In cricket, sweepers make or break games. While we tend to drool over the attacking phase of the game, sweepers are at the heart of a team’s solidity, especially if you don’t want to be helplessly conceding fours.
Notably, when the biggest cricket teams play, top bookmakers like Betway (available after you download the Betway app and install it) have teams with strong sweepers as favorites to win.
Indeed, the lovable game of cricket has seen many eminent sweepers come and go. But which sweepers have eternally cemented their legacy and stamped their names in the sands of time?
1. Andy Flower
Andy Flower was one of the most notable names in Zimbabwean cricket. His batting skills were second to none, and he’s statistically the greatest batsman in his country’s history. One of his most prominent attributes is the use of the reverse sweep.
In 2001, Andy was ranked as the best batsman in the world. He was a wicketkeeper for the Zimbabwe national team for a decade. Andy could bat on any surface irrespective of the speed, and only the most skilled bowlers stood a chance against him. Indian fans would best commemorate him for his heroics in the 1999 World Cup.
2. Mushfiqur Rahim
Spinners are renowned for using their rotation technique to get the batsman out. Well, as long as it isn’t Mushfiqur Rahim. The Bangladeshi will counter them with one of the most notorious shots in cricket, the sweep. He’s a master of the orthodox and slog sweep.
Aside from the sweep, he had many other batting techniques in his arsenal, and he’s one of his country’s best batters of all time.
Rahim made his international debut, lining up against England at the notable age of 16, and has been shaping his batting skills since then. One of the most prominent periods of his career was in the 2010 test against India, where he scored the quickest century by a Bangladeshi.
He holds many records in his country, such as being the only Bangladeshi player to win 150 international matches. Mushfiqur is the only batsman in Test cricket to score double hundreds. He’s also the highest individual scorer in Test cricket for his country.
3. Sarfaraz Ahmed
Sarfaraz Ahmed hasn’t done much to warrant himself as one of cricket’s all-time greats, but he did just enough to be known as a formidable sweeper. He could time the bowler’s throws and deliver a sweep that slices through the wind. Sarfaraz is a right-handed wicketkeeper batsman.
He was central to the conquests of the Pakistani team that went home with the ICC World Twenty20 in India. They defeated the home country, their arch-rival, to lift the trophy. Sarafraz became the team’s ODI captain soon after and its Test captain later.
He led the team to the Champion trophy in 2017 and is the youngest Pakistani player to have received the Sitara-i-Imtiaz. The Sitara-i-Imtiaz is the third highest civilian honor in his country, and only notable individuals receive it. Sarfaraz Ahmed played 198 test crickets and 156 ODI matches in his career, scoring over 8000 runs.
4. AB De Villers
AB De Villers represents South Africa at international levels. He played at the top level for 15 years and is unarguably one of his country’s finest cricket talents. Therefore, it’s no surprise that he won the ICC ODI Player of the Year award three times.
He’s an outstanding batman who mastered the sweep-shot technique. Villers initially played as a wicket-keeper-batsman before becoming a prominent batsman, playing mostly in the middle order.
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His nicknames were Mr.360 degree due to his all-around ability and Superman because of his acrobatic prowess.
He can hit the defensive sweep, the reverse sweep, the conventional sweep, and many other shot types you could imagine with insane accuracy. ABD is also able to play different shot types at will. His unpredictability with batting is why he’s many bowlers desist his presence.
AB De Villers has notched more than 8,000 runs in ODI and Test cricket, averaging fifty per game. One of his most famous nicknames is also the “Lionel Messi” of cricket.
5. Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar has climbed the highest stage and reached the peak of cricket. Calling him one of the best batters in history would be an understatement; he’s unarguably one of the greatest cricketers ever.
With over 33,000 runs in both ODI and test cricket, he’s the cricketer with the most runs in history.
His most preferred variant of the sweep shot is the paddle, and when a master does it, it feels different. Combined with other shot types in his repertoire, he wreaked havoc on teams around the globe. He was also a fine bowler and turned up whenever India needed him.
Indian cricket fans adore him and nickname him “The God of Cricket.” Wisden included him in an all-time cricket XI in 2013 and is a member of the ICC Cricket hall of fame. He played his last Test and cricket match in 2013.
Conclusion
The sweep shot, if executed perfectly, is one of the most effective shots in cricket, and mastering it requires repetition.
Many players are renowned for their use of the technique, but some edge out others. These five players are the best five sweepers of all time.
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