World Top Batsman's

1. Kumar Sangakkara ( SL ) Kumar Sangakkara born on October, 27, 1977 in Matale is a left handed batsman. He has acqiured number 3 position in batting and learned wiketkeeping and become a specialist wicketkeeper. His wicket keeping has improved to such an extent that he is now considered, by the LG ICC Test ratings, the best current wicket-keeping batsman. He likes to hit the ball square of the wicket on the off-side. In July 2006, he scored his highest Test score of 287 against South Africa and shared a record-breaking partnership of 624 with Mahela Jayawardene. This is a world record in both Test and first class cricket, and was the first case of a partnership of 600 or more in a first-class or Test match innings. Sangakkara also has six ODI centuries, including one against Australia in Colombo, 2004, in his hundredth match.
2. Michael Hussey ( AUS) Michael Hussey born on May 27, 1975 in Morley, Western Australia. Michael is left-handed batsman, he has made a highly successful start to his international career. He plays his first-class cricket as vice-captain for the Western Warriors in Australia, and has played for several counties in England. His batting average in both forms of the game is over 70, and he currently tops the list of best averages ever in ODI cricket. Statistically, Hussey's international career (so far) has been extraordinarily successful. His batting average in Tests is nearly 80 and in ODIs just under 60. He currently tops the list of best averages ever in ODI cricket. Hussey's ODI average would be lower were it not for an early string of not outs, but nevertheless his strike rate of 90.90 is very respectable.
3. Ricky Ponting ( AUS ) Ricky Thomas Ponting Born on December 19, 1974, in Launceston, Tasmania, is the present captain of the Australian One-Day and Test cricket teams. He is one of the world's leading batsmen in both forms of the game, as of June 2004 having made 6019 runs in 78 Tests at the outstanding batting average of 54.7, and 7255 runs at 42 (and with the good strike rate of 78) in 201 one-day international matches. Unlike many Australian cricketers, Ponting's talents were quickly rewarded with selection, playing for Tasmania at age 17, and his test debut coming against Sri Lanka in the 1995/96 season at age 20.
Early off-field difficulties, involving him on two occasions getting excessively drunk while on tour, and once becoming involved in a bar fight, saw him temporarily dropped from the team in 1999, but aside from an ankle injury in 2000 he has been a permanent fixture in the team, mostly batting in the number 3 position where the best batsman in the team is traditionally played.
3. Jacques Kallis ( SA ) Jacques Kallis is the best allrounder in the world. The burly Capetonian bats at number three or four in the South African line-up, although this World Cup is more likely to find him in the latter position. He is the rock amongst SA's batsmen: able to focus mercilessly for long periods of time and defy the opposition bowling. He is also capable of accelerating the scoring with a wide array of strokes. He has no discernable weakness against pace or spin bowling. He is a difficult man to dislodge. Kallis is also one of the ten best seam bowlers in the world. He usually moves the ball away from the right-handed batsman and possesses
a short ball surprising in its pace, as well as a slow ball surprising in its lack of pace. He is likely to feature first change, but is also very adept at firing in the yorkers at the death. Finally, Kallis is also SA's premier slip fielder. Big hands and sharp reflexes serve him well in this crucial position.
5. Mohammad Yousuf ( PAK ) Mohammad Yousuf is the highest star on Pakistan's cricket horizon and has established himself as one of the most exciting batsmen in contemporary cricket. Born on August 27, 1974, Yousuf has proved his mettle in both genres of the game. In the abridged version, the youngster has the eye and reflexes to maintain a brisk run-rate. Making his intentions clear at the very outset, Yousuf shows a ready willingness to dance down the wicket to the flighted hall and loft it high and straight over the are between mid-off and mid-on. The fast men of the game also fare no better against his onslaught.
6. Matthew Hayden ( AUS ) The left handed Matthew Hayden is a masterful opening batsman who is rarely unsettled and who hits the ball to all parts of the wicket. He possesses a beautifully uncomplicated technique which allows him to drive forcefully from the front foot and to issue thunderously executed cuts, hooks and pulls from the back. He is tall, powerfully built, and plays with muscular authority. From the moment that he struck a magnificent 149 in his maiden first-class innings, Hayden has continued to demonstrate a seemingly unquenchable thirst for big scores.His sheer weight of runs for Queensland,
Hampshire and Northamptonshire has made him one of domestic cricket's best performing batsmen of recent times and, though he struggled initially on his elevation in the mid-1990s, he has now begun to make a decisive mark for himself in the international arena as well. Hayden's qualities were arguably best showcased during a phenomenal personal tour of India in early 2001 that netted him 549 Test runs from a mere six innings. Striking evidence of his ability also arrived in twin home series against New Zealand and South Africa in 2001-02, when he cracked four individual centuries and joined with fellow opener Justin Langer to produce a world-record four double century partnerships in the course of a single season.
7. Mahela Jayawardene ( SL ) Mahela Jayawardene born on May 27, 1977 in Colombo is the captain of Sri Lanka team. He is a specialist batsman who has a Test average close to 50, and an ODI average in the 30s. In 2006, he was named by the International Cricket Council as the best international captain of the year. He is also known for his fielding skills in the inner ring, he had effected the most number of run-outs in ODI cricket of any fieldsman, with the fifth highest success rate. He made his Test debut in the record breaking Test in 1997 against India at R.P.S., Colombo. His ODI debut was against Zimbabwe at Premadasa in January 1998. They won the match, with Jayawardene hitting the winning run.
8. Shiv Chanderpaul ( WI ) Shiv Chanderpaul born on August 16, 1974 in Unity Village, Demerara-Mahaica, Guyana is a former captain of West Indies cricket team. He is a left handed batsman and has a ability to stick on the wickets for long hours. He is known for his very unorthodox front-on batting stance, although his footwork just before delivery shifts his body into a more conventional position by the time he plays the ball which makes him a prolific scorer on both sides of the wicket with the off driver and the flick off the toes.
9. Kevin Pietersen( ENG ) Kevin Pietersen born on June, 27, 1980 in Pietermaritzburg, Natal, South Africa. He is an attacking right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for Hampshire County Cricket Club and is an important member of both the England Test match and One-day International teams. He became the fastest batsman to reach both 1000 and 2000 runs in One-day International cricket, and currently has the highest average of any England player to have played more than 20 innings of one-day cricket. He also has the second-highest run total from his first 25.
10. Younis Khan ( PAK ) A middle-order batsman, Younis Khan is fearless, as befits his Pathan ancestry. He plays with a flourish and is especially strong in the arc from backward point to extra cover. He is prone to getting down on one knee and driving extravagantly. But this flamboyance is coupled with grit. His main weaknesses are playing away from the body and leaving straight balls. Younis was one of the few batsmen who retained his place in the team after Pakistan's disastrous World Cup campaign in 2003, but lost it soon after due to a string of poor scores in the home series against Bangladesh and South Africa.
He came back for the one-day series against India, but failed to cement a place in the Test side. Younis also aspires to be a legspinner, but the truth is that he is barely first-class standard. His fielding, though, is better, and he took a world-record four catches in one innings as substitute during Pakistan's demolition of Bangladesh in the 2001-02 Asian Test Championship.
11. Michael Clarke ( AUS ) Michael Clarke born on April 2, 1981 in Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia is a right-handed batsman, highly-regarded fielder and occasional left-arm orthodox spin bowler. He made his first-class debut for New South Wales as an eighteen year old in the 1999-2000 Australian domestic season. He played a major part in Australia's 2-1 series victory, their first in India in over thirty years, contributing outstanding bowling figures of 6 for 9 in the final Test of the series. In recognition of his performance in the 2004 calendar year, he was awarded the Allan Border Medal in 2005.
12. Sachin Tendulkar ( IND ) Sachin Tendulkar born on April 24, 1973 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India is the second greatest test batsman. He made his international debut in 1989 and is a perennial crowd-favorite, he is the only Indian cricketer to receive the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honour for his performance in 1997-1998. Sachin Tendulkar made his debut when he was only 15 years plus when he visited Pakistan with Indian team in 1989. He hit 59 at Faisalabad in his second Test. His first century came against England when he made 119 at Old Trafford in 1990.
13. Alastair Cook ( ENG ) Alastair Cook born on December 25, 1984 in Gloucester is a left handed batsman. On the 28 December 2006 in Melbourne, Cook scored his thousandth Test run and in doing so joined Mark Taylor as the only other player in Test history to score 1000 runs in his maiden year and the fastest England batsman to reach 1000 Test runs. He has scored centuries in his first Test matches against India, Pakistan and the West Indies.
14. Graeme Smith ( SA ) Graeme Smith born on February, 1, 1981 in Johannesburg is the captain of south africa team and an occasional off spin bowler. He is youngest ever cricketer to became captain at the age of 22. He is a tall and strongly built left handed opening batsman standing at 6'3 and 15 stone who is usually very leg-side orientated at the crease. He made his Test debut for South Africa in 2002 in Cape Town against Australia. He displayed strong character and mental strength in that match by scoring a half century.
15. Rahul Dravid ( IND ) Rahul Dravid has been one of the main pillars of the Indian batting with his blend of technical proficiency and stylish strokes. In a side bristling with dashing batsmen, he has frequently played the sheet-anchor role to perfection. Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has even gone on record as saying that 'keeper Dravid is his man for the World Cup. The World Cup, incidentally, has been a stage where Dravid has revelled. In the 1999 edition of the premier one-day championship, he ended up with two hundreds and the highest aggregate, a feat which led to his being named the Wisden cricketer of 2000.For sheer consistency, Dravid has few equals and has maintained a Test career average of over 50. His temperament is exemplary and his concentration legendary.
A batsman who revels in a crisis, Dravid, against New Zealand in January 1999, joined Vijay Hazare and Sunil Gavaskar as one of only three Indians to have scored a century in each innings in a Test. The poor run in Australia in 1999-2000 was only a passing phase and he returned to top form the next season, most memorably notching up his first double century in Tests. His promotion as vice-captain was widely acclaimed and now he is promoted as Captain of Indian Team.
16. Stephen Fleming ( NZ ) Stephen Fleming born on April 1, 1973 in Christchurch is a test captain of New Zealand cricket team. He is a left handed batsman who made his Test debut in 1994 against India and assumed the captaincy role during the home series against England in 1997. Known for his astute tactical abilities, he is New Zealand's most successful Test captain, having led the side to 28 victories (as of April 2007) and having won Test match series against India, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. As a fielder, he has taken over 150 catches giving him the 4th highest Test aggregate for a non-wicketkeeper
17. Ashwell Prince ( SA ) Ashwell Prince born on May 28, 1977 in Port Elizabeth, Cape Province plays Test and One-day International cricket for South Africa. He is a left handed middle order batsman, he has a high batted stance and is strong through the offside. He is noted for his gritty style of batting and also for being an athletic fielder in the covers. At the age of 29, he becomes the first non-white man to captain the mostly-white South African cricket team. He is strong through the offside. He is often regarded as a good fielder. He has a good conversion rate from fifties to hundreds
18. V.V.S. Laxman ( IND ) Laxman born on November 1, 1974 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India is noted for his superb timing and ability to hit against the turn against spin bowlers. He is right handed batsman and right arm off break bowler. His batting style is similar to the more famous Hyderabadi, Mohammed Azharuddin - whom Laxman says is his role-model. He made his Test debut in 1996, hitting a fifty against South Africa at Ahmedabad.
19. Paul Collingwood ( ENG ) Paul Collingwood born on May 26, 1976 in Shotley Bridge, Durham is vice-captain of Durham County Cricket Club and plays Test and One-day International cricket for England, and on 22 June 2007 appointed to England's one-day captaincy. Paul Collingwood is perhaps the first specialist fielder to earn regular selection for a Test squad. He made England's one-day team in 2001, but four years and numerous tours later, he had played in just three Tests. In Australia in 2002-03 he started the VB Series as 12th man, but was soon spanking a memorable maiden international century against Sri Lanka at Perth - a round 100 that confirmed his place in the 2003 World Cup squad.
20. Ian Ronald Bell ( ENG ) Ian Bell born on April 11, 1982 in Coventry, West Midlands is a right handed batsman and right arm medium bowler. He had been earmarked for greatness long before he was drafted onto the England tour of New Zealand in 2001-02, as cover for the injured Mark Butcher. A former England U19 captain, Bell had played just 13 first-class games when called into the England squad, though in 2001 he scored 836 runs for Warwickshire at an average of over 64, including three centuries.
21. Andrew Symonds ( AUS ) Symonds born on June 9, 1975 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, Australia. He is a talented powerful right-handed batsman. He can also bowl off spin or medium pace, making him a good all-rounder. He is an outstanding fielder as well, able to take catches well and with powerful throws and excellent reflexes; some may consider him almost the 'perfect cricket package'.
22. Saurav Ganguly ( IND ) Ganguly born on July 08, 1972 in Kolkata, India. His international career began in a disastrous way. As a 19 year-old, he was on tour to Australia in 1991/92 where both his ability and attitude was questioned. His recall for the 1996 tour to England was severely criticized but this talented left-hander silenced his critics by hitting century at Lord's.
23. Adam Gilchrist ( AUS ) Adam Gilchrist born on November 14, 1971 in Bellingen, New South Wales, Australia is a Vice Captain of Australian cricket team. Gilchrist is an outstanding, aggressive left-handed batsman and effective wicketkeeper, combining the two roles for the Australian national team. His strike rate is amongst the highest in the history of both One-day and Test cricket and he currently holds the record for the second fastest century in Test match cricket. At Old Trafford in August 2005 he passed Alec Stewart's world record of 4,540 runs as a Test wicketkeeper. His ability to destroy the opposition in a very short period of time led him to be known as 'The Demolition Man'
24. Virender Sehwag ( IND ) Virender Sehwag's name is now on everybody's lips. The series against South Africa was an unforgettable one in the young man's career. After impressing in the one-dayers and following it up by scoring a debut Test hundred while giving Sachin Tendulkar excellent company in a glorious stand at Bloemfontein, Sehwag found himself dragged into the match-referee controversy along with his idol in the next Test at Port Elizabeth. The whole controversy ensured that he missed the first Test of the England series which was played at Mohali. But once he was back, he had managed to successfully brush it all aside and return to his free-flowing, ebullient self.
An injury while fielding in the second Test against Zimbabwe put him out of cricket again for a brief while. There were fleeting glimpses of his destructive potential in the three one-dayers that he played in the West Indies, but England is where Sehwag would be hoping to prove, once and for all, that his is a talent that here is stay. Sehwag made a strong comeback to the Indian team during the Australia tour of India in 2000-01. In the first one-dayer at Bangalore, Sehwag helped himself to a quick half-century before scalping three crucial wickets to play a leading role in India's victory. Man of the Match in the first one-dayer, Sehwag was forced to miss the rest of the series with a fractured finger. Promoted to open the batting in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, Sehwag hammered a 70-ball ton against the hapless Kiwis in a tri-series played in Sri Lanka. That innings made his reputation and secured his place in the Indian one-day team.
25. Chris Gayle ( WI ) Chris Gayle born on September 21, 1979 in Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. He is a thrusting Jamaican left-handed batsman in West Indies team; Gayle earned himself a black mark on his first senior tour - to England in 2000 - where the new boys were felt to be insufficiently respectful of their elders. But a lack of respect, for opposition bowlers at least, has served Gayle well since then. He has the ability to decimate the figures of even the thriftiest of opening bowlers. Gayle is tall and imposing at the crease, he loves to cut through the covers off either foot.