Top 10 Retired Cricketers Who Would Have Been T20 Kings

With Andrew Flintoff returning to have another crack at T20 cricket, FREEbets.org.uk have had a look at 10 of the greats of the game that would have excelled in the shortest format but never had a chance to do so. These 10 men would have been in their element in T20 cricket and would have been even bigger superstars than they were in their own time.

10. Waqar Younis

Hitting Yorkers is a key skill in T20 bowling, especially at the end of the innings and that was Waqar’s forte. He would have been as difficult to dispatch as Lasith Malinga is these days.

9. Michael Bevan

Famed for coming in late in the innings and scoring quick runs, Bevan would have been a tremendous finisher in T20 cricket. He averaged over 50 in 232 ODIs for Australia which is an incredible feat, he also bowled a bit of spin and certainly would have been useful for a couple of overs.

8. Gary Sobers

Sobers performed before even ODI cricket had become a regular event, never mind T20, but he famously became the first man to hit six sixes in an over in 1968, so there was certainly nothing wrong with his power-scoring. He was also an incredibly versatile bowler and would have been very difficult to score quickly off in T20.

7. Darren Lehmann

An uber-talented batsman that never really got the recognition he deserved because he could not hold down a place in the incredible Australian team of the 1990s and early 2000s. However, he was a destructive force and would have loved hammering the ball into the stands for 20 overs. He may even have bowled a couple of overs of spin if required.

6. Viv Richards

Sir Viv would certainly have enjoyed opening the batting in Twenty20 cricket, performing as his compatriot Chris Gayle has done in recent years. Richards was capable of playing traditional cricketing strokes, averaging over 50 in tests, but also going big and he would have been a prolific six-hitter in T20.

5. Richard Hadlee

New Zealand’s greatest cricketer would have been a very early pick in an IPL auction due to his extreme talent with both bat and ball. An incredibly accurate fast bowler who would come in down the order in T20 and would undoubtedly have scored a hatful.

4. Fred Trueman

One of the greatest fast bowlers of all time and an expert at hitting Yorkers, Fred would have been opening the bowling for England in all formats and would certainly have been sought-after in the big-money T20 leagues around the world. His batting skill is often forgotten and he would have scored quick runs down the order when required.

3. Kapil Dev

A brilliant quick bowler who could swing the ball both ways and an aggressive batsman capable of scoring three-figures, what more do you want from a cricketer in any form of the game? The former Indian captain would have opened the bowling and scored crucial runs down the order in a T20 side.

2. Imran Khan

Another hugely talented all-rounder who would have been a great death bowler in T20 thanks to his ability to produce in-swinging Yorkers almost at will. He would be one of the biggest stars in the world game regardless of format but he would have fitted into T20 perfectly.

1. Ian Botham

Beefy would have been a dream pick for captains in the IPL if he were playing these days: big-hitting excitement with the bat and useful to bowl his four overs as well. He would also be a massive draw for the crowds and could well have been the biggest star in the world game in the shortest format.