Top 4 Most Underrated Cricketers Who Nailed It When It Mattered

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Undoubtedly, being labeled as an “underrated cricketer” is nothing short of a nightmare for any international cricketer. Although cricket is majorly a game of skill sets and courage, we often measure a cricketer’s brilliance and his dominance on the field by their numbers and statistics.

The history of cricket that spans over decades has witnessed numerous instances where underrated cricketers who weren’t expected to lead their teams from the front ended up taking command of their teams on the field and leading their sides to glorious triumphs. Despite delivering courageous performances for their team on the field, these unsung heroes unfortunately never received the kind of star power and appreciation that they undoubtedly deserved.

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In this article we will take a look at the top four most underrated cricketers who performed well when it mattered the most and led their teams to phenomenal victories.

Top 4 Most Underrated Cricketers Who Shined When It Mattered The Most

• Chaminda Vaas – Sri Lanka 

Former Sri Lankan international cricketer Chaminda Vaas undoubtedly proved himself to be a spearhead of Sri Lanka’s pace attack for more than a decade, and yet he was never given enough credit for his crucial performances on the field. Chaminda Vaas was brutally overshadowed by Muralitharan and Aravinda de Silva despite his impressive bowling attack in crucial international cricket matches.

Chaminda Vaas led the Sri Lankan bowling attack from the front during the 2001 West India Series where he picked up a total of 14 wickets and proved his mettle when it mattered the most. Additionally, Chaminda’s annihilating hat-trick against Bangladesh during the 2003 ICC World Cup also played a pivotal role in Sri Lanka’s path-breaking victory.

• Michael Clarke – Australia

Well, if we’re talking about the top four most underrated cricketers who left no stone unturned in driving their teams to victory, it’s practically impossible to not mention the former Australian international cricketer and skipper, Michael Clarke, who led the Aussies to a streak of glorious victories which included the 2007 Cricket World Cup, the 2015 Cricket World Cup and the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy.

Despite being one of the greatest captains of the Australian cricket team, Michael Clarke was often underrated due to his extremely defensive captaincy approach and his battle with prolonged injuries. Additionally, Michael Clarke’s cricketing career was also plagued by fuming controversies related to his personal life to a large extent. Clarke announced his retirement from international cricket in 2015 and amassed a career total of 8643* test runs, 7981* ODI runs and 488* runs in the T20I format, speaking volumes about his dominance on the field.

• Misbah-Ul-Haq – Pakistan

Former Pakistan international cricketer and skipper Misbah-Ul-Haq is at the third spot in our list of the top four most underrated cricketers who performed well for their teams when it mattered the most.

Misbah-Ul-Haq took over the command of Pakistan’s cricket team in the most turbulent and controversial period after the 2010 spot-fixing scandal, and managed to lead the Pakistan side to numerous triumphs, including the 2012 Asia Cup. Despite his impressive performances and path-breaking leadership, he was often labeled to be a “Tuk Tuk” owing to his slow scoring approach at the crease. Misbah-Ul-Haq’s cautious and slow approach often attracted criticism from the fans, who desired an aggressive approach from the skipper.

• Shane Bond – New Zealand

Often hailed as “New Zealand’s finest fast bowler” after Sir Richard Hadlee, former New Zealand international cricketer and current bowling coach of the Rajasthan Royals (IPL franchise), Shane Bond is at the fourth spot in our list of top four most underrated cricketers who performed well when it mattered the most.

Although Shane Bond was considered to be one of the greatest pace bowlers of his era, his battle with prolonged injuries ended up ruining his glorious cricketing career. Although Shane Bond delivered numerous brilliant performances for New Zealand throughout his cricketing career, his lethal bowling spell of 6/23 that destroyed Australia’s batting lineup during the 2003 ICC World Cup is still hailed as his greatest performance of all-time, which ultimately led New Zealand to a glorious triumph.

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