5 batters who ruled the No.1 ODI ranking for many years

3. Michael Bevan – 1999 to 2002

One of the greatest finishers the game has seen, Michael Bevan was an undisputed champion in the middle order for Australia under Steve Waugh. In the time which marked the commencement of the “Mighty Aussies” era, the southpaw was a sensational presence in the middle order.

Bevan topped the ICC rankings for the first time in January 1999, right after the Carlton & United Tri-series which also included England and Sri Lanka, snatching the spot from Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar came back to reclaim the position in June 2002. A dip in form for Bevan saw even Sanath Jayasuriya take the spot briefly, but Bevan was back on top before the year ended.

For three consecutive years from 1999 to 2002, he finished the calendar year as number one ranked batsman. In 232 ODIs for the Aussies, Bevan scored just under 7,000 runs (6,912 runs) in his career. He had an outstanding average of 53.58 and despite struggling to make his presence felt in the Test format, he was an absolute legend for them in the ODIs.