Even though the top order batsmen do the bulk of the scoring in white ball cricket, it’s the finishers who land the knockout punch and sometimes, turn the game upside down from impossible situations.
There have been quite a few good finishers going around in international cricket at the moment, but today we will talk about the finishers who are capable of chasing down 15 runs in the last over of a game to win the game for their respective teams.
Here are the 5 finishers who can do that –
#1 Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes is someone who has the ability to hit the fast bowlers for sixes. If you are chasing 15 runs in the last over, you must be able to hit the fast bowlers out of the ground because in 99% of the games, it will be a fast bowler who will bowl the last over.
Stokes can not only explore different areas of the ground to find gaps, he also has the power to deposit the ball into the stands.
#2 Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler is as powerful as Stokes in terms of hitting sixes down the ground, but what makes him even more dangerous is his 360 degree game. He is capable of making the mockery of the yorker length by scooping the ball over the keeper’s head.
And if the bowler tries not to bowl the yorker to Buttler and bowl back of length instead, Buttler can smack it out of the ground as well with the horizontal bat.
#3 MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni is approaching the end of his career now, but he is still as good as anyone in terms of slog-over hitting, particularly if he is up against medium pace bowling.
The express fast bowlers, if they hit the deck hard enough, can probably limit Dhoni’s hitting ability to some extent now, but the former Indian captain can still bang the medium pacers with great effects and he has shown that in the last two seasons of the IPL.
#4 Glenn Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell is again a bit like Jos Buttler as he can be very productive with his hitting behind the wickets and not just in front of wickets.
Apart from playing the scoop shot, Maxwell also has the reverse dab in his repertoire and the switch hit as well. He can literally toy with the field set by the opposition captain.
And if the captain tries to limit Maxwell’s scoring area behind the stumps by pushing the third man and the fine leg back, Maxwell can then go big in front of the stumps with the same efficiency.
#5 David Miller
David Miller is someone who has a very strong base. He doesn’t make too much of movement around the crease as most of the modern day hitters do. He just stands and delivers.
When he is in good nick, Miller picks the length of the ball so early that he manages to put enough power into his shots more often than not, despite not making too much of movement around the crease.
