Five Cricketers Who Began Their Careers As Bowlers But Ended Up As Batsmen

Cricket is quite a unique game. A host of youngsters all over the world dream to become like their idol cricketers in a specific department, thereby giving their everything to become the same. Nevertheless, it didn’t quite go their way initially or the circumstances prevent them from being successful.

Also Read: Cricketers Who Failed As A Player But Succeeded As Coach

But the upside is such cricketers realize that they can excel in a different aspect. Therefore, they show the same amount of dedication and put the same amount of effort into being an expert in the skill they have recognized. As such, over the years, there have been plenty of cricketers who began their career as bowlers but gradually became effectual with the bat.

We take a look at five cricketers, who began their career as bowlers; however, ended up as batsmen:

Cameron White:

When Brad Hogg retired from Test cricket in 2008, the Australian selectors turned to Cameron White to fulfil their spin duties. Cameron White’s bowling career started on a reasonable note, plucking the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar but couldn’t cause any monumental damage with the ball. Nevertheless, between 2009 and 2011, White was a consistent fixture and a potent middle-order batsman in the national team’s limited-overs setup.

The Victorian cricketer was part of Australia’s squad when they won the 2009 Champions Trophy, secured the ODI series in India, and reached the finals of the 2010 ICC World T20. The 36-year old played the last of his 91 ODIs in January 2018 having also featured in 47 T20Is.

Also Read: International Cricketers With Most Sixes In First Over

Ravi Shastri:

Ravi Shastri is a man, who has played aplenty as a cricketer, served as a commentator, and is the current head coach for the national team. At a tender age of 17, he made his first-class debut for Mumbai, which also made him the youngest at that time.

When Ravi Shastri made his Test debut, he batted at number ten and primarily played as a bowler. The 58-year old worked on his skill with the bat and he was batting at the top-order 18 months later. By the time, Ravi finished his career; he had played 80 Tests and 150 ODIs. The 80 Tests yielded 11 centuries while the 150 ODIs produced four tons.

Also Read: Cricketers Who Thought Of Committing Suicide At Some Point

Shoaib Malik:

One of the most experienced cricketers in the world today, Shoaib Malik made his first international appearance back in 1999. Having made his Test debut at the age of 17, Malik has played at every position between 1 to 10 in Test cricket. In his debut, the 36-year old didn’t bat but picked up a couple of wickets.

Though Malik kept occasionally rolling his arms bowling off-spin, he primarily played as a batsman. The former Pakistan captain has represented the national team in 35 Tests and 287 ODIs with an average of 35.14 and 34.55 respectively. The Punjab-born cricketer is also the most capped player in the shortest format in internationals with 113 fixtures.

Also Read: Five Most Influential Coaches During The 21st Century

Sanath Jayasuriya:

Sanath Jayasuriya’s transformation has been a massive one, becoming one of the most destructive opening batsmen and one of the most decorated cricketers. Between the years 1989 and 1995, Jayasuriya never crossed an average of 30 with the willow. The 1996 World Cup was the turning point in which he received the award for the man of the tournament.

The southpaw scored 221 runs in six games at a strike are of 131.55 and took seven wickets in Sri Lanka’s successful campaign. The Matara Mauler retired after playing a whopping 500 games for Sri Lanka with 445 of them coming in the 50-over format. In 445 games, the former captain amassed 13430 runs at a strike rate of 91.22.

Also Read: Ten Batsmen And The Toughest Bowlers They Ever Faced

Steve Smith:

Steve Smith rise to number one position in Test cricket is the road from a potential next Shane Warne to the closest thing the modern world saw of Don Bradman. Having made his Test debut in 2010, not one thought Smith of touching the highest echelon with the bat. His unorthodox technique made it harder for anyone to think otherwise. The New South Wales batsman batted at number eight in his debut Test in Lord’s.

Fast forward to the present; the 31-year old has accumulated over 7000 runs in Test cricket. The Australian’s average of 62.84 is the highest for a batsman with more than 7000 runs. With 4162 ODI runs at a healthy average of 42.47, Steve Smith is rapidly on his way to become one of the greatest of all time.

Also Read: Ten Bowlers And The Toughest Batsmen They Ever Bowled To