20 Most popular ambidextrous cricket stars

Cricket is a game full of entertainments. The players have always made the game highly entertaining with their wily skills. If a player has had ambidextrous skills, that is to bowl and bat with different hands, then he has often been considered to be someone special. There have been left-arm pacers who have batted right handed and then there has been another league of players who bowl with their right-arm but bat left-handed. The names might not click in your mind so soon about who these talented players have been. While there have been over 300 ambidextrous cricketers in the history of the game, here is a shortlisted list of 20 Most popular ambidextrous cricket stars. 1. Lance Klusener (South Africa): One of the greatest all-rounders in the game, Lance Klusener is best remembered as the man who almost took South Africa to the 1999 World Cup finals. Born in Durban, Klusener made his Test debut against India in 1996. A left-handed batsman by choice, since then, represented South Africa in 49 Tests and 171 ODIs. He averaged 41.10 in ODIs with 3576 runs to his name and the best of 103*. He has 4 hundreds to his name in Tests with a top score of 174. On the bowling front, he was a right-arm medium pace bowler who scalped 192 ODI wickets and 80 Test wickets. 2. Zaheer Khan (India): Zaheer Khan. (© Getty Images) Zaheer Khan spearheaded the Indian bowling for more than a decade. Being a left-handed pace bowler, he had the ability to swing the ball both ways and also mastered the art of reverse swing with the old ball. Zaheer took 311 wickets in the 92 Test matches that he played for India. He was a lethal ODI bowler too and picked 282 wickets in 200 matches. Zaheer was more than just a tail-ender who could slog. He has 3 fifties to his name in Tests with the top score of 75 against Bangladesh. He was a pinch hitter who was often promoted as a night watchman too. 3. Sourav Ganguly (India): Sourav Ganguly. (Photo Source: Getty Images) The former Indian skipper who is popularly known as ‘Dada’, also had ambidextrous cricket skills. He was a powerful left-handed batsman who often opened for India in limited formats. Having played 311 ODIs, he amassed 11,363 runs at an average over 42 and a top score of 183. His middle order batting in Tests was formidable too as he plundered 7212 runs in 113 Tests with the best of 239 against Pakistan. Ganguly was a right-arm medium pace bowler and bowled as the fifth bowler occasionally. With 100 wickets to his name in ODIs, he has a best of 5/16. He has also picked 32 wickets in Tests. 4. Michael Clarke (Australia): (Photo Source: Getty Images) The World Cup winning Australian skipper, Michael Clarke batted right-handed and bowled slow left-arm spin in international cricket. Clarke has a phenomenal record as a batsman who often bowled at crucial times to pick wickets. With 8643 runs in 115 Tests and 7981 runs in 245 ODIs, Clarke also has a triple ton to his name in Tests. He bowled an unbelievable spell in a Test against India in 2004, picking up his career best figures of 6/9. Clarke has 31 wickets in Tests and 57 wickets in ODIs. 5. Chris Gayle (West Indies): Chris Gayle. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images) The Big Jamaican batsman Chris Gayle who is feared all around the world for tormenting the bowlers and dominating them like none other, has often been the fifth bowler for the Caribbean side, and mostly the sole spinner in the team. The left-handed batsman has played 103 Tests to amass 7214 runs with 15 hundreds to his name. His ODI and T20I records are even more phenomenal as a batsman. He has 22 ODI centuries to his name. Gayle bowls right-arm off break and has 163 wickets in ODIs to go with 73 wickets in Tests. 6. Suresh Raina (India): (Photo Source: PTI) The go-to man for the Indian team when there is need of filling up the overs, Suresh Raina has often contributed with his right arm off break bowling. Being a vastly experienced limited overs specialist, Raina has played 223 ODIs. He bats left handed and can smack the ball right from the word go. Raina has 5568 runs in ODIs with the top score of unbeaten 116 against Bangladesh. He bats with an average over 31 in T20Is, which is commendable. He has picked up 36 wickets in ODIs with his part-time bowling and has often filled up the fifth bowler quota for his skipper. 7. JP Duminy (South Africa): (Photo Source: BCCI) The South African all-rounder JP Duminy is a classy left-handed batsman. He has scored 3937 runs in 146 ODIs with the top score of 151* runs. His average rises to 38.20 in T20Is and has often held the fort for his country in T20 matches. However, it has been his bowling that has been the big bonus for the South Africans. He is a wily right-arm off break bowler who can turn the ball at times. He has 55 wickets and a hat-trick to his name in ODI cricket. 8. Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka): Thisara Perera. (© Getty Images) The hard-hitting limited overs specialist all-rounder from Sri Lanka can take away the game from the opposition single-handedly. Having played 110 ODIs and 42 T20Is, the left-handed pinch-hitter has a strike rate of over 150 in T20Is and over 108 in ODIs. He is a right-handed medium pacer who often plays as a specialist bowler in the side. He has 3 five-wicket hauls in his career and has picked up 123 wickets with the best of 6/44. 9. James Faulkner (Australia): Australian cricketer James Faulkner. (Photo credit INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images) The modern day finisher for the Australian team, James Faulkner can pack a punch with his right-handed batting. He helped Australia almost chase down a target of 383 with a gritty 73-ball 116 against India at Bangalore in 2013. He has played in 49 ODIs and averages almost 40. He bowls left-arm fast and has 65 wickets to his short career so far. Faulkner has great finishing abilities with the bat and ball; he is one of the most promising ambidextrous cricketers in modern day cricket. 10. Moeen Ali (England): Moeen Ali. (Photo Source: AFP) England’s new found solution to spin bowling is Moeen Ali. Ali, who was considered to be a part-time bowler is turning out to be a regular right-arm spin bowler for England. In 22* Tests so far, Ali has picked up 62 wickets with the best of 6/67. He also has 33 wickets in 31 ODIs which has seen him fill the fifth bowler’s quota for England. Ali, a left-handed batsman, entered the squad as a top order player and has 878 runs in his Test career so far with the top score of 108 not out. 11. Ben Stokes (England): (Photo Source: Ben Stokes Instagram Handle) The English all-rounder who is already being tipped as the next big thing in England cricket, Ben Stokes is also an ambidextrous cricketer. A right-arm fast medium bowler, Stokes, is an attacking left-handed batsman too. Having played just 22* Tests so far, and already has the record for hitting the fastest 250 in Test cricket. Stokes has scored 1340 Test runs with the top score of 258. On the bowling front, he has 52 wickets to his name with the best figure of 6/36 against Australia in the Ashes 2015. He is certainly one of the most exciting ambidextrous cricketers of the modern era. 12. Albie Morkel (South Africa): (Photo Source: Getty Images) The attacking all-rounder who is a limited overs specialist, Albie Morkel is a left-handed batsman who can hit the long ball. He has played 58 ODIs and 50 T20Is in South African colors to amass 782 and 572 runs in both formats respectively. He has the top score of 97 in ODIs and has a strike rate of over 100 in the format and close to 143 in T20Is. Morkel has 50 ODI wickets to his name with his right-arm medium pace bowling to go along with 26 wickets in T20Is. 13. Stuart Broad (England): England’s bowler Stuart Broad. (Photo by GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/Getty Images) One of the most prolific English bowlers today, Stuart Broad, has picked up 322 wickets in 89 Tests and has his best figures as 8/15 that rocked Australian batting in Ashes 2015 with his right arm fast bowling. He has 15 five-wicket hauls to his name in the Test format. In ODIs, he has scalped 177 wickets in 119 matches with the best figure of 5/23. However, he bats left-handed, and that makes him an ambidextrous player, with 2558 runs in Tests. He has a Test ton to his name as well and has the top score of 169 that he scored against Pakistan at Lords in 2010. 14. James Neesham (New Zealand): Jimmy Neesham. (© Getty Images) The Kiwi all-rounder is new to international cricket but has made a mark in the limited opportunities that he has got. The hard-hitting left-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium pace too has played 9 Tests, 19 ODIs, and 13 T20Is thus far. He averages over 38 in Tests and has already scored two tons in his short career with a best of 137*. Neesham has picked up 12 Test wickets to go with 20 ODI wickets and 11 T20I scalps. Looking at his young numbers, one cannot undermine his talent as he surely looks to be a good prospect for the New Zealand cricket team. 15. Chris Harris (New Zealand): Chris Harris. (© Getty Images) Chris Harris didn’t get to play too many Tests for New Zealand but he was a splendid ODI all-rounder. With 250 ODI matches under his belt, Harris scored 4379 runs at an average of 29 in 50 overs cricket. He was a left-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace, making him a popular ambidextrous cricketer. He has 203 wickets to his name with the best of 5/42. 16. Sir Frank Worrell (West Indies): Frank Worrell. (© Getty Images) The former West Indian legend, Frank Worrell, who played in 51 Tests for West Indies, was the first black player to captain the Caribbean side. Being an ambidextrous cricketer, Worrell bowled left-hand fast as well as slow left-arm deliveries. He has 69 wickets to his name in his career with the best of 7/70. Worrell, who was primarily a right-handed batsman has 3860 runs to his name in his career at an average of 49 and the highest score of 261 against England at Trent Bridge. 17. Hanif Mohammad (Pakistan): Hanif Mohammad. (© Getty Images) The legendary Pakistani bowler who represented his country in 55 Tests is best known for his phenomenal batting and is often called as the original little master. He was primarily a right-handed batsman and a right-handed bowler who often turned to left-arm bowling to offer a change to his captain in his playing days. He has scored 3915 runs with the best score of 337 in Tests. 18. Richard Hadlee (New Zealand): (Photo Source: PA Photos) The finest cricketer New Zealand has ever produced; Richard Hadlee was a bowler of devastating control and intelligence. He was the first to 400 Test wickets in the history of the game. Hadlee was a right-handed fast bowler who tormented the opposition with his pace. He has 431 wickets to his name in 86 Tests with a staggering best of 9/52. He scalped 158 ODI wickets in the 115 games that he played. Hadlee was more than just an average batsman. With 3124 runs in his Test career and a couple of centuries to his name with 151* being his highest, Hadlee batted left-handed. 19. Ravi Shastri (India): Ravi Shastri. (Photo by MARK GRAHAM/AFP/Getty Images) The former Indian all-rounder, who batted as an opener and a middle order batsman alike, Ravi Shastri played 80 Tests and 150 ODIs for India. He batted right-handed and has 3830 runs in Tests and 3108 runs in the ODIs. Shastri was a slow left-arm orthodox spinner who often chipped in with vital wickets. His ability to bowl left-arm spin made him a popular ambidextrous cricketer of his era. He has 151 and 129 wickets to his name in Tests and ODIs respectively. 20. Curtly Ambrose (West Indies): Curtly Ambrose. (© Getty Images) A giant of the game in every sense, Curtly Ambrose, the former West Indian legend, was the most lethal pace bowler of his generation. Being a right-hand fast bowler, he ripped apart the opposition batting lineup on numerous occasions. In the 98 Tests that he played, he picked up 405 wickets with 22 five-wicket hauls. His best of 8/45 came against England in 1990. He also has 225 ODI wickets to go along with a prolific Test record. He was a tail ender who could bat. He batted left-handed and scored 1439 runs in his career with the best of 53. Also read: 10 Worst rumours we have heard around cricket

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20 Most popular ambidextrous cricket stars

15. Chris Harris (New Zealand):

16. Sir Frank Worrell (West Indies):

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