ahhh yes Gareth Sobers, inspired many batting allrounders like... Mushtaq Mohammad?
 
From Pakistani perspective:

1. Imran Khan

2. Wasim Akram

3. Shahid Afridi

4. Waqar Younis

5. Javed Miandad
 
Robert said:
Grace - spread cricket round the world

Bradman - set standards that may never be met again

Lloyd - united WI and developed the four-prong pace attack

Kapil - changed fortunes of Indian cricket and set them on the road to economic domination

Tendulkar - first modern megastar

Others - Bosanquet (developed leg spin), Barnes (developed swing bowling), Hobbs (father of modern batting).
Click to expand...

I think you'll find that Imran Khan was the first modern megastar..certainly the first asian megastar, if nothing else.
 
Perhaps there needs to be a separate list of players and non players.

I would put three in each.

Players:
1. W.G. Grace - Put cricket on the map
2. Bradman - Measure of excellence
3. Tendulkar - Global superstar

Non Players:
1. Kerry Packer - Took the game commercial. Gave us the modern ODI format.
2. Dalmiya - Changed the financial model of cricket. Changed cricketers lives
3. Modi - IPL. Perfect format for the present day fans. Elevated pay to a whole new level.
 
It is difficult to rank them because they have influenced the game in different ways, so in no particular order:

(1) Tendulkar: cricket’s first superstar. He was a massive reason why cricket became a commercial sport. A cricketer earning that amount of money and having such a massive brand value was unheard of.

(2) Bradman: his remarkable feat of achieving an average of 99.94 has enabled him to become one of the most renowned players of all time even 72 years after retirement. If you are a cricket fan, you know about Bradman and his average.

(3) Kohli: he has changed the perception of fitness in cricket. He has raised the fitness bar not only in India but across the cricket universe. Because of him, more and more players in the future will take gym work very seriously and not only get cricket fit but also look like athletes.

Kohli is the reason why no serious cricketer who wants to play international cricket for a long time will look like Inzamam or Ranatunga.

Just like how Tiger Woods changed the perception that golf is an old man’s game, Kohli is also changing the perception that you don’t need to be fit to play cricket. He is a major reason why fitness also influencing selection today and not just runs/wickets.

Another aspect of Kohli’s legacy is that he is the first top-order ODI batsman who is also a finisher. He is basically Tendulkar/Dhoni and Ponting/Bevan rolled into one, and has shown that a top-order batsman can not only set up an innings but also finish it.

(4) Gilchrist: the transition from Healy (wonderful keeper; woefully inadequate batsman) to Gilchrist (above average keeper; wonderful batsman) signaled a paradigm shift in the role of wicket-keepers and what they brought to the team.

Wicket-keepers transitioned into “wicket-keeper batsmen”, and without Gilchrist, the likes of Dhoni, de Kock, Buttler, Bairstow, McCullum, Kamran, Pant, Pooran etc. would have been specialist batsmen.

(5) Wasim: He revived the dying art of left-arm fast bowling. Between Alan Davidson’s last Test and Wasim’s first, cricket did not have a notable quality left-arm pacer. Since Wasim’s retirement, we have had multiple generations of left-arm fast bowlers. Pakistan in particular have produced a long list of left-arm pacers all because of the Wasim effect.
 
Tony Greig deserves a special mention/paragraph for his role in influencing the game in collaboration with Kerry Packer.
 
From my experience apart from people who debate online, when it comes to influence there is no comparisom between Lara and Tendulkar. When both were playing Lara transcended the game more, perhaps in a way that Messi and Ronaldo are known to people outside football.

In a competition regarding the greatest influence then Lara wins hands down. In a competition of the greatest batsman its a different story but Lara still wins.

From my own understanding of the history of the game I put down the following:

Tier 1
1. W.G
2. Bradman
3. Lara
4. Warne
5. Imran

I dont know much about Sobers influence ( amazing player) on the game and it may be Pakistani bias to pick Imran at 5 over him.
 
If you ask people in the western world who arent cricket fans to name a cricketer they will undoubtedly mention Lara.

The guy had at least 6 cricket computer games named after him.

Funnily enough the name was changed for the relase in India in 2007.....it wasnt called Tendulkar cricket it was called Yuvraj Cricket!
 
freelance_cricketer said:
As an Englishman, bit surprised you didn't mention Tony Greig. He was a tricky character but he had a part in revolutionizing the game, for the good or bad. What do you say.
Click to expand...

Interesting point. He did bring about a big rise in the pay standards for international players. Prior to that, County Pros had to rely on their benefit year to build up a retirement fund.

Does that count as changing the game? Maybe it does.
 
corneredtiger85292 said:
I think you'll find that Imran Khan was the first modern megastar..certainly the first asian megastar, if nothing else.
Click to expand...

Can’t think why I would find that. Kapil won the WC in 1983, while Imran has to wait nine more years.
 
As far as influence on cricket is concerned , i think Wasim Akram is more influential than IK. He inspired a whole generation of Left handed bowlers.While most of the fast bowlers tried to emulate Akram , only few wished to be IK as a bowler and even those who wished to be IK , it was his due to captaincy phenomenona rather than his bowling/ batting skills.
 
What about <B>Dennis Lillee</B>, the revolutionary of fast bowling
 
corneredtiger85292 said:
I think you'll find that Imran Khan was the first modern megastar..certainly the first asian megastar, if nothing else.
Click to expand...

Kapil did what Imran did 9 years earlier and he did against arguably the greatest team of all time. India’s 83 win was a much bigger cornered tigers moment than Pakistan’s 92 win.

The difference between Imran and Kapil is that Imran is better at self-promotion and self-praise and taking all the credit himself.

Unlike Imran, Kapil didn’t do “me me me” propaganda after the 83 World Cup and didn’t use it as a launchpad for politics.
 
Mamoon said:
Kapil did what Imran did 9 years earlier and he did against arguably the greatest team of all time. India’s 83 win was a much bigger cornered tigers moment than Pakistan’s 92 win.

The difference between Imran and Kapil is that Imran is better at self-promotion and self-praise and taking all the credit himself.

Unlike Imran, Kapil didn’t do “me me me” propaganda after the 83 World Cup and didn’t use it as a launchpad for politics.
Click to expand...

True. Even at the presentation ceremony after that 92' World Cup win he said something along the lines of, 'Finally I have managed to win the World Cup'.
 
Mamoon said:
Kapil did what Imran did 9 years earlier and he did against arguably the greatest team of all time. India’s 83 win was a much bigger cornered tigers moment than Pakistan’s 92 win.

The difference between Imran and Kapil is that Imran is better at self-promotion and self-praise and taking all the credit himself.

Unlike Imran, Kapil didn’t do “me me me” propaganda after the 83 World Cup and didn’t use it as a launchpad for politics.
Click to expand...

Imran was also twice the player, which helps
 
therealAB said:
Imran was also twice the player, which helps
Click to expand...

Not in ODI cricket, and Imran’s legacy has been determined by the World Cup win which was less impressive compared to Kapil’s.

Imran has a great Test legacy too, but the average fan does not care much about Test cricket. Without the 92 World Cup, Imran would not be as revered as he is today, and he certainly wouldn’t have become the PM. The World Cup was the highlight and defining event of his career.
 
Mamoon said:
Not in ODI cricket, and Imran’s legacy has been determined by the World Cup win which was less impressive compared to Kapil’s.

Imran has a great Test legacy too, but the average fan does not care much about Test cricket. Without the 92 World Cup, Imran would not be as revered as he is today, and he certainly wouldn’t have become the PM. The World Cup was the highlight and defining event of his career.
Click to expand...

Sorry, was just thinking about test. Dev was the better ODi cricketer

Back then people cared anout tests more than ODI's, so rating Imran highly has carried forward
 
Robert said:
Can’t think why I would find that. Kapil won the WC in 1983, while Imran has to wait nine more years.
Click to expand...

Perhaps im talking about both on field and off influence. Just winning a world cup isnt enough to make a MEGASTAR in my opinion, its a combination of a number of factors both on and off the field.

Each to his own. Go for Kapil if you like
 
Mamoon said:
Kapil did what Imran did 9 years earlier and he did against arguably the greatest team of all time. India’s 83 win was a much bigger cornered tigers moment than Pakistan’s 92 win.

The difference between Imran and Kapil is that Imran is better at self-promotion and self-praise and taking all the credit himself.

Unlike Imran, Kapil didn’t do “me me me” propaganda after the 83 World Cup and didn’t use it as a launchpad for politics.
Click to expand...

Sure mate.
 
Imran Khan, probably crickets first true global super star. He even had fans from the USA, due to his amazing genetics and masculinity he was also able to promote the game through females all around the world.
 
Mamoon said:
Not in ODI cricket, and Imran’s legacy has been determined by the World Cup win which was less impressive compared to Kapil’s.

Imran has a great Test legacy too, but the average fan does not care much about Test cricket. Without the 92 World Cup, Imran would not be as revered as he is today, and he certainly wouldn’t have become the PM. The World Cup was the highlight and defining event of his career.
Click to expand...

Back in those days only tests that counted! WC win was great but that did not define IK! Test were the true pinnacle however 92 WIN started the shift toward LOI cricket due to how successful it was.

Imran Khan winning it had something to do with that - He was the biggest start in the game at the time and him winning it started the revolution of LOI cricket.
 
corneredtiger85292 said:
Perhaps im talking about both on field and off influence. Just winning a world cup isnt enough to make a MEGASTAR in my opinion, its a combination of a number of factors both on and off the field.

Each to his own. Go for Kapil if you like
Click to expand...

Imran Khan was the first real crickets global super start - And people forget him winning the 92 WC changed the landscape of LOI cricket forever.
 
Pakhs said:
Back in those days only tests that counted! WC win was great but that did not define IK! Test were the true pinnacle however 92 WIN started the shift toward LOI cricket due to how successful it was.

Imran Khan winning it had something to do with that - He was the biggest start in the game at the time and him winning it started the revolution of LOI cricket.
Click to expand...

His victory did nothing for LOI game. You are forgetting the fact that the 1992 World Cup was established as the first modern World Cup anyway. It was the first World Cup played with colored clothing and under lights.

Regardless of who would have won the World Cup, it would have been a success.

The real revolution of ODI cricket actually started when Kapil produced the greatest cornered tigers moment in history and lifted the World Cup against arguably the greatest side of all time.

India’s 1983 World Cup win changed the complexion to the format. It created a craze for the format in India and brought the 1987 World Cup to the subcontinent.

This is a good read on how India’s 1983 World Cup influenced the format.

The 1987 World Cup was a trendsetter, an event that began the process that restructured world cricket and altered power equations within the ICC.

Until then, England and Australia reigned supreme, armed with a veto that allowed them to push aside all opposition to any ideas of theirs.

When the 1987 World Cup moved out of England, it marked the end of this domination and opened a window for other ICC members to assert themselves and start questioning unequal power-sharing arrangements in world cricket.

Moving the World Cup away was not simple. It required a complicated negotiation between two nations - their leaders, politicians, cricket administrators and businessmen.

The operation began just after India won the World Cup in 1983. The plan to get the World Cup to the subcontinent came from three individuals - Indian politician and cricket administrator NKP Salve (from Nagpur), Calcutta businessman Jagmohan Dalmiya, and bureaucrat IS Bindra from Punjab.
Click to expand...

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/21327837/world-cup-leaves-england

Without India winning the 1983 World Cup and the popularity of the format shooting through the roof in India, Pakistan and India would not have hosted the 1987 World Cup or even the 1996 World Cup.

It changed the power dynamics in cricket and as the article further mentions, broke the dominance of the western bloc (England, Australia) and saw the rise of India - and by extension Pakistan - as a major voice in cricket administration and not just mere pushovers.

The 1992 World Cup win had no such impact on the format and it came at a time when the ODI format was already very popular and the ICC decided to promote that World Cup further with colored clothing and lights.

That World Cup win brought a lot of relief to Pakistani fans who were bitterly disappointed to see their team slip up against Australia in the 1987 semifinal in Lahore, so the craze for the ODI game in Pakistan was already there.

The only thing that would have been different with Imran not winning the 92 World Cup is that he wouldn’t be the PM today and Pakistan cricket team might be more professional instead of hoping for magic, miracles and repeat of 92.
 
Pinch hitting at the top of the order had a great impact in making ODIs sexy in the 90s compared to the dull, preserve your wicket, play yourself in first mentality that existed before then. For this, honourable mentions to Mark Greatbatch (thanks to Martin Crowe's captaincy) and Jayasuria/Kaluwitharana.

Today, every opener is expected to score at 100 SR thanks to the shift in pinch hitting mentality.
 
In terms of ODI for me:

Viv: the GOAT, no questions asked
Bevan: defined the finisher role
Jayasuriya: blast from the start rather than build up
Gilchrist: first great keeper in the form, redefined keeping in ODI cricket
Struggling for a Fifth. Could be Garner, Dhoni, Sachin, Wasim, McGrath, Dev and more
 
therealAB said:
In terms of ODI for me:

Viv: the GOAT, no questions asked
Bevan: defined the finisher role
Jayasuriya: blast from the start rather than build up
Gilchrist: first great keeper in the form, redefined keeping in ODI cricket
Struggling for a Fifth. Could be Garner, Dhoni, Sachin, Wasim, McGrath, Dev and more
Click to expand...

Have to disagree with Gilchrist in ODIs. He didn’t revolutionize the role of keepers in the format because the likes of Kaluwitharana and to an extent Moin Khan and Parore all batted aggressively in the format relative to the eras that they played in.

Gilchrist was just far, far better than them though.
 
therealAB said:
Who do we feel the 5 most influential people to the game have cricket have been, do not need to have played?

For me it is:
WG: grew the popularity of the game massively in the UK, and as a player was brilliant and ahead of his time

Bradman: he's the Don

Worrell: first black captain of WI, who is one of the main reasons for them dominating world cricket in the 80's

Imran: greatest player from the subcontinent, managed to unify a disparate team

Sachin: one of the main reasons for the growth of the game in India, which has led to hugely increased wealth

Honourable mentions to:
Hobbs
Ranji
Sobers
Benaud
Kerry Packer
D'Oliveira
Border
Wisden
Bosanquet
Jardine
Viv
Warne
Murali
Click to expand...

Very good list.
Would add Jayasuriya as he started the one day attacking cricket in the first 15 overs. Also Ranatunga changed the way the Srilankan crickers thought.
Maybe many would disagree but I would have Afridi in the list as well. He created the no fear approach which won him many fans.
Honourable mention also for Saurav Ganguly who changed the way Indian captains approached the game.
Wasim/Waqar for promoting attacking fast bowling with reverse swing.
 
Mamoon said:
Have to disagree with Gilchrist in ODIs. He didn’t revolutionize the role of keepers in the format because the likes of Kaluwitharana and to an extent Moin Khan and Parore all batted aggressively in the format relative to the eras that they played in.

Gilchrist was just far, far better than them though.
Click to expand...

thats probably fair. Who would you have instead of him though?
 
therealAB said:
thats probably fair. Who would you have instead of him though?
Click to expand...

It’s hard to pick one but I would probably go for Kapil. The 83 World Cup win spurred the growth of the ODI format in India and convinced the ICC to shift the 87 World Cup outside England and bring it to the subcontinent.

I do feel that had West Indies won the 83 final, the ODI landscape would have been quite different in the late 80’s and 90’s.

As an ODI all-rounder he was also ahead of his time. That batting SR is exceptional for the era he played in and he was a brilliant athletic fielder as well.

Nevertheless, there are so many ODI players you could choose from including Wasim whose impact on left arm fast bowling has been huge.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

H
Frank Worrell - most stylish of all batters?
Replies
6
Views
616
sweep_shot
sweep_shot
The Bald Eagle
  • Poll Poll
Which full member cricket team do you reckon as the most boring of all time?
Replies
55
Views
1K
mominsaigol
mominsaigol
Ball Blazer
[EXCLUSIVE] "If Mike Hesson is allowed to do his job without interference, Pakistan will succeed": Jason Gillespie
Replies
8
Views
2K
BouncerGuy
BouncerGuy
BouncerGuy
Grand Slam of cricket: Secret plan hatched for new Saudi-backed T20 league
2 3
Replies
168
Views
5K
The Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle
H
Lawrence Rowe: Technically the best of all Calypso batters?
Replies
4
Views
660
Harsh Thakor
H
Back
Top