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10 most over-rated players in T20I Cricket
Several cricketers are there who had shown immense potential in their domestic cricket but had not been successful to that extent in international cricket. The world of cricket mainly revolves around Australia, England, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and South Africa and the fanfare in these countries becomes high with heavy expectations from the cricketers. So the cases are not exceptional where many cricketers despite having delivered a tremendous performance in their respective domestic tournaments have not been able to keep up the psychological pressure and finally failed to shine. Still, the selectors of respective countries have kept faith in those cricketers and giving them chances on the international stage despite their continuous failure.
We will try to find out such 10 most over-rated players in T20I Cricket in this article who despite failing repeatedly have got the opportunity to don their respective national shirts.
Shahid Afridi
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Shahid Afridi has been hailed as one of the Top 10 T20 players in Pakistan. But going by the performance sheet it will be noticed that this Pakistani all-rounder could never be able to rise to the expectation that he created in an early burst. He set a record of scoring hundred in 37 balls at the beginning of his career and his leg-spin was being mentioned as a game-changer also in the early 21st century. Afridi has participated in 99 T20Is and has been able to gather 1416 runs including his best score of unbeaten 54 at an average of 17.92 with the ball he has scalped only 98 wickets. In ODIs, Afridi has picked up 395 wickets from his 398 matches, less than wicket—game. It was not expected from a cricketer who has played over 300 wickets.
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Umar Akmal
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Umar Akmal, the wicketkeeper-batsman was called huge potential at the beginning of his career. He was coming up at the same time Virat Kohli was taking giant strides in international cricket. Akmal, in his debut Test against New Zealand, showed his glimpse with a cracking 129. The Kiwi bowling, consisting of Shane Bond and Daniel Vettori could not tame the 19-year old Akmal. The batsman has played in 121 ODIs but has been able to amass 3194 runs at an average of only 34.34. The later part of Akmal was the story of drop-down gradually. That was the reason Akmal could play only in 16 Tests. Even having participated in 84 T20Is Akmal has scored 1690 runs at an average of 26 including his best run of 94.
Denesh Ramdin
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Denesh Ramdin is another example of the 10 most over-rated players in T20I Cricket. He was an outstanding wicketkeeper and a promising batsman but in due course, West Indies lost getting his service due to inconsistency after the early prospect. Ramdin, primarily a fast bowler who was keeping behind the stumps after the end of bowling, was spotted by the selectors for the senior West Indies squad at the age of 19 only for the Sri Lanka tour in 2005. Ramdin earned accolades there in Sri Lanka with agile movements behind the stumps and a smooth fifty in the Test debut. Even later the year Ramdin laid his potential by scoring a gallant 71 against Australia at Hobert. The Australian bowling was at its best in the series comprising Glen McGrath, Brett Lee, and Shane Warne. But gradually Ramdin's inconsistency with the bat and behind the stumps compelled him to go out of the national squad. Still, he was being hailed as the Best 10 T20 Cricketers of West Indies and continued to get an opportunity in the country's T20 squad.
Ramdin has participated in 71 T20Is and has been able to score only 636 runs at an average of 18.70 including an unbeaten 55. He also has failed to live up to expectations in the ODIs by scoring 2200 runs from 139 matches at an average of 25 only.
Ishant Sharma
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The lanky Indian fast bowler, who despite having torn the Australian batting line-up almost alone in 2007-08 has never been included in the Top 10 T20 players of India. Despite having shown great potential in Test cricket the 32-year old fast bowler from Delhi has not been comfortable in white-ball cricket. Although having participated in 80 ODIs Ishant has captured 115 wickets, his journey in T20I has not been soothing. Ishant has taken part in only 14 T20Is and scalped 8 wickets while from his 97 Tests Ishant has an impressive 297 wickets so far including his best 7 for 74 in an innings.
Albie Morkel
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Albie Morkel, the brother of Morne Morkel also an international cricketer from South Africa can also be included in the list of 10 most over-rated players in T20I Cricket. He had shown tremendous potential at the beginning of his career. He was being hailed as the next Lance Klusener for his amazing six-hitting ability and controlled medium pace bowling. Albie Morkel who said goodbye to all forms of cricket last year had failed to carry on his dominance in domestic cricket to the international scenario.
In first-class cricket, Albie made an impact by scalping 6wickets for 36 runs for Eastern Province against Griqualand West and in 2004-05 he captured 20 wickets at an average of 40.65. Even Albie struck his first double century in the same season with an unbeaten 204 against Western Province Boland.
In the shortest format of the game Morkel, playing in 50 Twenty20 International matches has amassed 572 runs and scalped 26 wickets. He had such dominance in the shortest format of the game that Albie Morkel was one of the biggest buys at the inaugural IPL auction. Morkel was sold for 675,000 US dollars to Chennai Super Kings. He switched to Royal Challengers Bangalore before spending six years with Chennai.
Morkel has an envious record of registering 974 runs from 91 IPL matches with an average of 24.35 and at a strike rate of 141.98. Still, he was not able to exhibit the magic in T20 International he produced in domestic and in the IPL.
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Chris Cairns
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The Kiwi all-rounder was once called one of the Best 10 T20 Cricketers in the world. Statistics stand by Chris Cairns, the 50-year old all-rounder as he became the sixth man in the world of cricket to have attained the desired double of 3000 runs and 200 wickets in 2004. But gradually, the continuous injury was the key hindrance to the rise of Cairns's prowess in international cricket. That might have been the reason Chris Cairns had been able to 4 hundreds out of his total runs 4950 despite having played in 215 One Day International (ODI) matches. Besides, Cairns had another part in his life that also had affected his cricket journey a lot. He first raised his voice in 2002 and accumulated other players who initially went on strike but finally ended following initiative was taken by Cairns himself. His rebel image lasted till the last day of his cricket as he also filed suit against former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi for libel after the commissioner tweeted that Cairns was involved in match-fixing during 2008. Cairns even won the case but he had to spend a lot of time in courts to prove his innocence. Affected by the legal intricacies Chris Cairns' cricket journey finally started getting jerks and said goodbye to ODI in 2006. In his farewell game, he bowled 24 overs without a wicket and a nine-ball duck before being bowled by Chris Gayle. Chris Cairns has regrets that his farewell match was not staged in a manner he deserved.
Graeme Hick
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One of the greatest batsmen in terms of performing in domestic cricket was Graeme Hick of England. The media and even the critics in England started calling him ‘Don Bradman of present days’. His amazing 41112 runs from 526 first-class matches including the highest score of unbeaten 405 at an average of 52.23 needs no more preface on Hick's spectacular show in domestic cricket. Still, he was not able to fulfill the expectation in the Tests as well as in the ODIs also. The Zimbabwe-born batsman has amassed 2283 runs from his 65 Tests at an average of only 31.32 including his highest score of 178 and playing in 120 ODIs Hick has made only 3846 at an average 37.33 scoring only 5 hundreds. Hick was the player who had represented two different countries in the ODI World Cup. He donned Zimbabwe shirts in 1983 and then represented England in three World Cups (from 1992 to 1999). He was able to strike only one hundred and 5 fifties from the 20 ODI World Cup matches he participated and gathered 635 runs only.
S Sreesanth
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S. Sreesanth had all the needed qualities to establish himself as a good fast bowler. He was enthusiastic, attacking, and passionate. Besides, as a quick bowler, he was one rare of his time in Indian cricket after the era of Kapil Dev who could continuously deliver superb out-swing balls which often used to cause nightmares for the batsmen in domestic as well as in international cricket also. Still, he has not able to become a star for not being able to control his attributes properly. Sreesanth who had 87 wickets from his 27 Tests, 75 wickets from his 53 ODIs and 7 wickets from his 10 T20Is became involved in a match-fixing scandal. Then he embroiled himself with Harbhajan Singh in a spat in the inaugural IPL and received the latter's slap. Simultaneously, the Kerala bowler had been suffering from different types of injuries which affected his smooth progress also. Recently, Sreesanth has been freed from the spot-fixing scandal and has been allowed to participate in domestic cricket once again after seven long years.
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Ravi Bopara
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Ravi Bopara was the key all-rounder of England before the emergence of Ben stokes. His medium-pace bowling and his batting in the middle covers were rated highly by the selectors. But lack of consistency forced him to rule out of the team gradually. Bopara had played in only 13 Tests and 120 ODIs. He has amassed only 2695 runs including only one century. Bopara has also participated in 38 T20Is, but scored only 711 runs including 3 fifties, and had captured 16 wickets in the T20Is in as many matches.
Angelo Mathews
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Angelo Mathews was called Sri Lanka's one of the most prized assets for his vigorous batting, consistent bowling, and tremendous athleticism as a fielder. His outstanding acrobatic save in the 2009 T20 World Cup is still remembered by cricket lovers. He was rewarded for his brilliant performance, especially in the limited over game by being appointed Sri Lanka’s youngest ever Test captain. Angelo was only 25 years old at that time. His excellent show in the limited over cricket can not be forgotten especially when he almost alone guided Sri Lanka to the World Cup semifinal in 2011. Playing in 217 ODIs Angelo Mathews has scored 5839 runs at an average of 41.94 including 3 centuries and 40 fifties as well as scalped 120 wickets. In the T20 International cricket also, Mathews, participating in 75 matches, has scored 1119 runs. Despite having scored 12000 runs in international cricket Mathews failed to reach the status of a super star in Sri Lankan cricket. The injury problem also was a big reason behind his inability to deliver consistently later.
