*This first part contains opening batsman, one down and the middle order :) !
*These lists are completely based and devised on statistical grounds.
*All the records and statistics are completed till September 30. 2011.
*Positions of batsman are assessed 1) they are currently playing at that position 2) they ended their career at that position.
*The description is mostly ESPNCRICINFO's and also the stats, thanks alot to Hassaan Ajmal, Hamza Awan, Ameer Ahmed, Faisal Khalid for their input :) !
------------------------------------------------------------------
Best Openers:Please Note:
*The ratings are based on the performances after Jan 01, 2000, with at least playing till 2003.
*Both the test and ODI overall performances are evaluated, while the T20 have not been included for the evaluation.
*The rating positions are based on the collective average in both forms of the game, taking the average of both the formats make the ranking.
*The highest runs scored as an opener are the actuals on which the rankings of players are based.
*At least 50 tests, 100 ODI, 4000 test runs, 4000 ODI runs are set as the minimum requirement for a batsman to qualify.
1. Mathew Hayden:Strength was Matthew Hayden's strength - both mental and physical. Tall, powerful and equipped with concentration befitting the fisherman and surfer that he is, he was devastating both in Tests and ODI's and battered the ball at and through the off side for days at a time.
Test: 103 8625 50.73ODI: 161 6133 43.802. Graeme Smith:Meaty, muscular and mighty, that's Graeme Smith, His batting is similarly forthright: anything bowled near his pads will be sent screaming through midwicket. Anything drivable on the off-side will be driven, brutally, often inelegantly, but always effectively. With Smith, what you see really is what you get.
Test: 91 7457 49.71ODI: 172 6280 39.25
3. Virender Sehwag:Virender Sehwag has constructed an extraordinary career with a relentless quest, and a genius, for boundary hitting. With minimal footwork but maximum intent, he has piled Test runs at a faster pace than anyone in the history of cricket. Arguably the most destructive batsman of the modern era.
Test: 89 7735 52.26ODI: 236 7760 35.114. Saeed Anwar:Majestic timing and placement were Saeed Anwar's hallmarks. He was an opener capable of electrifying starts in all Cricket through graceful strokeplay rather than brute force. He first came to prominence as a one-day player but soon achieved equal success in Test cricket. Perhaps the greatest one day opener of all time he was one of the most gracefully compelling players on the international stage.
Test: 55 4052 45.52ODI: 247 8824 39.215. Adam Gilchrist:Going in first or seventh, wearing whites or coloureds, Adam Gilchrist was the symbolic heart of Australia's steamrolling agenda and the most exhilarating cricketer of the modern age. he managed to score at a tempo - 81 per 100 balls in Tests, 96 in one-dayers - that made Viv Richards and Gilbert Jessop look like stick-in-the-muds.
Test: 96 5570 47.60ODI: 287 9619 35.896. Sourav Ganguly:Some felt he couldn't play the bouncer, others swore that he was God on the off-side; some laughed at his lack of athleticism, others took immense pride in his ability to galvanise a side. But nobody can argue about him being one of the greatest one-day batsmen of all time, a batsman who combined grace with surgical precision in his strokeplay.
Test: 113 7212 42.17ODI: 313 11363 41.027. Marcus Trescothick:He took to international cricket like a duck to a TV screen. A true opener, he formed a habit of starting a series well with a mixture of expert leaves, crisp cover-drives, spanking pulls and fearless slog-sweeps. Hefty, knock-kneed and genial, he is described as a left-handed Gooch, but his blazing one-day strokeplay is just as reminiscent of David Gower.
Test: 76 5825 43.79ODI: 123 4335 37.378. Chris Gayle:A thrusting Jamaican left-hander, Gayle has a lack of respect, for opposition bowlers at least, has served Gayle well since then. Tall and imposing at the crease, he loves to carve through the covers off either foot, and has the ability to decimate the figures of even the thriftiest of opening bowlers. n a lean era for West Indian cricket- Gayle's pugnacious approach has become an attacking weapon in its own right.
Test: 91 6373 41.65ODI: 228 8087 39.069. Hershelle Gibbs:How many other batsmen practice, seriously, cutting fast bowlers for six? Or drive throat balls down the ground? Or make pulling off the front foot look everyday? That goes for whether Gibbs is batting in the middle of the order or at the top, and whether the ball is old or new.
Test: 90 6167 41.95ODI: 248 8094 36.1310. Sanath Jayasuria:Sanath Jayasuriya changed the way ODI's were played. Think of him and you think of forearms straight out of a smithy, shots hammered through point and cover and scythes over the leg side. You recall a man who could score equally briskly in every form of the game, who slashed and burned his way through bowling attacks.
Test: 110 6973 40.07ODI: 445 13430 32.36
*Sachin Tendulkar did not qualify as an opener because he plays at # 4 now, although he has more than 8000 runs as an opener.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Best One Down Batsmen:Please Note:
*The ratings are based on the performances after Jan 01, 2000, with at least playing till 2003.*Both the test and ODI overall performances are evaluated, while the T20 have not been included for the evaluation.*The rating positions are based on the collective average in both forms of the game, taking the average of both the formats make the ranking.*The highest runs scored at number 3 position are the actuals on which the rankings of players are based.*At least 50 tests, 100 ODI, 4000 test runs, 4000 ODI runs are set as the minimum requirement for a batsman to qualify.*The criteria had to be lowered as there were no worthy number three players.
1. Jacques Kallis:No batsman prizes his wicket more highly, and no wicket in all of cricket is more highly prized. Jacques Kallis is the broad-shouldered colossus of the South African team, a figure whose looming presence inspires calm in some and dread in others. Kallis is a fine, forceful batsman who has at his disposal both a rock-solid technique and a mind impervious to distraction.Test: 145 11947 57.43ODI: 314 11227 45.45
2. Ricky Ponting:Ricky Ponting, the most uncompromising player of his generation, grew into Australia's most successful run-maker and only sits below Bradman in the country's overall ratings. He plays all the shots with a full flourish of the bat - the cover drive and the pull are particularly productive methods. As a batsman the only debate is where to rank him in the high reaches of the game's greatest run-makers.
Test: 154 12487 53.13ODI: 367 13602 42.77
3. Kumar Sangakara:As soon as he broke into the side at the age of 22, while a law student, it was apparent that Kumar Sangakkara was destined for more than just batting stardom. Easing into strokes with the elegance often associated with those that play with the 'other' hand. The cut and the pull came naturally to him and with growing confidence, he became a more assured front-foot player as well.
Test: 100 8651 55.81ODI: 301 9540 38.00
4. Rahul Dravid:Rahul Dravid, The Wall is probably one of the last classical Test match batsmen. Armed with an orthodox technique drilled into him by Keki Tarapore, he became the cement that held the foundations firm while the flair players expressed themselves. He retooled his game over the years to become an adept middle-order finisher.
Test: 157 12775 53.00
ODI: 344 10889 39.16
5. Younis Khan:
It is as a batsman, and a fearless one, that he made his name first, playing with a flourish. He is especially strong in the arc from backward point to extra cover. He is prone to getting down on one knee and driving extravagantly. But this flamboyance is coupled with grit. Easily the best Pakistani number 3 of all time.
Test: 68 5719 51.06
ODI: 226 6442 32.86
6. Ramnaresh Sarwan:
A nimble, Chaplinesque right-hander, Ramnaresh Sarwan was brought up in the South American rainforest around the Essequibo River. His footwork, which seemed to require no early trigger movements, was strikingly confident and precise.
Test: 87 5842 40.01
ODI: 173 5644 43.41
7. Andy Flower:
The elder of two Test-playing brothers, Andy Flower was for a long time Zimbabwe's only batsman of true Test quality in all conditions. For a period of about two years from the start of 2000 he was so phenomenally consistent that he has no rival as the best player in Zimbabwe's history.
Test: 63 4794 51.54
ODI: 213 6786 35.34
8. Stephen Fleming:
Graceful and determined, Stephen Fleming will go down as one of his countries best batsman after an international career that spanned 15 years. He owns a series of records, including the first New Zealander to pass 7000 Test runs, nine Test centuries is a poor return for such a talent, but Fleming was worth than his statistics.
Test: 111 7172 40.06
ODI: 280 8037 32.40
* The list had to be cut short to eight as there were no worthy number three batsman who played at this position in both forms of the game and fulfilled the criteria.
*V.V.S Laxman and Marven Atapattu were the near misses as both did not play at number 3 position for long.
------------------------------------------------------------------Please Note:
*The ratings are based on the performances after Jan 01, 2000, with at least playing till 2003.*Both the test and ODI overall performances are evaluated, while the T20 have not been included for the evaluation.*The rating positions are based on the collective average in both forms of the game, taking the average of both the formats make the ranking.*The highest runs scored at number 4-5 positions are the actuals on which the rankings of players are based.*At least 50 tests, 100 ODI, 4000 test runs, 4000 ODI runs are set as the minimum requirement for a batsman to qualify.
Sachin Tendulkar:Sachin Tendulkar has been the most complete batsman of his time, the most prolific runmaker of all time, and arguably the biggest cricket icon the game has ever known. His batting is based on the purest principles: perfect balance, economy of movement, precision in stroke-making, and that intangible quality given only to geniuses. Tendulkar's considerable achievements seem greater still when looked at in the light of the burden of expectations he has had to bear.Test: 181 14965 56.25ODI: 453 18111 45.16Inzamam ul Haq:He is a symbiosis of strength and subtlety. Sublime touch is remarkable for a man of his bulk. With a willow between his palms he is suddenly galvanised. He plays shots all round the wicket, is especially strong off his legs, and unleashes ferocious pulls and lofted drives. Imran Khan rates him the best batsman in the world against pace. The best thing about Inzi is that he keeps a cool head in a crisis and has lead Pakistan to many famous victories.Test: 120 8830 49.60ODI: 378 11739 39.52
Brian Lara:No-one since Bradman has built massive scores as often and as fast as Lara in his pomp. Even his stance was thrilling - the bat raised high in the air, the weight poised on a bent front knee, the eyes low and level. Then the guillotine would fall, sending the ball flashing to the boundary. In the space of two months in 1994, Lara's 375 and 501 not out broke world records for the highest Test and first-class scores and then scoring 400* was just his talent.Test: 131 11953 52.88ODI: 299 10405 40.48Mohammad Yousuf:This much is at least certain that few Pakistani batsmen have been as elegant as Mohammd Yousuf and fewer still have been as prolific, as hungry to bat as long and bat as big. At his best, watching Yousuf bat is an unnervingly tranquil experience. He has a high backlift, which makes every shot he plays a beautiful one. Square and behind it on the off side are his areas, where his game is the most enchanting.
Test: 90 7530 52.29
ODI: 288 9720 41.71
Micheal Hussey:
An accumulator who is virtually impossible to distract at the crease, Michael Hussey waited a decade before becoming an overnight star. Others might have given up, or at least relaxed, but Hussey maintained the intensity and was soon living in a statistical world occupied by few others. After two years in the Test side his average rose to 86.18; it had already taken 29 ODIs for his mean to drop below 100.
Test: 62 5113 53.26
ODI: 163 4750 50.53
Shivnarine Chanderpaul:
The possessor of the crabbiest technique in world cricket, Shivnarine Chanderpaul proves there is life beyond the coaching handbook. He never seems to play in the V, or off the front foot, but uses soft hands, canny deflections, and a whiplash pull-shot to maintain a Test average over 40.
Test: 133 9367 49.04
ODI: 268 8778 41.60
A prolific, elegant and utterly classy batsman with a huge appetite for runs, his sheer quality as a batsman was never in doubt but for Jayawardene the biggest challenge has been to justify all the early hype which he gracefully did. With a combined Test and ODI tally in excess of 17,000, blessed with excellent hand-eye coordination and a fine technique, Jayawardene scores his runs all around the wicket.
Test: 122 9852 52.40ODI: 352 9913 33.48Kevin Pietersen:
He's tall, he's loud, he's brash ... but "KP" is also a superb batsman, capable of annexing many of England's Test records before he's done. He reached 1000 one-day runs in just 21 matches. He's strong on the drive, with a crunching pull and hook, while his signature shot is the "flamingo" - a wristy pull-drive played with back foot balletically off the ground. There's also the switch-hit reverse sweep, which needed a ruling on its legality from MCC.
Test: 78 6361 50.48
ODI: 119 3733 40.13
Michael Clarke:Michael Clarke can do anything with the bat, but he has matured into one of the game's most professional, reliable and focussed players. Breathtaking centuries on debut away and at home stamped him as a shot-maker to savour, but he is now a calculated player who is his country's most effective run-maker in the five-day game.
Test: 72 4956 46.31ODI: 203 6551 45.81Steve Waugh:
Steve Waugh is the ultimate evolved cricketer. Thrown to the wolves at 20, he flailed at all bowling, sent down bouncers at Viv Richards, and tasted Ashes defeat. Then he helped win a World Cup and made 393 runs before losing his wicket in England in 1989. It was his catharsis, he minimalised his batsmanship, forgoing risk and waiting for the loose ball, which he still punished severely.
Test: 168 10927 51.06
ODI: 325 7569 32.90
* V.V.S Laxman would run into any great list for tests but missed out because he was not a prolific player in ODI cricket and had less than 100 ODI's.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Pakistan dominated throughout the five days of the first cricket test between the two teams, had it not been the drop catches Pakistan would have won easily. Winning the toss and bowling first was a risk but Misbah was right in taking the initiative of a fresh pitch as the only assistance bowlers had was on the first day of the match and Pakistani bowlers did not let their captain down when they bowled out Srilanka for 197 with Junaid Khan picking up his first five wicket hall in a spell of 14.1-3-38-5. Pakistan reply was a strong one as Taufeeq Umar with his 236 helped Pakistan to a strong total of 511/6 wickets, the only negative was that Pakistan took 710 minutes and scored the runs at the rate of 2.9 per over. Srilanka's second innings was no different as they were struggling at 233-5 only until the drop catches, six in total, cost Pakistan the match. They were able to bowl out Srilanka with 21 overs remaining but sensibly did not chase the target due to Srilanka's negative field setting. Kumara Sangakara was given the man of the match award which was surprising for me :)
The start of second Cricket test was almost the same with the only difference that it was Srilanka who won the toss and elected to bat! That was a brave decision but it backfired with Srilanka reeling at 154/8 but thanks to the late resistance of Rangana Herath and Walegedara they were able to reach a respectable total of 239. Pakistan's reply was again a strong one as they were able to score 403 runs and taking a lead of 164 runs with Azhar Ali scoring his first international hundred and were able to bowl out Srilanka for 257 runs in their second innings. This time the destroyer was Saeed Ajmal picking up 68-5. Pakistan were left to chase 94 wihch they did so at the lost of just one wicket. Saeed Ajmal was declared man of the match!
Pakistan have played really well in the two tests so far and have been on top of their game in all aspects, which is a heartening fact to see. In my view this is by fat the most settled Pakistani test team after the Inzamam era and I'm loving that fact. But I guess the real test for the Pakistani team will be the third test match where they will have to finish as a dominating side and their batting will have one last test of character! they must not get complacent and just stick to the basics, actually I could have wrote about the matches and my views alot more but the sad news about the spot fixing is out and I just can't write more for now! (Sad in a way). Pakistan should go for a 2-0 here as it will take them to number 5 in the ICC rankings within a touching distance of Australia! 
