debut: 2/16/17
39,581 runs
No. 2: Sunil Narine
No other T20 player has terrorised oppositions as Narine has in each of his roles - as mystery spinner, pinch-hitter and now opener
Narine was already one of the all-time top five T20 cricketers by December 31, 2016. Of the 111 bowlers to have taken at least 100 wickets in the format up to that point, he was one of only two - his fellow Trinbagonian Samuel Badree was the other - with an economy rate of less than a run a ball.
Then, on New Year's Day, 2017, this freakish outlier turned into something even more terrifying. This man, who had shown little evidence of batting ability, having only faced 333 balls in 198 T20 games, walked out to open the batting in the BBL's Melbourne derby.A swing and a miss, but the swing was the thing. The concept of pinch-hitting wasn't new to cricket, but Narine's promotion was something different, a recalibration of the value of a wicket. Batters grow up conditioned to put a price on their wicket, and instinct, no matter what the basic arithmetic of T20 may say, often trumps what may be best for their side. Why not then promote someone blessed with ball-striking ability but unburdened by this instinct for survival?
No other T20 player has terrorised oppositions as Narine has in each of his roles - as mystery spinner, pinch-hitter and now opener
Narine was already one of the all-time top five T20 cricketers by December 31, 2016. Of the 111 bowlers to have taken at least 100 wickets in the format up to that point, he was one of only two - his fellow Trinbagonian Samuel Badree was the other - with an economy rate of less than a run a ball.
Then, on New Year's Day, 2017, this freakish outlier turned into something even more terrifying. This man, who had shown little evidence of batting ability, having only faced 333 balls in 198 T20 games, walked out to open the batting in the BBL's Melbourne derby.A swing and a miss, but the swing was the thing. The concept of pinch-hitting wasn't new to cricket, but Narine's promotion was something different, a recalibration of the value of a wicket. Batters grow up conditioned to put a price on their wicket, and instinct, no matter what the basic arithmetic of T20 may say, often trumps what may be best for their side. Why not then promote someone blessed with ball-striking ability but unburdened by this instinct for survival?
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