To commemorate 50 years of the first one-day international match of cricket, Wisden Cricketer’s Almanac has named five cricketers who have excelled in ODI cricket, one for each decade of the format’s existence.
Three Indian cricketers, one Sri Lankan, and one West Indian cricketer made it to the list. Read on to know more about which cricketer was named as the best for each decade.
Vivian Richards from the West Indies was named the ODI cricketer for the 1970s. Regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Richards was chosen by Wisden as the greatest ODI batsman of all time earlier. His consistent batting ability resulted in him becoming the first cricketer in ODI history to achieve 20 Man of the Match awards.
Former Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev was named the ODI cricketer for the 1980s. A stellar allrounder, Dev led India to its first World Cup win in 1983. He was also named by Wisden as the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002. Apart from being the first player to take 200 ODI wickets, Dev is the only player in the history of cricket to have taken more than 400 wickets (434 wickets) and scored more than 5000 runs in Tests, making him one of the best allrounders to ever play the game.
Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar was named the ODI cricketer for the decade of 1990s. Widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket, Tendulkar is the highest run scorer of all time in international cricket, and the only player to have scored one hundred international centuries, the first batsman to score a double century in a One Day International (ODI), the holder of the record for the most runs in both Test and ODI cricket, and the only player to complete more than 30,000 runs in international cricket.
Sri Lanka spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan was named as the ODI cricketer for the decade of 2000s. One of the most successful bowlers of all time, Muralitharan was the first bowler ever to first to take 800 wickets in Test matches. As of March 2021, he has taken more wickets in Test matches than any other cricketer. The first Sri Lankan cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, Muralitharan has served as an inspiration to bowlers all across the world.
Ace Indian cricketer Virat Kohli was named the ODI cricketer of the decade for 2010s. One of the best contemporary cricketers, Kohli has been the recipient of many awards such as the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year) in 2017 and 2018; ICC Test Player of the Year 2018; ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2012, 2017 and 2018 and Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Did you know that the first ODI was held between England and Australia on 5th January 1971. Australia won the match by five wickets after also winning the toss.
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