Top 4 Match Finishers of All-Time Who Ruled International Cricket

Explore exciting details about the top 4 most powerful cricket match finishers who drove their teams to glorious victories

The history of cricket has witnessed numerous spine-chilling moments where match finishers fiercely changed the course across all formats of the sport, including Test, ODI and T20Is. Apart from fuming cricket rivalries, cricket aficionados really look forward to closing matches where the ultimate result depends on the last over of the match.

Over the years, there have been numerous matches that have gone down till the very last over and sometimes even till the very last ball of the match, keeping the fans entirely hooked on the game. Numerous batsmen have delivered match-winning innings and their formidable strokes in the last over have assisted their teams in defeating the opponent teams on the ground.

In this article we will take a look at the top four best cricket match-finishers who have left a mark in the history of cricket.

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Top 4 Match Finishers of All-Time Who Ruled International Cricket

  • Mahendra Singh Dhoni – India

Top 6 Most Powerful Cricket Match-Finishers of All-Time

Legendary former Indian cricketer, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, often hailed as one of  “the best match finishers in the world”, has made countless contributions to establish the Indian cricket team as one of the most formidable cricket squads in the world. Dhoni’s glorious cricketing career is filled with numerous instances where “Thala” finished off in style.

The third ODI between India and Sri Lanka in 2005, marked the advent of the magical-finishing era of MS Dhoni where he smashed a total of 183* runs off 145 deliveries. Additionally, the Tri-Series final against Sri Lanka in 2013 was no different for Thala.

The captain cool kept his calm in the low-scoring thriller for India and scored a total of 16* runs in the last over, leading India to a sensational Tri-nation series victory. Furthermore, Dhoni’s iconic style of being a classic match-finisher also led India to a phenomenal victory at the Asia Cup 2016 finals against Bangladesh.

  • AB de Villiers – South Africa

One of the greatest cricketers to ever represent South Africa in international cricket formats, AB De Villiers, often referred to as “Mr. 360”, is second on our list of top four best match finishers. AB De Villiers clinched numerous titles and honors, including ICC ODI Player of the Year thrice, Wisden Cricketers of the Decade at the end of 2019, and many others in his 15-year-long glorious international cricket career.

AB De Villiers has been prominently known for his formidable chasing abilities even in high-pressure situations. A former key player of the South African cricket team, AB De Villiers, has delivered several iconic match-winning innings, including the most iconic 162* runs off just 66 deliveries in the South Africa vs West Indies ODI (2015).

  • Virat Kohli – India

The ultimate and one of the most reliable chase masters of the Indian cricket team, Virat Kohli has established himself as one of the finest match finishers as well.

A few of Virat Kohli’s most memorable match-finishing innings include 82* runs off 53 deliveries at India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2022, 74* runs off 42 deliveries at India vs South Africa T20 World Cup 2014, 94* runs off 50 deliveries at India vs West Indies 2019 T201 Series, 70* runs off 29 deliveries at India vs West Indies 2019 T20I series and the most recent 79* runs off just 59 deliveries against South Africa in the finals of 2024 T20 World Cup Final.

  • Jos Buttler – England

Joss Buttler made his debut for the England cricket team back in 2011 and has been considered as one of the greatest and most reliable match finishers for the English cricket squad ever since. Jos Buttler’s ability to rule the international cricket format was proved with his impressive innings in the third test match against India in 2018 where he smashed a total of 85* runs.

England’s white-ball captain, Joss Buttler, scored a total of 204* runs in the most recent 2024 T20 World Cup and also, made a record as he scored 22 runs off 25 deliveries in the T20 World Cup Super 8 match against West Indies and took his total tally of T20 international runs to 2,952.

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