In cricket, we have seen many competitive and deadly rivalries. Sometimes, batters get ahead of bowlers, and sometimes bowlers get ahead. In any sport, there are certain aspects like mental toughness, physical fitness, etc. Some players are very talented, while some are very calculative and fit. However, there are only so many players who stay ahead of others because of their game knowledge and presence of mind. So, here’s a list of the smartest cricketing brains in cricket history.
1. MS Dhoni
Former Indian captain and wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni has one of the sharpest cricketing minds in cricket. There are very few players who have scored 10,000 runs in ODI, and he is one of them. MS Dhoni’s game senses are so strong that India won many matches because of his clever and intuitive decisions. Whether we talk about his decision of last over in 2007 or batting at No.5 in the 2011 finals, MS Dhoni has always proved his decisions. During his playing days, he used to guide bowlers behind the stumps. There is no doubt that MS Dhoni has one of the sharpest cricketing minds in cricket.
2. Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara was one of the most elegant and best batsmen that cricket has ever witnessed. In his career, he played 134 test and 404 ODI matches in which he scored more than 26,000 runs. Apart from his fabulous batting and wicketkeeping, Sangakkara is one of the best cricketing minds. Even during his playing days, he used to guide youngsters in Sri Lanka’s team. He also applied his cricketing knowledge in batting, which helped him to read the bowlers. Sangakkara is one of the biggest cricketers in Sri Lanka.
3. Wasim Akram
There will be no debate that Wasim Akram is one of the best bowlers that cricket has ever seen. He could swing the new balls, old balls, and bowl bouncers whenever his team needed. Wasim Akram was the first bowler to take 500 wickets in ODI cricket. In his prime, he was the sharpest bowler who was capable of anticipating and reading the batter’s mind and next shot. All the batters used to fear him. Wasim Akram has one of the best cricketing minds that every bowler needs.
4. Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting will be remembered as the best captain that Australia and cricket have ever seen. Even he is the only player to win two consecutive World Cups as a captain. In his career, Ponting has won the most ODI wins (165) and is the second most successful captain in test cricket with 48 wins. Ricky Ponting can read the game conditions and how to snatch the game from opponents. As a skipper, one should know about the game scenario and must calculate the bowler’s over, and Ponting had everything as a captain.
5. Kane Williamson
Even though New Zealand has produced many great games, Kane Williamson is one of the best batsmen and skippers that New Zealand has ever produced. In today’s cricket, he is considered as the best captain. As a captain, Kane Williamson can be calm in any intense match, irrespective of any condition of the match. He is the winning captain of the first World Test Championship, in which they defeated India in the finals. Even in the 2019 World Cup, the captained and led his team was sensational. He is one of the most clever and smartest batsmen and captains of New Zealand.
6. Sachin Tendulkar
To be the greatest batsman in the history of cricket, one must have one of the best minds in cricket, and Sachin Tendulkar has immense cricket knowledge. During his playing days, it used to be one of his biggest strengths, which helped him in his batting. By reading the bowler’s hand movements and wrist position, Sachin always remained steps ahead of others. That’s why he is still the highest run scorer in test and ODI cricket. There are many matches that we have won because of Sachin’s intelligence; one of the incidents came in 1993. In 1993, there was a match played against South Africa in which he cleverly bowled the last over, and India won that match.
7. Muttiah Muralitharan
When it comes to bowling, there is no bowler near to Muralitharan. Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan is the highest wicket-taker in test and ODI cricket. During his playing days, most of the players used to call him a cricketing nerd who always talks about cricket. In his career, Muralitharan took 800 wickets in tests and 534 wickets in ODI cricket. Muralitharan has one of the most intelligent and clever brains in cricket. His ability to read the batters was something else. There are many incidents in which Muralitharan trapped the batters.
8. Steve Waugh
In the history of cricket, many players are supposed to be leaders because of their vision and mindset. Before Clarke and Ponting, Steve Waugh was appointed as the captain of the Australian team. During his time, he formed a team with match-winners like Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, etc. By Steve Waugh’s vision, he built a solid Australian team, was fearless, and could beat any team. He could anticipate the game by reading the pitch very well, which helped the Australian team. During his captaincy, Australia won the World Cup in 1999.
9. Gary Kirsten
Former South African left-handed batsman Gary Kristen has one of the best cricketing minds in cricket. In his career, he played 101 test matches and 185 ODI, in which he scored 7,289 and 6,798 runs, respectively. After his retirement, Gary became a coach and worked with many teams. Gary has guided many teams, even though he was the coach of Bangalore in the IPL. Gary Kristen was the coach of the Indian team when it won the World Cup in 2011. Many cricketers have admitted that he can read the game very well.
10. Eoin Morgan
Eoin Morgan is one of the best batsmen and captain that England has ever seen, as he is the World Cup-winning captain of England. Eoin Morgan is the only captain to win a one-day World Cup as a captain. After the 2015 disaster, Eoin Morgan changed the playing style of England’s team, and he changed the template of England’s team. Under his captaincy, England chased many big targets, and they remained No.1 in the ODI.
