5 batters who ruled the No.1 ODI ranking for many years
These batters managed to rule the ICC rankings while they were at the peak of their powers.
2. Sir Vivian Richards – 1981, 1984-1987
The man who changed the face of aggressive batting, Sir Vivian Richards is still rated by many as the greatest entertainer the game has ever seen. The man who personified swagger even before the term was coined, Richards was the poster boy of Windies cricket for a time longer than most.
Richards took the number one spot in ODIs for the first time, dethroning Greg Chappell’s astronomic streak in January 1981. Zaheer Abbas took over briefly, but he regained the top spot soon and then started the Richards era of batting dominance. From 1984 to 1987, he finished on top for four consecutive calendar years.
Richards reached a career-high rating of 935 in 1985, which is the best rating till date for any batsman in ODI history. No one cam remotely close to gaining his position despite the likes of David Gower, Javed Miandad and Alan Lamb staying in contention.
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