5 cricketers who started as bowlers but became successful batters

Cricket is a game full of uncertainties and ocan expect bizarre things to happen in the sport. There can be last-minute thrillers, a wicketkeeper may roll his arms for an over or two to get a breakthrough, a lower-order batter could hit the ball out of the park or a part-time bowler could get a hat-trick or a fifer.
In some of the most unanticipated cases, cricketer who started their career as a bowler went on to become successful batters and vice-versa. As time went on, many of these cricketers became somewhat weak in their primary skill. In some rare cases, the player became a master of their ‘secondary skill’ and became well-known throughout the world for the ability which they did not possess during the initial stages of their career.
<h3>5 cricketers who started as bowlers but became successful batters</h3>
<h3>1. Steve Smith</h3>
<figure id="attachment_344769" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-344769" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-344769" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Steve-Smith-1.jpg" alt="Steve Smith" width="600" height="408" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-344769" class="wp-caption-text">Steve Smith. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images for Surrey CCC)</figcaption>
</figure>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/somerset-takes-a-dig-at-steve-smith-by-calling-jack-leach-greatest-batsman-of-this-generation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Steve Smith</a>’s journey in international cricket has been on a roller-coaster ride since his debut. Originally drafted into the squad because of his leg break, he found himself batting at No. 3 for the Aussies a few years later. He made his debut for the Australian side in all the three formats in the year 2010. However, his selection to the Australian side raised eyebrows as he was still a raw talent, having an experience of playing domestic cricket only for a couple of years.
He drew a lot of comparisons with Shane Warne earlier in his career as he was used as a leg-spinner who could bat at No. 7 or 8 in the batting line-up. However, the Ashes series in England in 2013 marked a turnaround in Smith’s career. He established himself as a proper batter in that series. His unorthodox batting technique confused the opposition and worked wonders for the Australian team.
Smith has scored 10,477 runs in 212 innings from 119 Test matches at a magnificent average of 56.02, which includes 36 centuries and four double hundreds. The pinnacle of his career came in 2015 when he became the highest-ranked Test batter. In the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, he became the first batter to score five fifty-plus innings in consecutive matches. As a batter, Smith has cemented his place in the ‘Fab Four’ of the modern generation which includes his contemporaries Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson and Joe Root.
<h3>2. Cameron White</h3>
<figure id="attachment_201128" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-201128" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-201128" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Cameron-White.jpg" alt="Cameron White" width="594" height="396" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-201128" class="wp-caption-text">Cameron White of the Renegades bats during the Big Bash League match between the Hobart Hurricanes and the Melbourne Renegades. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
Just like his native counterpart, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/cameron-white/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cameron White</a> started off his career as a leg spinner. As Brad Hogg retired from international cricket, he was touted to be the best leg spinner in the country. He made his Test debut versus India in Bengaluru and picked up Sachin Tendulkar as his first Test victim. However, due to poor form, he was not considered for Tests after 2008.
White established himself as a batter during Australia’s tour of England in 2009. He smashed his maiden ODI century in Southampton. Thereafter, he went from strength to strength and became a mainstay in Australia’s batting line-up. He was also appointed as Australia’s T20I captain after Michael Clarke’s retirement from the format.
However, he was soon dropped from the team as his form declined and he was succeeded by George Bailey. White scored 2072 runs at an average of 33.97 with two hundreds in 91 ODIs. He was rarely used as a bowler throughout his career and could not make it into the chronicles of cricketing history.
<h3>3. Sanath Jayasuriya</h3>
<figure id="attachment_261840" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261840" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-261840" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Sanath-Jayasuriya.jpg" alt="Sanath Jayasuriya" width="803" height="617" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-261840" class="wp-caption-text">Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka plays a shot. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>
</figure>
The left-handed batter from Sri Lanka is one of the greatest cricketers produced by the island nation. Jayasuriya was one of the major reasons behind Sri Lanka becoming an immensely successful cricket team during his era. However, Jayasuriya had originally started as a left-arm spinner.
For the first five years of his career, he was considered as a bowler who could swing around the willow a bit. However, later on, his career graph took the opposite direction as he rose above ranks got promoted to open the innings.
Jayasuriya went onto become only the second batter to score 13,000 runs in ODIs after Sachin Tendulkar. Currently, he is one amongst six batters to have surpassed the 13000-run mark. He was named as the Most Valuable Player in the 1996 ICC Cricket World Cup. He has scored 13,430 runs in 445 ODIs at an average of 32.36 and an impressive strike rate of 91.20. His 323 ODI wickets also speak volumes about his bowling capabilities.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/sanath-jayasuriya/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jayasuriya</a> is the classic example of a player who became a successful batter after starting out as a bowler.
<h3>4. Shoaib Malik</h3>
<figure id="attachment_312906" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-312906" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-312906" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Shoaib-Malik.jpg" alt="Shoaib Malik" width="594" height="408" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-312906" class="wp-caption-text">Shoaib Malik. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>
</figure>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/shoaib-malik/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shoaib Malik</a> hung up his boots in ODIs after a disastrous World Cup campaign. Throughout the 22 years of his career, Malik had made a name for himself as a reliable middle-order batter. He made his international debut against West Indies as an off-spinner at the age of 17 years.
He had a bowling action similar to Saqlain Mushtaq and could even bowl the ‘doosra’. His bowling action came under suspicion during 2004 before it was cleared a few months later. However, the team persisted with him because of his batting talent. He made a Test hundred against Sri Lanka as an opener.
One peculiar aspect about Malik was his mind-boggling flexibility. He performed as an opener, scored at No. 3 batter, did well as middle-order batter and even played as a successful finisher. He has scored 7534 runs in 287 ODIs at an average of 34.55 along with 158 wickets to his name. Malik was recognised as a better batter than a bowler as his career progressed; so much so that he was not even considered as a proper bowling option in the latter stages of his career.
<h3>5. Shahid Afridi</h3>
<figure id="attachment_338377" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-338377" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-338377" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Shahid-Afridi.jpg" alt="Shahid Afridi" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-338377" class="wp-caption-text">Shahid Afridi. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/shahid-afridi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shahid Afridi</a>’s case is an unusual one and quite different from the others mentioned above. He was drafted into Pakistan’s squad as a 16-year-old due to his quickish leg-breaks. However, in just his second ODI, he smashed a 37-ball hundred against Sri Lanka which was the fastest ODI century - a record he retained until Corey Andersen surprassed it with a 36-ball hundred in 2014.
Afridi had a strange batting style, as he used to go after the bowlers from the onset no matter the situation. He was often criticised for his lack of temperament. However, he made a name for himself as one of the best all-rounders produced by his country. As a bowler, he possessed the ability to rush through the overs. He could bowl quick leg-breaks along with the occasional googlies. His best bowling figures came against West Indies when he sent sevem of their batters back to the pavilion whilst conceding only 12 runs in an ODI in 2013, which remains the second best figures in an innings in 50-over cricket's history to this day.
Despite his bowling capabilities, his popularity in the cricketing world was solely because of his aggressive and entertaining batting. In 398 ODIs, he managed to score 8064 runs at a strike rate of 117. Interestingly, 5026 of these runs came from boundaries. The batting prowess of Afridi knows no bounds and his statistics are a proper indication of the fact.

Cricket is a game full of uncertainties and ocan expect bizarre things to happen in the sport. There can be last-minute thrillers, a wicketkeeper may roll his arms for an over or two to get a breakthrough, a lower-order batter could hit the ball out of the park or a part-time bowler could get a hat-trick or a fifer.
In some of the most unanticipated cases, cricketer who started their career as a bowler went on to become successful batters and vice-versa. As time went on, many of these cricketers became somewhat weak in their primary skill. In some rare cases, the player became a master of their ‘secondary skill’ and became well-known throughout the world for the ability which they did not possess during the initial stages of their career.
<h3>5 cricketers who started as bowlers but became successful batters</h3>
<h3>1. Steve Smith</h3>
<figure id="attachment_344769" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-344769" style="width: 640px;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-344769" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Steve-Smith-1.jpg" alt="Steve Smith" width="640" loading="lazy">
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-344769" class="wp-caption-text">Steve Smith. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images for Surrey CCC)</figcaption>
</figure>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/somerset-takes-a-dig-at-steve-smith-by-calling-jack-leach-greatest-batsman-of-this-generation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Steve Smith</a>’s journey in international cricket has been on a roller-coaster ride since his debut. Originally drafted into the squad because of his leg break, he found himself batting at No. 3 for the Aussies a few years later. He made his debut for the Australian side in all the three formats in the year 2010. However, his selection to the Australian side raised eyebrows as he was still a raw talent, having an experience of playing domestic cricket only for a couple of years.
He drew a lot of comparisons with Shane Warne earlier in his career as he was used as a leg-spinner who could bat at No. 7 or 8 in the batting line-up. However, the Ashes series in England in 2013 marked a turnaround in Smith’s career. He established himself as a proper batter in that series. His unorthodox batting technique confused the opposition and worked wonders for the Australian team.
Smith has scored 10,477 runs in 212 innings from 119 Test matches at a magnificent average of 56.02, which includes 36 centuries and four double hundreds. The pinnacle of his career came in 2015 when he became the highest-ranked Test batter. In the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, he became the first batter to score five fifty-plus innings in consecutive matches. As a batter, Smith has cemented his place in the ‘Fab Four’ of the modern generation which includes his contemporaries Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson and Joe Root.
<h3>2. Cameron White</h3>
<figure id="attachment_201128" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-201128" style="width: 640px;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-201128" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Cameron-White.jpg" alt="Cameron White" width="640" loading="lazy">
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-201128" class="wp-caption-text">Cameron White of the Renegades bats during the Big Bash League match between the Hobart Hurricanes and the Melbourne Renegades. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
Just like his native counterpart, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/cameron-white/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cameron White</a> started off his career as a leg spinner. As Brad Hogg retired from international cricket, he was touted to be the best leg spinner in the country. He made his Test debut versus India in Bengaluru and picked up Sachin Tendulkar as his first Test victim. However, due to poor form, he was not considered for Tests after 2008.
White established himself as a batter during Australia’s tour of England in 2009. He smashed his maiden ODI century in Southampton. Thereafter, he went from strength to strength and became a mainstay in Australia’s batting line-up. He was also appointed as Australia’s T20I captain after Michael Clarke’s retirement from the format.
However, he was soon dropped from the team as his form declined and he was succeeded by George Bailey. White scored 2072 runs at an average of 33.97 with two hundreds in 91 ODIs. He was rarely used as a bowler throughout his career and could not make it into the chronicles of cricketing history.
<h3>3. Sanath Jayasuriya</h3>
<figure id="attachment_261840" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261840" style="width: 640px;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-261840" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Sanath-Jayasuriya.jpg" alt="Sanath Jayasuriya" width="640" loading="lazy">
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-261840" class="wp-caption-text">Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka plays a shot. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>
</figure>
The left-handed batter from Sri Lanka is one of the greatest cricketers produced by the island nation. Jayasuriya was one of the major reasons behind Sri Lanka becoming an immensely successful cricket team during his era. However, Jayasuriya had originally started as a left-arm spinner.
For the first five years of his career, he was considered as a bowler who could swing around the willow a bit. However, later on, his career graph took the opposite direction as he rose above ranks got promoted to open the innings.
Jayasuriya went onto become only the second batter to score 13,000 runs in ODIs after Sachin Tendulkar. Currently, he is one amongst six batters to have surpassed the 13000-run mark. He was named as the Most Valuable Player in the 1996 ICC Cricket World Cup. He has scored 13,430 runs in 445 ODIs at an average of 32.36 and an impressive strike rate of 91.20. His 323 ODI wickets also speak volumes about his bowling capabilities.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/sanath-jayasuriya/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jayasuriya</a> is the classic example of a player who became a successful batter after starting out as a bowler.
<h3>4. Shoaib Malik</h3>
<figure id="attachment_312906" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-312906" style="width: 640px;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-312906" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Shoaib-Malik.jpg" alt="Shoaib Malik" width="640" loading="lazy">
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-312906" class="wp-caption-text">Shoaib Malik. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>
</figure>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/shoaib-malik/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shoaib Malik</a> hung up his boots in ODIs after a disastrous World Cup campaign. Throughout the 22 years of his career, Malik had made a name for himself as a reliable middle-order batter. He made his international debut against West Indies as an off-spinner at the age of 17 years.
He had a bowling action similar to Saqlain Mushtaq and could even bowl the ‘doosra’. His bowling action came under suspicion during 2004 before it was cleared a few months later. However, the team persisted with him because of his batting talent. He made a Test hundred against Sri Lanka as an opener.
One peculiar aspect about Malik was his mind-boggling flexibility. He performed as an opener, scored at No. 3 batter, did well as middle-order batter and even played as a successful finisher. He has scored 7534 runs in 287 ODIs at an average of 34.55 along with 158 wickets to his name. Malik was recognised as a better batter than a bowler as his career progressed; so much so that he was not even considered as a proper bowling option in the latter stages of his career.
<h3>5. Shahid Afridi</h3>
<figure id="attachment_338377" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-338377" style="width: 640px;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-338377" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Shahid-Afridi.jpg" alt="Shahid Afridi" width="640" loading="lazy">
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-338377" class="wp-caption-text">Shahid Afridi. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/shahid-afridi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shahid Afridi</a>’s case is an unusual one and quite different from the others mentioned above. He was drafted into Pakistan’s squad as a 16-year-old due to his quickish leg-breaks. However, in just his second ODI, he smashed a 37-ball hundred against Sri Lanka which was the fastest ODI century - a record he retained until Corey Andersen surprassed it with a 36-ball hundred in 2014.
Afridi had a strange batting style, as he used to go after the bowlers from the onset no matter the situation. He was often criticised for his lack of temperament. However, he made a name for himself as one of the best all-rounders produced by his country. As a bowler, he possessed the ability to rush through the overs. He could bowl quick leg-breaks along with the occasional googlies. His best bowling figures came against West Indies when he sent sevem of their batters back to the pavilion whilst conceding only 12 runs in an ODI in 2013, which remains the second best figures in an innings in 50-over cricket's history to this day.
Despite his bowling capabilities, his popularity in the cricketing world was solely because of his aggressive and entertaining batting. In 398 ODIs, he managed to score 8064 runs at a strike rate of 117. Interestingly, 5026 of these runs came from boundaries. The batting prowess of Afridi knows no bounds and his statistics are a proper indication of the fact.

Cricket is a game full of uncertainties and ocan expect bizarre things to happen in the sport. There can be last-minute thrillers, a wicketkeeper may roll his arms for an over or two to get a breakthr

5 cricketers who started as bowlers but became batters

Cricket is an unpredictable sport, but its unpredictability is not limited to on-field events. In certain cases, some cricketers gave up their primary skill and mastered a secondary one to make a name

Most of the prominent bowlers turned out to be batsmen.

5 cricketers who started as bowlers but became successful batsmen

Check out the top five cricketers who started their careers as bowlers but later became successful batter for their teams, only on CricTracker.