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Wisden names it’s greatest ODI player of each decade

Hitman

Hitman

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To mark 50 years of men's ODI cricket, this year's Wisden Almanack named its greatest player for each decade.

1970’s - Viv Richards

1980’s - Kapil Dev

1990’s - Sachin Tendulkar

2000’s - Muttiah Muralitharan

2010’s - Virat Kohli
 
Muttiah, Kapil

I am not too sure if they deserved it or not, it's debatable

other ones are the obvious choices
 
Surely Ponting in 2000's?

World cup winner x2, ATG batsman in the format and led that formidable Aus side very well.
 
I think not having Wasim as the greatest ODI player of the 90s is a travesty. In my opinion he is easily the greatest bowler to hold a white ball and the second greatest ODI cricketer after Viv. Another one I disagree with is 2000s. Should be ponting. Kapil is another one I’m not too sure about. Viv and Kohli are spot on.
 
Hitman said:
To mark 50 years of men's ODI cricket, this year's Wisden Almanack named its greatest player for each decade.

1970’s - Viv Richards

1980’s - Kapil Dev

1990’s - Sachin Tendulkar

2000’s - Muttiah Muralitharan

2010’s - Virat Kohli
Click to expand...

Oh boy, why Wisden makes many people unhappy?
 
ODI cricketer of the 80s should also be Viv. Imran was also brilliant in the format in the 80s. Hadlee is another contender
 
Though sachins inclusion isn’t that surprising. He was by far the greatest ODI batsman of the 90s and scored way more runs than anyone at a good strike rate. I would’ve had Wasim there though personally
 
marlonbrowndo said:
Though sachins inclusion isn’t that surprising. He was by far the greatest ODI batsman of the 90s and scored way more runs than anyone at a good strike rate. I would’ve had Wasim there though personally
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Tendulkar deserves his spot, Warne would be his biggest challenger
 
Absolutely meaningless list since apart from Viv every other name can be argued for or against until the cows come home.
 
Hitman said:
To mark 50 years of men's ODI cricket, this year's Wisden Almanack named its greatest player for each decade.

1970’s - Viv Richards

1980’s - Kapil Dev

1990’s - Sachin Tendulkar

2000’s - Muttiah Muralitharan

2010’s - Virat Kohli
Click to expand...


1990s should be Imran Khan. 2000s should be Ricky Ponting.

The rest are ok.
 
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gani999 said:
1990s should be Imran Khan. 2000s should be Ricky Ponting.

The rest are ok.
Click to expand...

Imran was almost done in the early 90s. He came back from the retirement to win the WC. Kapil in 80s is questionable.
 
marlonbrowndo said:
ODI cricketer of the 80s should also be Viv. Imran was also brilliant in the format in the 80s. Hadlee is another contender
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Kapil was a great factor in India winning the WC in 1983, starting with his 175 against Zimbabwe and his match-turning catch of Richards in the final.

India also won the Benson and Hedges 1985 World Championship, totally decimating all other teams. It was possibly the greatest performance by a team in a tourney that featured the top 7 teams. In comparison Pakistan didn't have any significant tournament wins in the 1980s, hence probably Kapil Dev getting the nod from Wisden.
 
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Viv, Sachin, Kohli are spot on. No one came close in those decades. Murali probably because of the stats. Should have been Ponting. Kapil don't think so.
 
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Napa said:
Kapil was a great factor in India winning the WC in 1983, starting with his 175 against Zimbabwe and his match-turning catch of Richards in the final.

India also won the Benson and Hedges 1985 World Championship, totally decimating all other teams. It was possibly the greatest performance by a team in a tourney that featured the top 7 teams. In comparison Pakistan didn't have any significant tournament wins in the 1980s, hence probably Kapil Dev getting the nod from Wisden.
Click to expand...

Nehru Cup
 
IMMY69 said:
Nehru Cup
Click to expand...

Apparently not many remember the Nehru Cup.

it was designed to help the election campaign of Rajiv Gandhi, Nehru’s grandson... “I feel sorry for everyone out there,” wrote Matthew Engel. “If anyone, one year from now, has the slightest recollection of it I shall be astonished.”

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/oct/22/the-spin-nehru-cup-1989-ahead-of-its-time
Click to expand...

The 1983 WC and the 1985 World Championships were proper tournaments.
 
Napa said:
Kapil was a great factor in India winning the WC in 1983, starting with his 175 against Zimbabwe and his match-turning catch of Richards in the final.

India also won the Benson and Hedges 1985 World Championship, totally decimating all other teams. It was possibly the greatest performance by a team in a tourney that featured the top 7 teams. In comparison Pakistan didn't have any significant tournament wins in the 1980s, hence probably Kapil Dev getting the nod from Wisden.
Click to expand...

No one credible denies that he was a top cricketer. But the top man in the 80s?
IK
Marshall
Hadlee
Border
Botham
WA
 
Wasim Akram surely has to be the cricketer of the 90s. 502 ODI wickets, majority of which came in the 90s at an average of 21-22 and extremely handy with the bat lower down the order.
 
IK was a gun all-rounder, but Dev's bottom rating was the peak for IK. The gap was that huge for two players playing at the same time and can't be ignored.

ODI is not about avg. ODI is a combination of avg, SR, and ER. Dev was far ahead of IK and that's reflected in the rating trend over their entire career.

The same posters will talk about 50(50) in T-20 as a good knock.


IK_Kapil.jpg


Dev is the greatest ODI all-rounder. He will be the first 2-3 name in all-time ODI XI for me.


.
 
hitthestump said:
Absolutely meaningless list since apart from Viv every other name can be argued for or against until the cows come home.
Click to expand...

Man if you can't have an argument on the list than that means it was terrible decade for cricket with no competition for the top spot

So we can't say it was a meaningless list just because it's debatable,

That list being debatable is a good thing in some ways...
 
Wasim is another one I will put on my top player for ODI.
 
My all-time ODI XI:-

Sachin Tendulkar
Adam Gilchrist (wkt)
Virat Kohli
Viv Richards
Michael Bevan
AB de Villiers
Kapil Dev(c)
Wasim Akram
Shane Warne
Joel Garner
Glenn McGrath
 
My Batsman only list -

1970’s - Viv Richards followed by Greg Chappell

1980’s - Desmond Haynes followed by Viv Richards

1990’s - Sachin Tendulkar followed by Saeed Anwar

2000’s - Ricky Ponting followed by Sachin Tendulkar

2010’s - Virat Kohli followed by ABDV
 
Ponting in the 2000s because he led the most dominant side in the history of cricket while being one of the best ODI bats of that decade
 
Aussies won the 1999, 2003 & 2007 world cups and pretty much destroyed all comers in bi laterals.

Sometimes you just have to laugh and ignore the nonsense
 
rhony said:
Viv, Sachin, Kohli are spot on. No one came close in those decades. Murali probably because of the stats. Should have been Ponting. Kapil don't think so.
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Akram can easily be a candidate for the 90s. How can you say nobody comes close
 
How on earth does Wasim not make it ?

And Kapil does, based on what ? Ridiculous and meaningless.
 
It’s quite amazing to think that the undisputed best batsman of the 80s decade was also the Wisden player of the 70s.
 
Buffet said:
IK was a gun all-rounder, but Dev's bottom rating was the peak for IK. The gap was that huge for two players playing at the same time and can't be ignored.

ODI is not about avg. ODI is a combination of avg, SR, and ER. Dev was far ahead of IK and that's reflected in the rating trend over their entire career.

The same posters will talk about 50(50) in T-20 as a good knock.


View attachment 108655


Dev is the greatest ODI all-rounder. He will be the first 2-3 name in all-time ODI XI for me.


.
Click to expand...

What is the source of this? Thanks!
 
Bewal Express said:
No one credible denies that he was a top cricketer. But the top man in the 80s?
IK
Marshall
Hadlee
Border
Botham
WA
Click to expand...

From the graphs provided by Buffet in post #26 it appears that Dev was extraordinary.
 
No mention of Lara?? Gotta be there alongside SRT to debate.

And no Hafeez?
 
Napa said:
From the graphs provided by Buffet in post #26 it appears that Dev was extraordinary.
Click to expand...

I lived through the 80s. He was a good player but never really recovered from the knee injury around 1984. He wouldn't be close to the modern Ind team post 84 version. The post 84 version was barely 75mph and in 5 test series I don't think he took a wicket.
 
Buffet said:
IK was a gun all-rounder, but Dev's bottom rating was the peak for IK. The gap was that huge for two players playing at the same time and can't be ignored.

ODI is not about avg. ODI is a combination of avg, SR, and ER. Dev was far ahead of IK and that's reflected in the rating trend over their entire career.

The same posters will talk about 50(50) in T-20 as a good knock.


View attachment 108655


Dev is the greatest ODI all-rounder. He will be the first 2-3 name in all-time ODI XI for me.


.
Click to expand...
Kapil Dev
FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100s50s6sCtSt
Test13118415524816331.0582761640
ODI225198393783175*23.79397995.07114710
FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Test13122727740128674349/8311/14629.642.7863.9017232
ODI2252211120269452535/435/4327.453.7144.20310
-------
Imran Khan
FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100s50s6sCtSt
Test8812625380713637.6961855280
ODI175151403709102*33.41510572.65119360
FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveSR4w5w10w
Test881421945882583628/5814/11622.8153.7017236
ODI175153746148441826/146/1426.6140.90310

Imran Khan is averaging better with bat and ball. Maybe someone can post exact stats from 01/01/80 to 31/12/89.
 
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90MPH said:
How on earth does Wasim not make it ?

And Kapil does, based on what ? Ridiculous and meaningless.
Click to expand...

Probably Wasim is too controversial to include in (Justice Q). Though he is my favorite cricketer.
 
Ok, here are their stats in the 80s. Both were beasts but Imran Khan was in a different league.
IMRAN KHAN BATTING
SpanMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100500
unfiltered1974-1992175151403709102*33.41510572.651196
filtered1980-1989124110312653102*33.58350875.621124
IMRAN KHAN BOWLING
SpanMatInnsOversMdnsRunsWktsBBIAveEconSR45
unfiltered1974-1992175153-12448441826/1426.613.8940.93
filtered1980-1989124104850.39433051446/1422.953.8835.431
KAPIL DEV BATTING
SpanMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100500
unfiltered1978-1994225198393783175*23.79397995.0711413filtered1980-1989143131242869175*26.812815101.9111411
KAPIL DEV BOWLING
SpanMatInnsOversMdnsRunsWktsBBIAveEconSR45
unfiltered1978-19942252211867.023569452535/4327.453.7144.231
filtered1980-19891431411195.215644101685/4326.253.6842.611
 
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Napa said:
What is the source of this? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Historical rating trends by ICC can be checked by anyone.

https://www.relianceiccrankings.com/playercompare/odi/all-rounder/1850/1803/?graph=rating

.
A little bit here and a little bit there would be different, but when someone's peak is below the bottom of another player for both playing at in same time then it's futile to argue. Yes, some don't get that ODI is not just about average, but then the same posters may think 50(50) in T-20 is good batting.

The same trend is visible in the test format where IK is clearly far ahead of Dev and yet I will see some Indian posters arguing about Dev being comparable in the test format.
 
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Napa said:
From the graphs provided by Buffet in post #26 it appears that Dev was extraordinary.
Click to expand...

Dev was extraordinary,

His career ER - 3.7 & against WI it was even better, ER was 3.6

To put it in perspective, even great IK had ER of 4.3 against WI.
 
In the 80s, Kapil was a megastar & took a team of average at best ODI players to defeat the WI - in conditions that didn't suit India's play style. I concede you could name other worthy recipients, but if Kapil wins I'm ok with that.

It seems odd Oz won all those WC's but don't have a representative. Where India seems over-represented overall. But who can you remove? Sachin was head & shoulders better than any ODI batsman in the 90s. So many more centuries than anyone. Daylight second. If you look at bowlers, Wasim & Waqar were neck & neck. So was Saqlain, or Donald or Warne, they just played less matches. (Pakistan played a lot when stars in the 90s)
 
wrongun said:
In the 80s, Kapil was a megastar & took a team of average at best ODI players to defeat the WI - in conditions that didn't suit India's play style. I concede you could name other worthy recipients, but if Kapil wins I'm ok with that.

It seems odd Oz won all those WC's but don't have a representative. Where India seems over-represented overall. But who can you remove? Sachin was head & shoulders better than any ODI batsman in the 90s. So many more centuries than anyone. Daylight second. If you look at bowlers, Wasim & Waqar were neck & neck. So was Saqlain, or Donald or Warne, they just played less matches. (Pakistan played a lot when stars in the 90s)
Click to expand...

Aus winning has an extra factor of having lots of great players at the same time.

Having said that, McGrath, Ponting, Warne, and Jones will be the 4 top players for me from Aus.

Also, any list exactly covering decade will be biased towards players who happen to have an entire decade as their peak. Some players may have 3 years of a peak in one decade and 3 years in another but won't find a place for a decade despite being as good as anyone being the best in a decade.
 
Buffet said:
Historical rating trends by ICC can be checked by anyone.

https://www.relianceiccrankings.com/playercompare/odi/all-rounder/1850/1803/?graph=rating

.
A little bit here and a little bit there would be different, but when someone's peak is below the bottom of another player for both playing at in same time then it's futile to argue. Yes, some don't get that ODI is not just about average, but then the same posters may think 50(50) in T-20 is good batting.

The same trend is visible in the test format where IK is clearly far ahead of Dev and yet I will see some Indian posters arguing about Dev being comparable in the test format.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the source. Seems quite definitive.

IK's purple patch in Tests between his 40th and 50th games is very impressive.
 
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With just one great catch and an innings against a minnow team you can't become the greatest cricketer of the decade. And I don't remember a single remarkable innings after that from kapil and not even a single remarkable spell of bowling. And he was not the captain in that 1985 tournament, it was sunil gawaskar. And as a player alone he didn't do anything great in that series.
 
Buffet said:
Aus winning has an extra factor of having lots of great players at the same time.

Having said that, McGrath, Ponting, Warne, and Jones will be the 4 top players for me from Aus.

Also, any list exactly covering decade will be biased towards players who happen to have an entire decade as their peak. Some players may have 3 years of a peak in one decade and 3 years in another but won't find a place for a decade despite being as good as anyone being the best in a decade.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's why I noted it as odd, but there wasn't a single player I could argue was singelhandedly the best of the decade. Having said that, I think some decades there are 3-4 nominees you could make an argument for- Imran in the 80s, Warne, Wasim or Waqar in the 90s, Ponting 2000s etc.
 
wrongun said:
Yeah that's why I noted it as odd, but there wasn't a single player I could argue was singelhandedly the best of the decade. Having said that, I think some decades there are 3-4 nominees you could make an argument for- Imran in the 80s, Warne, Wasim or Waqar in the 90s, Ponting 2000s etc.
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Agree with that. I was only pointing out that I won't always take best in the decade as an equivalent for the best of the era.
 
I love how our fans got triggered by Kapil’s selection.

The fact is that he was a far better ODI cricketer than Imran and also a better leader/captain.

His 1983 World Cup triumph at the age of 23 was a far bigger achievement than Imran’s 1992 World Cup nearly 10 years later.

Beating arguably greatest ODI side twice including in the final was the real Cornered Tigers moment.

The difference between Kapil and Imran is that Kapil was a team man and not a narcissist who put his personal glory above the team.

Imran’s speech in the presentation ceremony of the 1992 World Cup final where he did not even acknowledge his team said everything about him.

That whole Cornered Tigers gimmick and that white t-shirt at the toss was not about the team; it was about Imran’s own image.

Kapil did not politicize his World Cup victory and did not do any propaganda over it. He could have milked it and done so much for himself, but he didn’t because he was always an unbelievable team-man who had no interested in personal glory.

For Kapil, it was never about him; it was always about India. He didn’t use the 1983 World Cup for personal gains.

The 1983 World Cup was by far the most significant moment in Asian cricket history. It completely changed the landscape of the game.

It shifted the balance of power out of London and the uptight MCC club where they would wear their hats and smoke their pipes and praise each other while overrating mediocre English cricketers of the past with great revisionism.

It broke the duopoly of England and Australia in terms of decision-making power and brought Asian cricket well and truly on the map.

It created craze for ODI cricket in India and without the 1983 World Cup that turned the establishment of cricket upside down, the 1987 and 1996 World Cups would not have been hosted in the subcontinent.

It was a pivotal moment in history of subcontinent cricket achieved due to the lionhearted leadership and courage of Kapil the magnificent and selfless leader.
 
Overall, the choices are great except Muralitharan. He was a chucker and should have been banned permanently in 1996-97. It is a shame ICC had to bow down to political pressure.

Ponting was the greatest ODI cricketer of 2000s.
 
Hitman said:
To mark 50 years of men's ODI cricket, this year's Wisden Almanack named its greatest player for each decade.

1970’s - Viv Richards

1980’s - Kapil Dev

1990’s - Sachin Tendulkar

2000’s - Muttiah Muralitharan

2010’s - Virat Kohli
Click to expand...

Looks like Wisden is also hoping for an IPL contract.
 
TheNightWatchman said:
Akram can easily be a candidate for the 90s. How can you say nobody comes close
Click to expand...

I'm sure he's in the top 3. Tendulkar was not just about runs or the 70 odd wickets he took. He was the primary reason for the explosion of the commercialization in the 90s. No one will come close in that decade when you consider the runs, the influence.
 
Mamoon said:
Overall, the choices are great except Muralitharan. He was a chucker and should have been banned permanently in 1996-97. It is a shame ICC had to bow down to political pressure.

Ponting was the greatest ODI cricketer of 2000s.
Click to expand...

It always bothered me that if Murali went through the same tests that got Ajmal banned in 2013 or whenever it was, his whole record would have been tarnished.
 
Mamoon said:
Overall, the choices are great except Muralitharan. He was a chucker and should have been banned permanently in 1996-97. It is a shame ICC had to bow down to political pressure.

Ponting was the greatest ODI cricketer of 2000s.
Click to expand...

ICC had option of banning Murli and let Srilanka cricket die like Kenya/Zim etc or allow him to play and let Srilanka emerge as a major cricketing nation. I feel if Murli was from UK/Aus, ICC would have definitely banned him.
 
Mamoon said:
I love how our fans got triggered by Kapil’s selection.

The fact is that he was a far better ODI cricketer than Imran and also a better leader/captain.

His 1983 World Cup triumph at the age of 23 was a far bigger achievement than Imran’s 1992 World Cup nearly 10 years later.

Beating arguably greatest ODI side twice including in the final was the real Cornered Tigers moment.

The difference between Kapil and Imran is that Kapil was a team man and not a narcissist who put his personal glory above the team.

Imran’s speech in the presentation ceremony of the 1992 World Cup final where he did not even acknowledge his team said everything about him.

That whole Cornered Tigers gimmick and that white t-shirt at the toss was not about the team; it was about Imran’s own image.

Kapil did not politicize his World Cup victory and did not do any propaganda over it. He could have milked it and done so much for himself, but he didn’t because he was always an unbelievable team-man who had no interested in personal glory.

For Kapil, it was never about him; it was always about India. He didn’t use the 1983 World Cup for personal gains.

The 1983 World Cup was by far the most significant moment in Asian cricket history. It completely changed the landscape of the game.

It shifted the balance of power out of London and the uptight MCC club where they would wear their hats and smoke their pipes and praise each other while overrating mediocre English cricketers of the past with great revisionism.

It broke the duopoly of England and Australia in terms of decision-making power and brought Asian cricket well and truly on the map.

It created craze for ODI cricket in India and without the 1983 World Cup that turned the establishment of cricket upside down, the 1987 and 1996 World Cups would not have been hosted in the subcontinent.

It was a pivotal moment in history of subcontinent cricket achieved due to the lionhearted leadership and courage of Kapil the magnificent and selfless leader.
Click to expand...

Obviously I don't agree with your typical Imran bashing but I agree with you views about Kapil Dev, one of my all time favorite cricketer due to his unique qualities you described. His winning the 1983 WC at 24, definitely was one of the biggest , if not the biggest ever cricketing achievement .

Also not many people know that he was a gifted athlete who never missed a test due to injury or being unfit until then BCCI "punished" him for something and banned him for a solitary test.
 
Jazx said:
With just one great catch and an innings against a minnow team you can't become the greatest cricketer of the decade. And I don't remember a single remarkable innings after that from kapil and not even a single remarkable spell of bowling. And he was not the captain in that 1985 tournament, it was sunil gawaskar. And as a player alone he didn't do anything great in that series.
Click to expand...

The "minnow" team had India reduced to 17/5 and on its way out of the 1983 World Cup when Kapil arrived at the crease.
 
Cric_lover4487 said:
ICC had option of banning Murli and let Srilanka cricket die like Kenya/Zim etc or allow him to play and let Srilanka emerge as a major cricketing nation. I feel if Murli was from UK/Aus, ICC would have definitely banned him.
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Exactly.

Darrell Hair was labeled a racist, he received death threats and a year after Muralitharan was called out, Sri Lanka won the World Cup.

ICC simply buckled under pressure when they should have stood their ground and banned a clear-cut chucker in the best interests of the integrity of the game.
 
Mamoon said:
I love how our fans got triggered by Kapil’s selection.

The fact is that he was a far better ODI cricketer than Imran and also a better leader/captain.

His 1983 World Cup triumph at the age of 23 was a far bigger achievement than Imran’s 1992 World Cup nearly 10 years later.

Beating arguably greatest ODI side twice including in the final was the real Cornered Tigers moment.

The difference between Kapil and Imran is that Kapil was a team man and not a narcissist who put his personal glory above the team.

Imran’s speech in the presentation ceremony of the 1992 World Cup final where he did not even acknowledge his team said everything about him.

That whole Cornered Tigers gimmick and that white t-shirt at the toss was not about the team; it was about Imran’s own image.

<b>Kapil did not politicize his World Cup victory and did not do any propaganda over it. He could have milked it and done so much for himself, but he didn’t because he was always an unbelievable team-man who had no interested in personal glory.

For Kapil, it was never about him; it was always about India. He didn’t use the 1983 World Cup for personal gains. </b>

The 1983 World Cup was by far the most significant moment in Asian cricket history. It completely changed the landscape of the game.

It shifted the balance of power out of London and the uptight MCC club where they would wear their hats and smoke their pipes and praise each other while overrating mediocre English cricketers of the past with great revisionism.

It broke the duopoly of England and Australia in terms of decision-making power and brought Asian cricket well and truly on the map.

It created craze for ODI cricket in India and without the 1983 World Cup that turned the establishment of cricket upside down, the 1987 and 1996 World Cups would not have been hosted in the subcontinent.

<b>It was a pivotal moment in history of subcontinent cricket achieved due to the lionhearted leadership and courage of Kapil the magnificent and selfless leader.</b>
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That's the reason why most Indians think so highly of Kapil. Also a fantastic genuine smile, a true simple but lionhearted guy :)
 
Napa said:
The "minnow" team had India reduced to 17/5 and on its way out of the 1983 World Cup when Kapil arrived at the crease.
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Yeah but still it was against a minnow attack. Actually I am not denying that he was a wonderful cricketer, but he was not the best of the decade at all. His odi stats are not as great as test. Viv was the best odi cricketer in 80s also. That 83 world Cup and his 175 knock is exaggerated too much.
 
A good advantage for making such lists of the decade stuff is debuting at the start or near the end of a decade...eg sachin in 1989 or VK in 2010 etc. Any ways, Wisden says 'greatest' which I guess is loosely translated to impactful on that nations success factor which might be slightly different from the overall number of wins. Eg for tests - Andy flower might be singularly responsible for keeping the Zim flag flying in the 2000's as opposed to his other team mates. same probably applies to Sachin as a lot of their other team mates were johny average.
And also if you are in a team of diamond crazy super starts like Gordon Greenidge, with Viv, des, Richardson, Lloyd floating around-u somehow get overlooked.
If the direct co relation with translation into victories is the parameter,
I do feel Wasim for the 90's, Ricky Ponting for the 2000's would be apt.
Kapil for the 80's is a debatable one- he had a massive impact no doubting that.
And as someone rightly said, he'd make most teams based on his outfielding alone(and this not based on that catch in the finals only) and his amazing slip catching....
other than that yes couple of close calls for all decades on that list...
 
Spot on list except for Murali may be, only due to his action though.
 
90s should be Wasim Akram, not Tendulkar.

At his peak, Tendulkar may have scored runs in the 90s (24 ODI centuries, including 4 (Zim) and 3 (Kenya), but his runs didn't help India win the world cup, or help change the game in the way Wasim did.

Wasim Akram not only helped Pakistan win the WC in 92, but also guided Pakistan to the finals in 99 as player and captain. Add to this his bowing talent, pioneer of reverse swing which ultimatley revolutionised the ODI game, and pairing with Waqar Younis to create one of the most deadliest bowling duos in the game; Wasim Akram deserves the 90s slot hands down.

00s should be Ponting.

This way every name of every decade was involved in a WC win for their country.
 
Hitman said:
I'd prefer Ponting as the greatest ODI cricketer of the 2000's. Not too sure about Kapil Dev though.
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Ponting may or may not be ODI cricketer of '00s but Kapil was just insane in '80s. Him being top ODI all rounder pretty much whole of '80s testifies to that.
 
Only one I have an issue with is Murali for 2000s. So many other names that could go there ahead of him.

Everything else makes sense. Kapil was a game changer in ODIs, Imran wasn’t that level despite still being a very very good OD AR (for ODIs of that era).

While 80s, 90s and 2000s are debatable. 70s and 2010s are for sure well earned and not up for debate. Viv and Kohli were far above their competitors in terms of both consistency and impact.
 
Hitman said:
To mark 50 years of men's ODI cricket, this year's Wisden Almanack named its greatest player for each decade.

1970’s - Viv Richards

1980’s - Kapil Dev

1990’s - Sachin Tendulkar

2000’s - Muttiah Muralitharan

2010’s - Virat Kohli
Click to expand...


This is PakPassion so obviously there will be a pro-Pakistan bias on this site but they've got this pretty wrong IMO. And ultimately all of these things are subjective anyway.

1970s, fair enough. Can't argue with Viv Richards.
1980s, nah. Wouldn't give it to Dev. Plenty of others who deserve it more. Border, Botham, IK, Hadlee, Haynes. Wouldn't have given it to Dev personally.
1990s, nah not Sachin. Sachin I would have given the 2000s. 1990s could have gone to Wasim, Donald, Warne. Personally would have given it to Wasim.
2000s, nah not Murali. Sachin probably deserved it for the 2000s because of the records he broke in this decade.
2010s, can't argue with Kohli.

On the whole quite a poor list from Wisden. If I have to jump off the fence and pick one for each decade i'd go with:

70s: Viv
80s: IK
90s: Wasim
00s: Tendulkar
10s: Kohli
 
Babeikh said:
1980s, nah. Wouldn't give it to Dev. Plenty of others who deserve it more. Border, Botham, IK, Hadlee, Haynes. Wouldn't have given it to Dev personally.
Click to expand...

I don't think you realise that this award is for the odi cricketer of the decade, how is Botham even comparable to Kapil dev in odis and Border? Really, how is he better than Dev in odis.
 
jeeteshssaxena said:
I don't think you realise that this award is for the odi cricketer of the decade, how is Botham even comparable to Kapil dev in odis and Border? Really, how is he better than Dev in odis.
Click to expand...

Botham and Hadlee don't have dissimilar records. Border was a stretch in hindsight.

My issue is that they seemed to give it to Dev purely because of 83 world cup but didn't apply same standard to other decades e.g. giving 90s to Sachin and 00s to Murali.
 
Hitman said:
To mark 50 years of men's ODI cricket, this year's Wisden Almanack named its greatest player for each decade.

1970’s - Viv Richards

1980’s - Kapil Dev

1990’s - Sachin Tendulkar

2000’s - Muttiah Muralitharan

2010’s - Virat Kohli
Click to expand...

Can't really comment on 70's, 80's & 90's because I started watching cricket in 2004 but Murali doesn't make any sense.

My pick for 2000's would be: Sachin or Pointing
Can't really argue about 2010's.
 
Kapil has a very good case for being best player of the 80s. Ahead of Imran, AB perhaps. However I still think Viv was THE ODI player of the 80s. The original Master Blaster, looked like he was playing a completely different game from the rest. Maybe his failure in 83' prevented him from becoming the player of the decade.
 
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