Cricket is all about entertainment. Players perform to the best of their abilities to entertain the millions of fans that support them and their teams. With the advent of T20s, we have seen the entertainment aspect of the game rise. Players through their style of playing or their antics on the field, have created a niche for themselves as entertainers in cricket.
(Note: the list is not in any particular order.)
01
The South African captain is also known as Mr.360 for his ability to play shots everywhere in the ground. He just comes into bat all charged and warmed up and starts attacking from ball one. Holder of records such as fastest century (31 balls), fastest half century (16 balls), most sixes in an innings (16), fastest 150 and many other, he knows how to build an innings or accelerate. He has also entertained the crowd in the IPL with his brilliant shot making and innovative hitting against the fastest of the bowlers in the tournament.
Loved all around for his infectious smile and friendly personality, AB de Villiers is a born entertainer due to his cricketing talents.
02
The infectious Caribbean joviality, the care a damn attitude and a personality to match his stature, Chris Gayle is the man either on the field or off the field. He plays cricket as he lives life, without any pressure on him. Gayle enjoys life to the full and plays cricket the same way. The first of the freelance cricketers to play in T20 leagues all around the world, he has made an impact everywhere he has gone.
His penchant and ability to hit colossally huge sixes has drawn crowds into stadium since the advent of T20 cricket. He recently became the first man to hit a double hundred in World Cup in 2015. His popularity in the world of cricket is due to his batting and his personality, which when come together give us the Chris Gayle we love.
03
Indian limited overs captain MS Dhoni’s captaincy, humor, the way he carries himself on and off the field has made him as popular as Sachin Tendulkar in cricket crazy India and respected in the rest of the world. His ability to hit big sixes and rip apart bowling attacks is just an added bonus to the whole MS Dhoni package.
One of the most successful captains in cricket world, winner of 2 ICC World cups and 3 ICC trophies in all and 2 IPL titles, Dhoni is liked for his cool and calm attitude and his ability to remain functional in high pressure situations. He has played some of the best ODI innings and T20 innings in IPL which will make him unforgettable in the annals of cricket history.
04
Kiwi captain Brendon McCullum is the ultimate entertainer for the T20 crowd all around the world for his entertaining and high risk batting style. Even in the on-going World Cup he has provided high voltage innings with 2 of the fastest 50s in history of World Cups, even his captaincy has his aggressive touch with his field placing and how he backs his fast bowlers.
McCullum lighted the first edition of the IPL with a record breaking 158 in the first ever match of the tournament and has carried the same attitude and batting style which makes him loved by fans all over the globe. A courageous captain and batsman, McCullum is also a great person who has being in the fore front of adversity when New Zealand was under performing before the World Cup.
He has been the best source of entertainment for fans in recent years and will be until he hangs up his gloves for good.
05
Diminutive in size but mega in impact, David Warner captured the imagination of fans all over the world when he debuted for Australia making 88 runs of 50 odd balls in a T20I match. Since then, he has seen ups and downs due to his on-field and off-field behavior issues like punching England batsman Joe Root and issues with sledging on field.
But what he does best is destroying bowling attacks in international and IPL matches. He bats like a tenacious pit-bull and that aggressive nature works for him when he faces some world class bowling attacks. The fans want to see him rip apart those bowling attacks with his array of pull, cut and aggressive hitting shots.
06
Known as the million dollar baby because he was brought by the Mumbai Indian franchise in the IPL for a million dollars in the auction, Maxwell had a reputation of playing in the 5th gear from the start during his first class days and from what we have seen in 2-3 years of him, he has lived upto that reputation so far.
After number of scores in 90s in international cricket, he finally hit a hundred in the 2015 World Cup; it was the fastest hundred by an Australian. He also holds the record of fastest fifty by an Australian and has won hearts of Indian fans with his explosive batting for the Kings XI Punjab franchisee in the IPL.
The entertainment he brings to the game comes from his confidence to hit audacious shots to any kind of bowlers. He hits reverse sweeps and pulls to fastest of the bowlers and the bowlers can only look in awe. He fans love him for those shots and his ability to liven up the game due to his antics on the field. He is a terrific fielder and is one of the most energetic players in the game.
07
India’s 2011 Man of the tournament Yuvraj Singh is one hell of a character to have in your team. He is the only player to hit 6 sixes in 6 balls in T20 cricket, has the fastest fifty in history of cricket in just 12 balls and is one the most dangerous players in shorter format of the game.
He is mischievous, smiles and has fun on the field. He is also aggressive, competitive and a total team man. The fans love him for his big sixes and fast batting and also for giving 100% to his team on the field. No one can forget him playing through cancer during the 2011 World Cup, just for the sake of the team and the fans, in order to win the World Cup.
Though nowadays he is out of the team, he still entertains the crowd in the IPL and is trying to get back in the team through the sheer power of runs.
08
As it goes with players from the West Indies, Kieron Pollard is also one of the most jovial people on the field. He celebrates every wicket, every run and every six like it will be his last. Known for his huge hitting prowess and fun nature, Pollard is a darling of fans all over the world.
He is one of the biggest stars in the IPL and has played some innings that involved some huge sixes and his willingness to interact with the fans and sign autographs, take photos has made him endearing to the fans.
Like his countryman, Dwayne Bravo, he has been loved and has entertained the world with his batting, bowling and banter with other players on and off the field. Pollard was not chosen for the 2011 World Cup, but he will be back in India for the IPL, a tournament where he entertains with his bat and fans love him for doing that.
09
Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi just retired from ODI cricket following Pakistan’s loss in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. He retired after playing 398 ODIs, taking 395 wickets and hitting a record 351 sixes in the format.
One of the most popular players in Asia, he made a name for himself due to his antics and batting in places like Australia, South Africa and England. He debuted at the age of 16 and retired after playing for 20 years. The moments he will be remembered for are the big sixes he hit during his career and for all the records in his name which are related to fastest or quickest in batting. He has atleast 4 50s in under 20 balls, 2 centuries in under 50 balls and has hit 4 sixes in an over against Harbhajan Singh.
Also a quality leg spinner, his trademark poses of raising his hands and pointing his fingers upwards after taking wickets is one of the most endeared sites in cricket. Known as Lala to his fans and friends, he has god like status in his native Pakistan and is revered in neighboring India and Sri Lanka.
10
Suresh Raina is like that energizer bunny on the field. Electric on the field and the first person to congratulate the bowler and the catcher when any wicket falls, jumping on the bowler or the fielder.
He is also the only Indian batsman who can start hitting sixes from ball one of the innings. He rolls his arm over when teams needs and has even led India on few occasions. One of the few players in IPL not to miss a single match for his team, he energizes everyone in the team, encourages them with his top class fielding and attacking batting.
Fans love him for his infectious smile and his willingness to go closer to the fans to shake hands, sign autographs and take pic. Raina’s biggest fan following is of children because he is easily accessible to kids for charity programs and events. His ability to entertain on the field comes from his ability to enjoy his game every moment he is on the field.
11
Yusuf Pathan’s entertainment value lies in his ability to send the ball into orbit with alarming frequency. A 3 time IPL winner and 2 time ICC World Cup winner, Yusuf Pathan knows just one way of batting, bludgeoning the bowling attacks he faces to all parts of the ground.
Physically intimidating and powerful in build, he holds the record of fastest hundred in IPL in just 37 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2 in 2009. Whenever he comes into bat, the expectations of seeing fireworks in the audience heightens to dizzying levels and fans cheer his every six and four hit on the ground.
One of the biggest draws in the IPL, Pathan also is endeared by the fans because he doesn’t get involved in fights and is one of the best role models for aspiring cricketers and young fans.
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