Best XI of unsung heroes among current players

Cricket is a team game and the contributions from every individual matter in this sport. Cricketers play for their country for pride, but most of the time the batter with the highest runs, or the bowler with the highest wickets, or the performers of the winning team only get the recognition in a particular match or a series.

But, the other performers who contribute to the victory of the team often get overshadowed. Even a substitute fielder who fields in a match aids the team in achieving success. So, there are plenty of players who are overlooked in this period of cricket.

Here’s a look at such unsung heroes among the current players.

1. Dean Elgar

Dean Elgar, the South African Test opener, has always been a consistent batter for the team. He debuted in Tests in the year 2012 against Australia and scored two ducks in the Test match. After that,  South Africa’s legendary batter Graeme Smith retired from Tests and this created an opportunity for Elgar to retain his opening spot.

This Proteas player then became the regular player of the Test side and eventually got promoted as a captain recently. He has been an anchor of the side and has guided the team to victory many times. Elgar has played a total of 72 Test matches and has scored 4528 runs with an average of 39.84. He has 13 hundreds and 19 fifties under his name. However, he is not much-lauded like the other South African cricketers.

2. Usman Khawaja

There are some players who get sidelined from the squad owing to the availability of regular players. One such player in the Australian squad who has always been the second option to represent the team is Usman Khawaja.

The left-handed opener, who made his debut in Tests in 2011, has been a part of 46 Test matches and has hit 3142 runs with an average of 42.45. He also averages 42.0 in ODIs but he did not get a chance in the 50-over setup since 2019.

Despite having an average and strike rate of 26.77 and 132.41 in T20Is, he did not get picked in the squad since his T20I debut in 2016. He made a comeback to the Australian squad in the Ashes after 2019 and scored twin centuries in the fourth Test. However, despite performing well, he often gets neglected by the team and remains an unsung hero.

3. Temba Bavuma

The current limited-overs captain of South Africa, Temba Bavuma is a classic cricketer with a great batting technique. Apart from his batting skills, he is also guiding the team in the right direction since he took over the captaincy in 2019.

This 31-year-old player is a cool-headed customer and knows exactly how to pace the innings rather than swinging his bat unnecessarily. Bavuma has been a part of the ODI squad since 2016 but has just played 16 games and has an brilliant average of 50.15. He adjusts his strike rate and plays accordingly to the format.

In the T20Is, he has an average and strike rate of 27.83 and 123.09 respectively. He led the team stunningly in the T20 World Cup. In Tests, he has an average of 34.08. He is one of the most flexible players in this era right now and knows how to accustom himself according to the situation and play accordingly. But despite this, his performances are often not appreciated as much they should be.

4. Paul Stirling

The Irish opener and a right-arm-off-break bowler, Paul Stirling is probably one of the most underrated players in modern-day cricket. He is the bearer of most of the records in Ireland’s cricketing history. Stirling debuted in the ODIs in 2008 and has been the most valuable player of the side since then.

This 31-year-old became the first Irish player to score over 4000 for the country. His recent form has been excellent and has been added to the ICC Men’s ODI team of the year 2021. He stands second for scoring most fifties in ODIs consecutively (six). However, in the shortest format of the game, he is considered to be a legendary batter.

He currently stands sixth for most runs in this format and has 2606 runs with a strike rate of 136.51. He has hit the most fours of 302 in the T20 internationals. Apart from his batting, he also bowls well and has 20 T20I wickets and 43 ODI wickets to his name. But he is never lauded as the Ireland team rarely plays against the top cricketing nations.

5. Hanuma Vihari

One of the most important spots in Test cricket is the middle order batting, as they come to bat at crucial points in the match after wickets fall. Only a batter with sound technical skills and composure can get the team ahead. One such batter who sticks in the one end and carries forward the innings for India is Hanuma Vihari.

A few years back, the player who had been playing this role for the team was VVS Laxman. Now, after a long gap, India has acquired a player of a similar technique. Vihari made his Test debut in 2018 and in his 13 matches, he has scored 684 runs at an average of 34.20.

More than the runs he scored, what matters is the way he tackled world-class bowlers of Australia, New Zealand, England in his short career. Against Australia in 2021 during the Sydney Test, he established his strong capabilities by saving the match from losing by facing fierce 161 deliveries. But, he was dropped from the squad after that until he played against South Africa this year.

6. Matthew Wade

There are very few impact players in cricket and one such player is Matthew Wade. He is an explosive versatile batter and an acrobatic wicket-keeper. His domestic performances earned him a national call and debuted in T20I in 2011.

This Australian has played a total of 97 ODIs and has an average of 26.29. When it comes to Test cricket, his average stands at 29.87 in 36 Test matches. He was a part of 55 T20Is and has hit 729 runs at a strike rate of 127.00.

Wade was a vital part of the Aussies lifting the T20 world cup for the first time. In the semi-final match against Pakistan, he demolished the strong bowling attack by hitting 41* in just 17 deliveries at a strike rate of 241.18. Wade is overshadowed most of the time under the lights of other players and his quick cameos often get unnoticed.

7. Andile Phehlukwayo

Andile Phehlukwayo, the left-handed batter and right-arm-fast-medium pacer of South Africa, is another unsung all-rounder. He made his ODI debut in 2016 and in the series against Australia, he was the key architect in South Africa whitewashing the visitors, as he finished as the wicket-taker in the tournament.

This performance against the mighty Aussies earned him a permanent spot in the ODI. Phelukwayo has played 71 matches and has 86 wickets at an economy of 5.72. In 35 T20I appearances, he holds 40 scalps and in his short Test career of four matches, he has 11 wickets.

Apart from his bowling, Phehlukwayo also holds 881 runs with his bat in international cricket. He was also the highest wicket-taker in the recently-concluded South Africa vs India series but is always been under the radar amongst the bowlers such as Rabada, Nortje and Ngidi.

8. Ajaz Patel

Ajaz Patel, a player of Indian descent, has been growing as a sensational bowler for New Zealand. He first made his debut in 2018 against Pakistan and took a fifer in the second innings. The finger-spinner was on and off from the squad and in the series against India, Ajaz flabbergasted everyone with his 10-wicket haul in Mumbai. He joined Jim Laker and Anil Kumble in this feat.

In a total of 11 Tests he has appeared, he has picked 43 wickets with an amazing average of 27.13. This Kiwi bowler also has played in seven T20I’s and has grabbed 11 wickets at a stunning economy of 4.53.

Despite performing well, as there is an all-rounding spin option of Mitchell Santner, Ajaz seldom gets chances in the T20I squad. And in Tests after bowling a record-breaking spell in India, he was dropped from the squad for the very next series against Bangladesh at home. It is definitely unfair for a player to perform to his career-best and to get dropped for the next series.

9. Adil Rashid

Adil Rashid debuted in the limited-overs format in 2009. He played five T20Is and five ODIs in 2009 and picked three wickets in each of the formats. But, his performances did not impress the selectors, and he was out of the squad for six long years.

When most of them forgot about the existence of such a player, he made his ODI comeback in 2015 against New Zealand and this time, he scored 69 runs, and with the ball, he finished with 4/55. This was enough for him to seal the place for the future. Until now, he has been a part of 112 ODIs and 70 T20Is and has 159 and 77 wickets to his name.

This 33-year-old leg-spinner currently has the highest number of wickets for England in the limited-overs format. He was also crucial in the world cup winning team of England in 2019. When it comes to Test cricket, he last played in 2019 and has 60 wickets in just 19 matches. But was still not used properly and was dropped from the Tests and has always been an unsung hero throughout his career.

10. Sheldon Cottrell

The Caribbean pacer Sheldon Cottrell first played a Test in 2013 and has just bowled 46 overs in his career and has picked two wickets in it. His Test career ended as soon as it started.

Cottrell was then called into the T20I squad and has played 36 matches and has taken 45 wickets. His ODI stats stand at 52 wickets in 38 matches at an economy of 5.87. He was also the leading wicket-taker of Windies in the ICC ODI World Cup in 2019.

After that, he has been just a part of eight ODIs in these two years. This tall bower was not included in the 15-men squad of the T20 World cup 2021 too and was just a part of the reserve list. He often gets neglected by the team despite performing well and is an underrated bowler according to the Windies cricket board.

11. Josh Hazlewood

The Australian cricket team has many decorated players such as Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa, Glenn Maxwell, and many more. But there’s one bowler – Josh Hazlewood, whose performance go unnoticed and he hardly receives recognition for his efforts. This 31-year-old bowler made his debut in 2010 in ODIs and he picked a wicket while conceding runs at an economy of 5.85.

But later, he did not get a single chance in the squad until 2013 when he made his comeback. He has played a total of 56 ODIs and has 93 scalps. Hazelwood was much used only in the ODIs and Tests and was majorly considered as a Test bowler until his performance saw an upward trend in the shortest format of the game.

His economy rate and the average kept on improving and in the year 2021, which stands at 6.87 and 16.34 respectively. He was the highest wicket-taker of Australia in the T20 World Cup 2021 and his performances were vital. But he did not catch much attention like the players like Marsh and Warner did in the tournament and is an unsung hero.