5 Cricketers Who Started Their Career As Bowlers But Ended Up As A Successful Batsmen
Every cricketer’s dream is to play a leading role by performing great for his team. But there are few players in the history of cricket who have had the opportunity to be bowlers in the team. However, when he was not particularly successful in bowling, he concentrated on batting and later became a great batsman. In today’s report, we will learn about 5 cricketers in the world who started their international cricket career as bowlers but later became great batsmen.
5 Bowlers Who Become a Successful BatsmenÂ
1) Ravi Shastri:
The current head coach of the Indian national team Ravi Shastri started his career as a bowler and used to bat at number 10. He got the opportunity to play at the top for the continuity of his batting and later he played as a batsman. Speaking of statistics, Ravi Shastri has scored 3730 runs and 151 wickets in 60 Tests and 3108 runs and 129 wickets in 150 ODIs.
2) Cameron White:
This Australian cricketer started his career as a bowler. Sachin Tendulkar took the first Test wicket against India. He did not succeed as a bowler but later became a great batsman. In terms of statistics, Cameron White took 2,072 runs and took 12 wickets in 91 ODIs, including two centuries and 16 half-centuries. He also scored 964 runs in 47 T20 matches, including five half-centuries.
3) Steve Smith:
Steve Smith is on the list of the best batsmen in the world. He made his debut in international cricket as a spin bowler. He then insisted on batting in terms of team management and later became a great batsman. Speaking of statistics, Steve Smith has so far scored 6540 runs with 26 centuries in 6 Tests and 436 runs with 11 centuries in 127 ODIs. He has taken 16 wickets in Tests, 26 in ODIs, and 18 in T20s.
4) Shoaib Malik:
Shoaib Malik made his debut in international cricket as an off-spinner. The then Pakistan coach Bob Ulmer made him a great batsman by batting at the top. In terms of statistics, Shoaib Malik has scored 1897 runs and taken 32 wickets in 35 Test matches. He took 9 centuries and 157 wickets including 6534 runs in 26 ODIs and 2321 runs and 26 wickets in 113 T20s.
5) Sanath Jayasuriya:
Legendary Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya started his career as a bowler. When he started playing as an opener in the 1998 World Cup, he didn’t have to look back. Sri Lanka became champions that year and he contributed considerably to the batting.
In terms of statistics, Sanath Jayasuriya has scored 8973 runs and 96 wickets in 110 Tests with 14 centuries; He took 13,430 runs and 323 wickets in 445 ODIs, including 26 centuries.
Also Read: 5 Fastest Bowlers in the History of IPL
