5 current players who deserve a better team

Kusal Mendis. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

Cricket is a team sport and individuals alone can’t help. While a few individual performances might help you win games of cricket, it is never a good idea to bank on one or two players in the long run. Yet, there are quite a few teams at the moment that are being taken forward all alone by a few individuals. While some of them have managed to be successful, it isn’t always the case.

Even though a few players have been putting their best foot forward, they have lacked the support from others more often than not. Thus, in a way, it can be concluded that they are possibly in the wrong place and can be much more useful elsewhere. There are many cricketers who surely deserve to be in a better team than in the team they are in at the moment.

Here are five of those players who deserve a better team:

1. Ryan ten Doeschate | The Netherlands

Had he played for any other big international team, Ryan ten Doeschate would have made a big name for himself without a doubt. The Port Elizabeth-born is a highly talented cricketer but has had his opportunities limited. He featured in 33 ODIs for the Netherlands and scored 1541 runs at an average of 67.

Even though he might have played against some of the smaller teams, his average is still better than many other modern-day cricketers. Moreover, he proved his potential when he played in the World Cup 2011. Back then, he notched up a fabulous hundred against the quality England side which was a testimony of his talent.

Not only that. Ryan ten Doeschate is also a high-quality medium pacer and hits good speeds. Since he is a competent fielder as well, any team would love to have him. The 39-year-old might have missed out on proving his talent on a big scale due to the lack of chances.

2. Ambati Rayudu | India

Right at the U19 level, Ambati Rayudu has made quite a name for himself. With excellent technique and great balance, he was even hailed as the next Sachin Tendulkar at one point in time. Moreover, he was the captain of the U19 team and took them through until the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2004.

However, it wasn’t really a rosy path for him. He had his temperament issues and had some problems with maintaining consistency as well. Then, signing an Indian Cricket League (ICL) contract further pull a brief full stop on his promising career.

Since then, he struggled and worked hard to make it to the national team. Yet, he didn’t get a consistent run at the highest level. Just after a few failures, he was dropped from the side that dented his confidence. Clearly, he wasn’t managed well and deserves a much better team that way.

3. Chris Woakes | England

One can count of fingers the number of bowlers who manage to swing the new ball both the ways consistently. Chris Woakes belongs to that rare breed of bowlers who bowls high-quality swing. Moreover, he is more than capable as a batsman and has also got his name on the Lord’s honours board for his heroics.

Yet, Chris Woakes continues to be largely underutilised by England. For a team that plays more Test matches than anyone else, Woakes has had his opportunities limited. He made his Test debut against Australia way back in 2013.

However, the 30-year-old has only played 30 Tests since then. Despite scoring 1137 runs and picking up 87 wickets, he didn’t get as many opportunities as he’d like. Moreover, in the last seven years, he only got to play 98 ODIs for England which isn’t really pleasing.

4. Jason Holder | West Indies

The standards of West Indies cricket have dipped at an alarming rate over the last two decades. Possibly, the team is playing at its lowest standard at the moment and their performances have hardly been encouraging. For a team that was sent shivers down the spines of every other team during the ’70s and the ’80s, inconsistency has been their biggest nemesis in modern times.

However, Jason Holder appears to be bright sunshine, in what otherwise seems an ordinary side. At a very young age, he was handed over the responsibilities of side. On many occasions, he has often been the lone warrior for the team and has found it tough to find enough support from his teammates.

Holder is a very capable batsman and has also got a Test double century. His long levers help him clear the rope with ease. Moreover, his height comes to great advantage while he is batting. But his talent hasn’t been of much use as the team keeps disappointing time and again.

5. Kusal Mendis | Sri Lanka

Talent scouting is a very crucial aspect of cricket. Finding the right people and building them for the future is highly important. While Sri Lanka has managed to identify the talent that Kusal Mendis is, they haven’t really put him in the right path despite proving several opportunities to him.

Even after playing 73 ODI games, Kusal only averages 29 in ODI cricket. In Tests, he averages a notch above 36 while it is slightly under 22 in T20I cricket. These numbers hardly do any justice to his talent and the management has failed to unleash his full potential.

For quite some time now, Kusal Mendis had to fulfill various different roles. Sometimes opening the innings and batting in the middle order at other times hasn’t really helped. His role in the team doesn’t seem to be well-defined and Kusal deserves much better than this for all the potential he’s got.