#360View: Where have the Cricket World Cup all-rounders gone?

Joy Chakravarty 16:57 13/03/2015
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  • Hands up: World No 1 ODI all-rounder Dilshan has scored 395 World Cup runs but only five wickets.

    One of the most striking aspects of this World Cup has been the return of the experts. Bits-and-pieces players, who have always played a vital role in any team winning tournaments, especially in the 50-over format, are a rare breed Down Under.

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    No need to dive into the record books to verify the above. Just ask yourself a question and you will know: ‘Who is the No1 ODI all-rounder according to the ICC rankings?’

    If you are struggling to come up with the answer, you are not alone. I asked five full-time cricket journalists the same question, and none could give me the correct answer, which is Tillekeratne Dilshan.

    The Sri Lankan may be having another good tournament as a batsman, scoring 395 runs so far and climbing up to No3 in the list of most successful batsmen, but he has managed only five wickets in six matches.

    If you look at the top-five players in ICC’s ODI all-rounders rankings –Dilshan, Shakib Al Hasan, Angelo Mathews, Mohammad Hafeez and Shahid Afridi – none of them have not made an impact with both bat and ball (injured Hafeez is not playing the tournament).

    While the inaugural World Cup was more like a phase of discovery for most teams as they tried to figure out the shorter formats by playing most of their Test teams, things actually started changing with India’s win in 1983, which was fashioned completely by the heroics of all-rounders like captain Kapil Dev, Mohinder Amarnath, Roger Binny and Madan Lal.

    Most World Cups after that have been made memorable because of the performances of the all-rounders – like  in 2011, Lance Klusener in 1999, Wasim Akram in 1992, Aravinda de Silva in 1996 and Vivian Richards and Collis King in 1979.

    Yuvraj Singh's contribution with bat and ball was key in India's 2011 World Cup triumph.

    So, what has caused the change in dynamics of most teams?

    The easiest answer would be that with the retirement of Jacques Kallis, cricket lost the last of its great all-rounders and is now awaiting the arrival of the next superstar who can excel in both areas.

    But the real culprit this World Cup is the new set of playing conditions. Given that there is more restriction on number of fielders outside the 30-yard circle, and the use of two balls, team managements are more inclined towards having specialist batsmen and bowlers.

    No longer is the management thinking of picking up five batsmen, four bowlers and two all-rounders. The dilemma is more with whether to go with seven batsmen, or five bowlers. And it goes without saying that wicket-keepers who are average batsmen, have no place in the squads.

    Captains now want pure batsmen who can stay and score at almost a run a ball in the first half of the innings, and then score at an even faster pace in the last 15. And no longer do they want bowlers who can fill in for a few overs. The conditions are so much in favour of the batsmen that even a couple of mediocre overs can change the whole complexion of the match.

    For the last word on the subject, I will leave you with the reaction of one of my journalist colleague. When I asked him who is the No1 ODI all-rounder in the world, he thought for almost two minutes, before saying in all seriousness: “I don’t know about the ICC rankings, but in my books, the ultimate ODI all-rounder, for all that he does on a cricket field, is Mahendra Singh Dhoni.”

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