Inzamam Ul Haq mentions 3 batsmen who have changed the game for a good while they innovated their shots to make it a norm in cricket.
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Inzamam Ul Haq recently named three batsmen on his Youtube channel, in his opinion who have changed the game for good. The former Pakistani batsman claimed that in each era got a player, who changed the style of playing the game with their aggression and innovation.
First, Inzamam named Viv Richards in his list who proved that batsmen can play fast bowlers at front-foot. With no helmets back then, most of the players used to bat on the back foot but Richards approached his game on the front foot, which later became a norm in the game.
“3 players have changed the game of cricket, given it a new style. Years ago it was Viv Richards, who changed the game. At that time batsmen used to play fast bowlers on the backfoot but he showed everyone how to play them off the front foot. He taught everyone that fast bowlers can be attacked. He was an ever great player,” Inzamam said on his Youtube channel.
Then Inzamam named Sanath Jaisurya as the second player in his list, who reshaped the role of an opening batsman, his fast and aggressive style as an opener attracted a lot of imitation, and in the 20 over format it is totally relevant.
“The second change was brought in by Sanath Jayasuriya. He decided to attack the fast bowlers in the first 15 overs. Before his arrival, the ones who used hit the ball in the air were not considered as proper batsmen but he changed the perception by hitting the fast bowlers over the infield in the first 15 overs,” added Inzamam.
Then the latest out of all to be named was AB De Villiers, who in contemporary times has won the heart of millions with his unorthodox shots and unconventional batting style.
He made the idea of scoring runs with reverse sweeps and paddle sweeps a norm, and not just only against spinners but also against fast bowlers.
“The third player who changed cricket was AB de Villiers. He changed cricket for the third time. I would credit the fast-paced cricket that you see in ODIs and T20s today to de Villiers. Previously batsmen used to hit the straight bat. De Villiers came in, started to hit the paddle sweeps, reverse sweeps,” said Inzamam.
Watch the video
The list is totally fair and will probably find agreements across all fanbases. Inzamam did not name anyone among India, Australia or Pakistan, yet the list seems to be perfect.
Also read: Aakash Chopra omits Steve Smith and Joe Root from his ‘Fab Four’
