Cricket is not just a word in India but it is an unending passion! Started by England, this game is famous all over the world today for its different popularity and due to the well-known players whether it is a batsman or a bowler! From the old popularity of the cricket world to today’s new era, many changes have been seen! Where at one time only teams from England and Australia play this game, today teams like Ireland and Afghanistan are also a part of this cricket world today!
Cricket was played in the first test cricket format only! As time changed and the decade of 70s came, another format was organized in cricket! With the start of white ball cricket there was the sharp change witnessed which worked as the trendsetter and changed the cricket completely! Starting with this new change from the cricket administration, the World Cup is held every five years. Here we take a look at five such batsmen who have set the most number of half centuries in limited cricket!
5. Rahul Dravid :
This batsman, popularly known as the wall, is the only batsman in the history of India’s cricket, whose praise is done in the world through his playing days to till date as a mentor and moreover when this batsman had used to lead the Indian team from the brink of defeat to victory with his batting made the audience to watch his performance on loop. A batsman like him has neither come till today nor will ever come in world cricket in the coming centuries!
Born in Karnataka, no one in Rahul Dravid’s family played cricket! But due to his surreal performances in domestic cricket, Dravid got a chance to play in the Indian team!
Rahul Dravid, who considered Gundappa Vishwanath and Sunil Gavaskar as his idols, started his cricket career in 1996 against England where he missed his century by just 4 runs – that was the beginning of something special.
83 is not just a number but number of half-centuries in Rahul Dravid’s one-day cricket career! Rahul Dravid has scored 10000 runs in ODI Cricket and is one of the most successful batsman after Sachin Tendulkar! Even many batting stalwarts world cricket has witnessed but after the great Sunil Gavaskar, if there has been any batsman in the history of India, who has made people crazy about his batting, then he is definitely Rahul Dravid!
Rahul Dravid stands fourth in limited cricket history with his 83 half-centuries and even if he had been the captain in his cricket career, half-centuries tally would have been something else in his name and it might have been established in the first or second position!
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4. Kumar Sangakkara :
The most successful batsman in Sri Lankan cricket history, who gave a new direction to Sri Lanka cricket with the beginning of his cricket career and when Sri Lankan cricket was going through a rebuilding phase. The left-handed batsman has scored 25 centuries in his 15-year career with an average of 41.98 in 404 games both as a batsman and as a captain, and even as a captain and got closer to the many World Cups but was deprived of the trophy every time!
In his cricket career, Kumar Sangakkara has hitted 93 half-centuries which is only behind the great Sachin Tendulkar! Many Kumar Sagankara’s knocks will be remembered for a long time, but his innings of 90 runs against India in 2009, when he achieved the target of 411, this innings will definitely be Kumar Sagankara’s in top five innings whenever he is counted! Kumar Sangakkara has contributed a lot in spreading the arc of Sri Lankan cricket to the world!
3. Inzamam-ul-Haq :
The Former Pakistan captain and right-handed batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq was a part of the golden era of Pakistan! While captaining the team of match winners, this team has defeated many great teams of his era. From the top order to middle order, there was every kind of player in this team who adorned the line-up with their abilities.
From a batsman like Shahid Afridi whose had ability to tall sixes to the charismatic opening batsman like Saeed Anwar, whose timing was to be admired by the world to the unmatchable bowling speed merchants like Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar. This team had it all. But captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, who took all these together and reason of success for most part of his career, is one of the successful captains in Pakistan Cricket History with 11,379 runs, Inzamam-ul-Haq has scored 83 half-centuries in his career and is ranked fifth!.
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2. Jacques Kallis :
In the entire history of cricket till date, there will hardly be a better all-rounder than Jacques Kallis! Comparisons are always made to Garry Sobers, but this South African batsman is far ahead of the former batsman in many respects! Being a part of the golden age of South Africa, Kallis scored 17 centuries in 328 games with an average of 42.03!
The complete all-rounder Jacques Kallis was an important cog of the South Africa team with the bat as well as the bowling! Jacques Kallis is third on the list with 86 half-centuries whose ability to bowl at 145km/h has troubled many batsmen throughout in his playing career!
1. Sachin Tendulkar :
Famously known as God, this cricketer was a testament to timing and class! The former India opening batsman and highest run-getter in the world, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar was born in Mumbai! Considered Sunil Gavaskar as a role model and started his domestic cricket career from Mumbai’s domestic cricket team. Sachin Tendulkar has stepped into international cricket at the age of just 16!
And that was the day and rest is the history of Sachin Tendulkar’s unending batting records! Sachin Tendulkar is the most successful batsman with the most centuries and half centuries! With 96 half centuries, Sachin Tendulkar is still in first position!