Under-rated ODI XI of the decade

It is the end of a decade and everybody seems to be making their best XIs of the decade in different formats. There is often limelight on big stars and they are given credit big time as well. However, there are cricketers who haven’t hogged much of the limelight and yet, have been consistent. These are the cricketers who’ve not been talked about much and usually fly under the radar. Thus, with everyone making a best XI, here we take a look at an underrated ODI XI for the 2010s-decade. These are players who have been excellent and have been key to their side’s performance but don’t (or haven’t) got their due as much as they should have. Here’s Under-rated ODI XI of the decade: Quinton de Kock (wk) Quinton de Kock. (Photo Source: Twitter) Quinton de Kock made his ODI debut in January 2013 but it wasn’t until the India series in December that year that he shot into the limelight. The left-handed opener smashed three tons in a row to announce himself in international cricket. He hasn’t looked back since. The South African wicket-keeper batsman has been a consistent run-getter for his side. He is a bank at the top of the order and has been one of the best wicket-keeper batsmen of this decade in ODI cricket. In fact, de Kock has the third-most runs for a wicket-keeper batsman in the 2010s decade. He has amassed 4904 runs at an average of 45.40 and a strike-rate of 95.37. Moreover, the southpaw has registered 14 ODI hundreds in this decade which is the second-most for any wicket-keeper bat after Kumar Sangakkara’s 15. However, de Kock often doesn’t get the credit he deserves. Not only with the bat, but de Kock is also fabulous behind the stumps as well. He flies around and takes acrobatic catches and effects quick stumpings. Martin Guptill Martin Guptill. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images) We talk about the likes of Rohit Sharma, David Warner, Hashim Amla, Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy and the others as far as ODI openers are concerned. All of them have been excellent in the last few years. However, there is a certain Martin Guptill who has been in very good form as well. He’s constantly scored runs for New Zealand at the top of the order. Guptill may have faded away slightly since June 2019. However, he has been excellent throughout the decade. He was quite scratchy in 2010 but once he found his rhythm, there has been no stopping him. The Kiwi opener has scored 5888 runs at an average of 42.35 in this decade. He averages 43.10 and has made 5690 out of those 5888 runs as an opener. Also, all of his 15 hundreds in this decade have come as an opener. Moreover, he is one of the only six batsmen who have made history and scored an ODI double ton. Thus, he is one of the most underrated ODI openers going around at the moment. Joe Root Joe Root. (Photo Source: DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images) In a team filled with aggressive superstars who go after the bowling from the word go, Joe Root fits in as a rock at No. 3. He is the calming influence around the attacking players in the England ODI team. At No. 3, Root gives England the solidity and confidence for the other players to play their game. With the likes of Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and the others hogging most of the limelight, Root quietly goes about his business. There’s hardly any focus on him in the shorter formats. But he’s been very consistent and no other England player has a better average in this decade than him. Root has played 143 ODI games and has scored 5856 runs at an average of 51.36. He has scored 16 hundreds and 33 fifties. Thus, Root is one of the most underrated players in the England ODI side and doesn’t get a lot of credit either. Ross Taylor Ross Taylor. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images) He may not be talked about too much but Ross Taylor has been one of the most consistent ODI batsmen in this decade. Along with Kane Williamson, Taylor has been the heart of the New Zealand batting line-up. He’s constantly churned out the runs and has been a prolific run-getter in the 50-over format. Taylor has averaged in excess of 44 in eight of the ten calendar years of this decade. In fact, he’s averaged more than 55 over the last three calendar years as well. The New Zealand No. 4 has made 6428 runs in ODI cricket since January 2010 which is the fifth-most in the mentioned period. He has an average of 54.01 which is the fourth-best since the start of this decade. Thus, the former New Zealand skipper has been in fine form and has also scored 17 ODI tons (out of his 20). Eoin Morgan (C) Eoin Morgan of England. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images) Eoin Morgan is a fine striker of a cricket ball. Very few can match his hitting prowess and hit the number of sixes he can. In fact, in this 2010s-decade, only Rohit Sharma has hit more sixes than Morgan in ODI cricket. The current England white-ball captain has struck a stunning 183 sixes in 179 innings in ODI cricket in this decade. Not only sixes, but Morgan is also a pretty underrated batsman. He has the ability to turn the game on its head in no time. Moreover, he’s been a consistent performer for England. The left-hander has scored 6241 runs at an average of 40.52 and at a strike-rate of 94.90. He has 12 hundreds and 38 fifties to his name. Also, Morgan is an excellent captain. It was under his leadership that England changed the way they approached white-ball cricket. He led the revolution after England’s low in the 2015 World Cup. Hence, Morgan will also lead this team. Angelo Mathews Angelo Mathews. (Photo Source: Twitter) There was a time when Angelo Mathews was the heart of the Sri Lankan batting line-up and that was not too long ago. In recent times, he has been plagued with injuries which has affected his form as well. However, he is still one of Sri Lanka’s best players of this decade. Mathews isn’t rated highly but he has been a consistent performer in ODI cricket. The former Sri Lankan captain has played nearly 200 ODIs in this decade and has scored 5437 runs at an average of 44.36. Only Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan have more ODI runs in this decade. No other current Sri Lankan is even close to Mathews. In addition to this, he has picked up 98 wickets as well since January 2010. He has an economy of 4.58 which is the second-best for a Sri Lankan bowler in ODI cricket in this decade. Thisara Perera Sri Lankan cricketer Thisara Perera. (Photo by LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images) Not many would’ve expected this name in any XI. However, Thisara Perera has been good throughout this decade. He may not score runs consistently, he may be expensive at times, but he gives it his all every time he steps on to the field. Moreover, he has some good numbers as well. Only two players have scored more than 2000 runs and picked up more than 150 wickets in ODI cricket in this 2010s-decade. One is Shakib Al Hasan and the other is Thisara Perera. The Sri Lankan all-rounder has a strike-rate of 110.89 with the bat in this decade. He has taken 171 wickets which is the joint fifth-highest. The southpaw rather on numerous occasions kept Sri Lanka in the hunt single-handedly in run-chases. He also led Sri Lanka in a few matches and for the amount of work he puts in on the field, Perera makes it to this list. Liam Plunkett England’s Liam Plunkett. (Photo by JON SUPER/AFP/Getty Images) It was back in December 2005 that Liam Plunkett made his ODI debut. However, after a decent start to his career injuries kept him out. It was in 2015 that he earned his place back in the ODI squad after England’s 2015 World Cup debacle. Since then, he’s been a key bowler in the England ODI outfit. The Yorkshire fast bowler has picked up 98 wickets in the 62 games he’s played in this decade. 90 of those have come in the second half of the decade when he became one of England’s premier white-ball bowler. He has been slightly expensive as he has gone at 5.79 runs an over but he has this happy knack of picking up wickets. Plunkett was even England’s best bowler in the 2019 World Cup final. However, the limelight is largely on the batsmen in the England team and Plunkett is a pretty underrated customer. Amit Mishra Amit Mishra. (Photo Source: EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images) Here is another name that nobody would’ve expected in this XI. Amit Mishra has constantly been in and out of the Indian team, across formats. However, he has constantly performed despite his irregularity in the team. 31 out of the 36 ODIs that he has played in his career have come in this decade. Mishra has picked up 60 wickets at an average of 22.86. In fact, he’s picked up an average of almost two wickets per game. In fact, the last time Mishra donned the ODI colours for India, he picked up 5/18 against New Zealand. Yet, he finds himself out of the Indian ODI setup. Thus, Mishra may not be in the scheme of things anymore but he’s been a consistent performer for India. He has been a wicket-taker and his numbers speak for himself. Matt Henry Matt Henry (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images) New Zealand boast of a strong bowling attack. Trent Boult and Tim Southee lead the way while there is Lockie Ferguson to back them up in the recent past. However, Matt Henry has been excellent as well. But he hardly comes in the limelight. He’s been a key performer for New Zealand over the years. The right-arm pacer made his debut only in 2014 but he is the third-highest wicket-taker for the Kiwis in ODI cricket in this decade. Henry has taken 92 wickets from 52 games and was a part of New Zealand team that reached the final in the 2015 and 2019 World Cup. Moreover, Henry has picked up seven four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls as well. He has a strike-rate of 29. Thus, with most of the limelight on Boult, Southee and now, Ferguson, Henry has quietly gone about his job. Mujeeb Ur Rahman Mujeeb Ur Rahman. (Photo Source: Getty Images) One might argue that how can someone who made his debut only in 2017 be in this XI. However, Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been that good that he warrants a place in this underrated XI. He has been in the shadows of Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi but he’s done very well too. Mujeeb has played 40 ODIs so far and has picked up 63 wickets. He has an average of 22.44 which puts him in the top five ODI bowlers with the best bowling average in this decade (minimum 50 wickets). Moreover, he has an economy of 3.94 which is the best with the aforementioned criteria. Mujeeb usually takes the new ball and is hard to getaway. He keeps it tight and often gives early breakthroughs. Thus, he has become a big part of Afghanistan’s white-ball setup.

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Under-rated ODI XI of the decade

These players have always gone about their business without getting due credit.

Thisara Perera

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