August 13 is International Left-Handers day and on this occasion, here are our all-time squad of 16 consisting of left-handed players.
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August 13 is International Left-Handers Day. It was first observed in 1976 by Dean R. Campbell, the founder of Left-Handers International Inc. The Left-Handers Club launched International Left-Handers Day as a part of their organization on August 13, 1992. The day is set aside to celebrate sinistrality. This is the medical term for left-handedness and the strength of having a dominant left hand. As much as 10-12 percent of the world’s population is left-handed. Icons such as French leader Napoleon Bonaparte, painter Pablo Picasso, scientist Sir Isaac Newton are part of the famous left-handers club.
When it comes to cricket, left-handers have always played a massive part. Be it batting and bowling, left-handed players have created an impact in many ways. Be it West Indies, India, Australia, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, England and South Africa, there have been many great left-handed players who have made a massive impact. Here is an all-time playing 11 of left-handers.
The criteria for selection is their records in Tests and ODIs. Twenty20 International records are also considered. The selection of the side is either they should have scored over 5000 runs in ODIs or Tests. For the bowlers, they should have taken over 300 wickets in either ODIs or Tests. Here is the playing 11.
If there is one player who changed the fortunes of the India cricket team, it has to be Sourav Ganguly. The Indian cricket team skipper made a brilliant century on his Test debut in Lord’s as he hammered 131. In ODIs, Ganguly was simply sublime and helped change India’s fortunes with his opening partnership with Sachin Tendulkar. Ganguly scored over 11,000 ODI runs and in Tests, he was brilliant as well. In addition to his leadership skills, he was one of the best left-handers in the business
The South African opening batsmen, who is best remembered for coaching India to the 2011 World Cup title, was one of the best batsmen to have come out of South Africa. There is a big debate as to whether he or Graeme Smith is the best batsman at the top. Smith had a technical deficiency against some bowlers. But, Kirsten was solid. He was the first player along with Steve Waugh to hit centuries against all Test-playing nations. He played over 100 Tests and scored over 7000 runs at the top. Kirsten was an all-conditions player and that is why he gets the nod.
When one talks about elegance, style, and consistency, Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara fits the bill brilliantly. His consistency and his style of play were a sight for the purists. Sangakkara had the ability to score big and in all conditions. The Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batsman only became better with age, scoring four consecutive tons in the 2015 World Cup in Australia. Sangakkara’s Test record was simply fabulous, scoring centuries against every nation. His presence in the middle order will be a massive boost to the team.
The Prince of Trinidad and the master of massive scores. In Test matches, he is one of the best in the business, registering the highest individual scores of 375 and 400. When it comes to batting, no one does it in a better way than Brian Lara. His ability to decimate bowling attacks all over the world was sensational. Against the mighty Australian team of the 90s and the 2000 period, Lara scored nine tons. He had a great penchant for big runs against big opponents. Without Lara, no team is complete.
He could bat. He could bowl and was a brilliant fielder. If there was one left-hander who was the master of everything that he did, it was Sir Garfield Sobers. He was the first to reach 8000 Tests runs and take over 200 wickets. The yardstick of all-round brilliance in Tests is still measured by the contribution of Garfield Sobers. One of the greatest players in the history of the game.
Imagine a wicketkeeper who could change the entire complexion of the game batting at No.6 or No.7. When the top order had done their job, the wicketkeeper prior to Adam Gilchrist would just get some bonus runs. Not with Gilchrist. He would deflate the opposition in a big way by scoring quick runs and consistently. Gilchrist redefined batting and keeping in the modern era. It is no wonder that MS Dhoni and every other keeper that has played the game cite Adam Gilchrist as an inspiration.
Perhaps the greatest all-rounder in the modern era. Shakib is the only player to have taken 100 wickets and scored over 1000 runs in all three formats. Shakib is the leading batsman and bowler in ODIs. When one looks at Bangladesh’s cricket, there have been very few players who have made an impact on the world stage. Shakib Al Hasan is one of them. His exploits with the bat and the ball, across all three formats, make him a legend in his own right. The level of consistency that Shakib has established might never be broken.
He redefined the art of swing and seam bowling in cricket. Be it from over the wicket, round the wicket, the wizardry of Wasim Akram in executing swing bowling was simply one of the greatest in the business. With Wasim Akram around, batsmen were unsure of how to score runs. His accuracy and pin-point swing ability makes him the ultimate X-factor in the bowling line-up.
He could bowl with the Duke’s Ball, SG Ball, and the Kookaburra. Zaheer Khan could swing any delivery in any condition. In addition, he was a clever bowler who knew what length to bowl at what time. Zaheer was also the master of reverse swing and he mentored many Indian bowlers to greatness. In his later years, Zaheer became the ultimate master bowler who ran through opposition. For India, his bowling contributions are immense and it is without a doubt that he is one of the best bowlers that India has ever produced.
He instilled fear among batsmen in an era when there were flat decks, big bats, and short boundaries. Using the bouncer, opposition batsmen feared for their life. Mitchell Johnson, in that burst during the 2013/14 Ashes, established himself as the ultimate fast bowler in the world. His 37 wickets and his constant burst of speed and bounce made him a feared proposition. It was a shame that Johnson was inconsistent. But, if one wants to get fear, then Johnson was your man.
The master left-arm bowler is the leader of all left-arm bowlers, be it pace or spin. Rangana Herath emerged out of the shadows of Muttiah Muralitharan to become the greatest left-arm spinner in history. He was the first to go past 400 wickets and he joined an elite list of players to have taken a five-wicket haul against all countries. For accuracy and guile, you need Rangana Herath as one of your ace bowlers. His 433 wickets are proof of his brilliance.
If one has to expand the team to 16, then there are other players who can get selected in the team based on their sheer contributions. There are so many legends who have not featured in this playing 11. These five can be one of the substitutes in the side.
The Pakistan left-handed opener was silken in his ways. He had held the world record for the highest individual score in cricket when he smashed 194 against India in 1997. Saeed Anwar was one of the best openers in the world at one point in time and he can make it to the legends of left-handed batsmen in this side.
India’s ultimate match-winner. His brilliance in the 2007 and 2011 World T20 and ODI World Cup make him one of the greatest in the business. Yuvraj was the vital cog in India’s dominance of world cricket, especially in ODIs. Yuvraj is an asset in any team but since the playing 11 had so many legends, it was tough to keep him out.
If one had to look for power and aggression, then Sanath Jayasuriya fitted the bill brilliantly. Jayasuriya decimated bowling all over the world. His upper-cuts, his drives and flick made him one of the best openers in world cricket. Jayasuriya’s longevity and his brilliance at the top made Sri Lanka cricket powerful.
The New Zealand all-rounder was one of the vital cogs in the team’s competitiveness on the global stage. His accurate left-arm spin, combined with his ability to chip in with vital runs with the lower order put Daniel Vettori in an elite list. His guile and variation as a left-arm spinner made him the top bowler in the world. It took a lot of time for Rangana Herath to overhaul Vettori. That indicates his benchmark
If one had to look at all-round impact at the top, then Matthew Hayden of Australia was an intimidating factor. Running down the track to big fast bowlers and slog sweeping spinners for fun, Hayden became the dominant opening batsman of the modern era. When he was in full flow, no opponent could get on top of Australia. His contributions in ODIs and Tests make him a part of this line-up
One of the greatest wicketkeepers before the arrival of Adam Gilchrist and MS Dhoni. His batting and innovation was simply one of the best in the business. Before Gilchrist and Dhoni, Flower was the acknowledged benchmark when it came to success. But, it was during his coaching stint with England that he helped them get to the top of the game. England became a better team due to the managerial skills of Flower. England became the World No.1 team in Tests due to Flower and his management skills.
Openers: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Gary Kirsten
Middle order: Kumar Sangakkara (vc), Brian Lara, Sir Garfield Sobers, Shakib Al Hasan
Wicketkeeper: Adam Gilchrist
Bowlers: Wasim Akram, Zaheer Khan, Mitchell Johnson, Rangana Herath
Substitutes: Sanath Jayasuriya, Yuvraj Singh, Matthew Hayden, Saeed Anwar, Daniel Vettori
Coach: Andy Flower
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