Left
handers have always been characterised with elegance and fluency. The difference
in style and stance has a huge impact on technique and the approach of a left
hander vis a vis a right hander. Cricket has produced many such prolific run
getters and accumulators who have won the hearts of their fellow fans. Asians
and West Indians mainly dominate the list which contains one batsman from
Australia and New Zealand too. Following is the list of the 10 most prolific
left-handed run scorers in the ODI format.
10.
Stephen Fleming- 8037 Runs
The
former New Zealand captain, one of the most successful and charismatic players
to lead his country, has amassed 8037 runs in ODIs, mainly as an opener or in
the top 4, up against the swinging ball in bowler friendly conditions.
Although
he scored at a seemingly modest of 32.06 and had a strike rate of 71.49, his 49
fifties and 8 hundreds really include many match winning contributions,
including his best score of 134* that came in the 2003 World Cup against South
Africa.
9.
Yuvraj Singh- 8539 Runs
The only active cricketer on this list and the
man of the tournament of the 2011 World Cup has always been impactful with the
bat in hand in his long 50 over career fraught will great memories. He has
smashed 8329 runs at an amazing strike rate of 87, spending most of his career
batting at No.4 and No.5.
His average of 36.8 speaks of his consistency
and reliability in the middle order. His 14 hundreds and 51 fifties include his
highest score of 150 against England in his comeback match at Cuttack in January 2017, which establishes that he still has a lot of cricket left in himself.
8.
Shivnaraine Chanderpaul- 8778 Runs
The
West Indian legend may be better known for test cricket but has racked up 8778
runs in ODIs with a highly impressive average of 41.64. The average specifically stands out because of
his versatility as a batsman, who found himself opening the batting just as
often as he ended up at No.5.
His
strike rate as an opener is 69, and as a batsman at No.5 is 81, reiterating how
effective he be in both roles. His 59 fifties and 11 hundreds include a match
winning 150 as an opener against South Africa in 1999.
7.
Saeed Anwar-8824 Runs
The
best Pakistani opener to ever play the game in terms of his stats, Anwar has
racked up 8824 runs at an average of 39.5. However, Saeed Anwar will always be
remembered to have held the record of the highest ever score in ODI cricket of
194 for over a decade, that too against arch rivals India in their own den, in
1997.
He
has also has 20 hundreds and 43 fifties to compliment his numbers. Only 6 50
plus scores didn’t come as an opener, reiterating prolific he was, as an
opener.
6.
Chris Gayle- 9221 Runs
The
37 year old dasher from West Indies may hold every possible record in T20s, but
has also scored 9221 runs at an average of 37 and strike rate of 85 in ODIs
.
He
has scored the most amount of of runs for a West Indies opener and finds
himself in the Top 10 ODI century scorers list with 22 100s to go with his 46
fifties, all coming at the top of the order. He became the first double
centurion in a World Cup with his mammoth 215 against Zimbabwe in 2015.
5.
Adam Gilchrist- 9619 Runs
The
only Australian in the list, Gilchrist has scored 9200 out of his 9619 runs as
opener, the third highest ever for the position. He scored his runs at an
astonishing strike rate of 96.9, the second best for any opener behind Virender
Sehwag and averaged an impressive 36 throughout.
His
16 hundreds and 55 fifties complement his record. Although his highest score of
172 came against Zimbabwe in 2004, he is better remembered for his crucial 149
in the 2007 World Cup final against Sri Lanka.
4.
Brian Lara-10405 Runs
His
ODI numbers are just as good as his test numbers. One of the only 4 left
handers with over 10000 runs, Lara’s 10405 runs are the most by a West Indian. Couple
that with an average of 40.5 and a strike rate of over 80, and that makes for a
lethal top order batsman.
Out of his 19 hundreds and 63 fifties, his 169
against Sri Lanka in the 1995 Champions Trophy would have a special place in
his heart. His 4600 runs at No.3 are the most by a West Indian at that
important position.
3.
Sourav Ganguly- 11363 Runs
Having
scored 11363 runs at an average of 41, Ganguly was always a prolific batsman,
being India’s highest run getter after Sachin Tendukar, his partner in crime,
with whom he made majority of his 9146 career runs as opener.
He
was also the fastest to 7000, 8000 and 9000 runs before AB De Villiers broke
his records. His 22 100s and 72 50s combine to 92 fifty plus scores, one of the
highest ever, and also include the highest of 183 against Sri Lanka in the 1999
World Cup.
2.
Sanath Jayasuriya- 13430 Runs
Not
only has he scored 13430 runs at a strike rate of 91, but also his 28 hundreds
are the third highest on the list for most centuries. Sanath was the second
most capped player after Sachin, and had enhanced his ODI prowess with his
bowling abilities (320 wickets) also.
He
has the highest score for any Sri Lankan- 189 coming in a 245 run mauling of
India in the 2000 Champions Trophy. He has the second most runs as an opener
ever accumulating over 12700 in that position alone.
1.
Kumar Sangakkara- 14234 Runs
Top
of the pile for left handers and second highest of all time, Kumar Sangakkara
has scored 14234 runs at the highest average on this list of 41.98. His 93
fifties are the second most fifties by a player ever and he is the only player
to score 4 consecutive centuries, and that too in the most recent 2015 World
Cup, in which he was the highest run scorer.
His
dominant stroke play and versatile approach has helped him be successful as an
opener as well as in the top order. His highest score of 169 came against a
South African attack with Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel in Colombo in 2013.
