There always has been talk about former players who could have succeeded in modern-day cricket. While the era difference plays a significant role, there have been many players who could have played in different eras because of their ability. In this list, we will talk about ten former players who could have succeeded in the modern era.
1. Vivian Richards
The former batter, Richards is arguably one of the greatest batters of all time in cricket. He revolutionized aggressive batting in his era by striking over 90 in ODIs with an average of 47. The numbers are staggering for the current age itself. Along with this he was a good bowler, picking 118 ODI wickets. If he had played in the modern era, he might have created many records.
2. Kapil Dev
India’s greatest all-rounder, Kapil Dev was one of the most aggressive players in his era, striking over 95 in ODIs. He was a clean striker of the ball and was capable of playing impactful cameos in the end. Kapil was a world-class bowler too and had more than 200 wickets in ODIs. Along with all these qualities, he was a superior fielder. In the current era, he could have been a real 3-D player.
3. Garry Sobers
Sobers was probably the greatest all-rounder ever in the history of cricket. He was an aggressive batter with a beautiful off-side game and holds the record of hitting six sixes in an over. He also was a genuine bowler, who used to bowl left-arm spin and wrist spin and also used to bowl medium pace. He was versatile enough and could have adapted to modern cricket.
4. Andrew Flintoff
Flintoff was one of the greatest all-rounders of England who had more impact than what stats would tell. A bowler who can create trouble for any batter if there is little help, he picked 169 wickets in ODIs at an average of just 24.38. His strike rate in ODIs was close to 90.
5. Jack Iverson
Probably the first 'mystery spinner', Jack Iverson was one of the spinners who could have extracted spin from any pitch and was magical with the ball. However, he had not played much cricket on international level but his bowling in modern-day cricket would have been challenging to face.
6. Waqar Younis
The right-arm fast bowler Waqar was one of the best Fast bowlers who mastered the art of reverse swing. He had the ability to bowl yorkers at a rapid pace with the reverse swing, he was almost unplayable. He had picked over 300 wickets in ODIs and was lethal in ODIs.
7. Lance Klusener
Klusener was one of the best all-rounders who had the ability to bat faster and used to strike close to 90 in ODIs. He had a high back lift that helped him in striking the ball. He was a decent bowler and used to create trouble for batters even on flat pitches. He had played a few T20s and his strike rate was over 130 which show that he could have dominated modern-day cricket.
8. C Grimmet
Grimmet is known for the development of ‘Flipper’ and was one of the finest spinners who picked more than 200 wickets in the test. He used to mix pace & line length according to pitches and became the fastest player to pick 200 wickets in the test which was later broken by Yashir Shah of Pakistan. His variations would have been a sight to watch in this era and could have created trouble for batters.
9. Joel Garner
A 6ft 8-inch tall bowler from West Indies, Garner was part of the famous fast bowling quartet. A very accurate and fast bowler and it was quite difficult to score against him. He had picked 146 ODI wickets at an average of 18.85. He had a good yorker, which would have been fascinating to see in the current era.
10. Bhagwat Chandrasekhar
Bhagwat Chandrasekhar was part of the spin quartet of India that dominated world cricket. He was a leg-break bowler who bowled with accuracy. He used a lot of variations in his bowling and always made the batter keep guessing. Looking at how wrist spinners are getting success it would have been interesting to see how he would have dominated in this era.
