1. Sangakkara - a genuine all-time great in my view. I never thought I'd see a better Sri Lankan batsman than de Silva, but this guy proved me wrong. Could bat in all conditions against all kinds of attacks.
2. Pietersen - possessed a real sense for the dramatic, could play incredible innings out of nowhere. At the end of the day, I don't watch sport for statistics but for the narrative, the drama, the event, the emotional heave on the spectator, and Pietersen was one of the few batsmen over the last two decades that could leave me awestruck over a single shot.
3. de Villiers - a polarizing personality at the best of times like Pietersen, but only a fool would deny his talent. I felt he underachieved in test cricket and could have been an ATG with his ability, but he sometimes played second fiddle to the likes of Smith, Kallis, Amla, and even du Plessis. It sometimes seemed as if he lacked the will to truly impose himself as a true giant of the game, but his exploits in ODI cricket suggest otherwise. His dilly-dallying over retiring coloured some perceptions, but I now understand he was under a lot of mental strain turning out for his country.
4. Amla - feel he has hung on for too long and should have retired when he gave up the captaincy two years ago. His record has taken a battering, when once he seemed set to be South Africa's best ever batsman. It's a bit of a tragedy, but he was very good at his peak.
5. Younis - I reckon he's probably the mentally toughest batsman in this whole list, but was less talented than them all. I felt he struggled against genuine pace and even looked like a tailender when he was out of touch. I had the misfortune to see him bat live at Lord's against Chris Woakes in 2016, who was bowling around 85 mph, and Younis was hopping around the crease as if he was facing Donald at his peak. But he played some true matchwinning innings for Pakistan in all conditions, and I'm grateful to him for restoring some dignity to our team with his support for Misbah after the events at Lord's in 2010.
6. Cook - superb overall statistics, but his track record against good fast bowling counts against him, somewhat like Younis. His tour de force, of course, came in India in 2012 when he took over the captaincy from Andrew Strauss in less than enviable circumstances. I was truly impressed by the way he integrated Pietersen into the side for that Indian tour. His batting against Ashwin and co was out of this world, but unfortunately he could never repeat those feats and the captaincy truly served as a millstone around his neck.
7. Clarke - always gave the impression that he was a home track bully, as evidenced by a greater than 20 point difference between his home and away averages. However, he played two amazing knocks in Cape Town, one of which with a broken effin shoulder. He was extremely vulnerable to high quality swing bowling and I also feel he should have done more justice to his ability to play spin when playing in India. His back problems probably robbed the world of another Australian batting great.
