10) H Amla (838 runs) : With 838 runs in 2013 Hashim Amla stands at number 10. This classy South African has been the main stay of the South African ODI batting since his debut in 2008. But his average of 38.09 is the the first time in his career he averaged less than 40 in a calender year. This alone shows the kind of consistancy he provides at the top of the order. 9) G Bailey (1098 runs) : Australian T20 captain and ODI vice captain George Bailey comes at number 9 in the list. His meteoric rise in 2013 has brought stability to the Aussie middle order after the retirement of Mike Hussey. But its not just the stabilty he brings but also his explosive batting that helps them time and time again . During the Indian tour, he was the tormentor for the Indian bowlers and finished the year with a record 30 sixes. His average of 64.58 is the highest among the top 10. 8) T Dilshan (1160 runs) : After announcing his retirement from tests to solely concentrate on limited over cricket especially the 2015 World Cup, Dilshan seems to move in the right direction. He along with Sangakkara piled huge scores and set up some good wins for the struggling Sri Lankan team. 7) S Dhawan (1162 runs) : Dhawan’s run in 2013 isn’t any less than a fairy tale. After struggling for years together under the shadow of fellow Delhi openers Sehwag and Gambhir, he finally came to his own and pinned down the opening slot in all three formats for India. His amazing run in the Champions Trophy where he score 2 100’s and a 50 won him the Man of the Series award and he continued this fine form through out the year. 6) AB de Villiers (1163 runs) : The number one ranked test and ODI batsmen comes at number 7 in the list. Ab de Villiers along with Hashim Amla form the very foundation of the South African batting around whom players like De Kock blossomed. With his huge array of shots, de Villiers can change the course of the match in a very quick time and put the opposition on the back foot with his hitting. 5) R Sharma (1196 runs) : Rohit Sharma is undoubtedly the most talented among the younger batsmen in the Indian line up. But many wondered if he would ever manage to fulfill his potential and 2013 has been a step towards proving those people wrong. After being promoted up the order to open the innings along with Dhawan, they have knitted a very good partnerships between them. His 209 against Australia in October was the finest innings in 2013 and was studded with 16 sixes all around the park. 4) K Sangakkara (1201 runs) : Kumar Sangakkara is getting finer with his age and 2013 is another such year in proving that this classy batsmen is in no mood to slow down in any near future. His 169 against South Africa was a perfect lesson to any youngster on how to build an innings in limited overs. After playing patiently for the first 35 overs, he burst with sixes and fours all around the park and put South Africans on the back foot for through out the series which they won 4-1. Another century in the Champions League against England was also a gem in its own right. 3) V Kohli (1268 runs) : Still just 25 years old and already this poster boy of Indian cricket has scored more than 5000 runs in ODI cricket. An average of 52.83 and a strike rate of 97.53 don’t do enough justice to the way he played in the year. The way in which he chased down targets in excess of 350 twice against Australia epitomise the qualities of this youngster and his 100 in 52 balls which is the fastest by an Indian is the Coup de grace in his 2013 batting exploits. 2) M Hafeez (1301 runs) : The way Dale Steyn exploited Hafeez repeatedly and his subsequent exclusion from the test team seem to have no effect on the way M hafeez plays limited overs cricket. If any, his exclusion from the test squad seem to have spurred the professor into producing more brilliant innings from the Pakistani opener. His twin centuries against Sri Lanka decided the series even before the last match was played and he was an important cog in the Pakistani team that won their first ODi series in South Africa. 1) Misbah-ul-Haq (1373 runs) : Though Pakistan blew Hot and Cold through out the year, Misbah was the only consistent player in the team and produced innings of highest quality to either save Pakistan from disgrace when others failed him or bat the opposition out of the game when the other batsmen fared well. His 15 half centuries without scoring a hundred is a record in a calender year. Though an ODI hundred still remains a dream for him we hope he achieves that and many more runs in 2013.
