A lot of cricketers who started off as bowlers developed the basic skills of a batsman automatically over the years because the situation demanded them to show what they’ve got with the bat on several occasions.
Cricket is a game full of uncertainties and anything is possible inside the 22 yards of a cricket ground. Both batsmen and bowlers have to contribute equally for their teams to perform well. But if we look at the game, it’s a game dominated by bowlers. We don’t see batsmen bowling for their teams very often but bowlers are often put to test with the bat especially in test cricket. It doesn’t matter if you are skillful or not, this game demands contribution from each one of the 11 players in the team and that is why you need to do whatever the situation demands irrespective of the skillset.
There have been several cricketers in the history of the game who started off as bowlers but later thought it was batting that suited them more. A lot of these players were able to make it to the highest level as well. Some of them went on to become the superstars of the game.
The beauty of the game is in its unpredictability and there have been some greats of the game who shocked themselves as well as their fans with the all-round capabilities. This article is about six such players who started off as bowlers but later became successful batsmen.
Shahid Afridi
Boo Boo Afridi as he is well known, Shahid Afridi is one of the most explosive batsmen to play for Pakistan. It might come to many as a shock that Afridi got a place into the national side as a 16-year-old leg-break bowler. Just in his second ODI, Afridi shocked not only his teammates but the entire cricketing world by hitting a 37-ball 100 against Sri Lanka (the fastest ODI century of that time).
The wonder boy from Pakistan had the opportunity to hit some of the greatest bowlers of the game out of the park. He soon emerged as an asset for the team and went on to score 8064 runs at a strike rate of 117.01 in 398 ODIs.
Nasser Hussain
The former English captain is one of the greatest batsmen to have played for England. Many don’t know that Hussain began his career as a talented off-spinner. He was the youngest ever player to get a place in the Essex under-15 side. While growing up, Nasser Hussian realised that he was getting more comfortable with the bat. He is regarded as one of the greatest players to have ever captained the English side. In 96 tests, Hussian scored 5,764 runs that included 14 centuries and 33 half-centuries. He also scored 2,332 runs in 88 ODIs.
Steven Smith
The former Australia captain is probably the greatest Test batsman of this era. Smith debuted for the Australia national side in 2010 as a leg spinner. But he was soon ousted due to bad form. After getting dropped following a forgettable Ashes season, he made a comeback against India in 2013. The Australian team was in transition and Michael Clarke’s retirement created a void that needed to be filled. Smith rose to the occasion magnificently and never looked back since then. Averaging over 60 in the Tests, he is often compared to the great Sir Don Bradman.
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Shoaib Malik
The 37-year-old Pakistani batsmen is got to be the most underrated batsman of the Islamic nation. He has put on an extraordinary show with the bat on several occasions. He has played for the national side for over 20 years as a batsman who could also bowl. It only comes as a shock that Malik made his international debut against the West Indies as a 17-year-old off-spinner.
It was almost as if he was imitating the legendary Saqlain Mushtaq. The tide changed when his bowling action came under scrutiny in 2004 but the team persisted with him because of his batting talent. He has opened for his team, played at number 3 and as a middle-order batsman as well. Malik has scored 7534 runs in 287 ODIs at an average of 34.56 apart from taking 158 wickets.
Sanath Jayasuriya
At a time when world cricket was full of bowlers hungry for blood and no limitation on the number of bouncers, the Sri Lanka’s southpaw was someone who took the fierce bouncers head-on. Jayasuriya is easily one of the best and the most explosive batsmen to have played for the island nation. Not many know that the left-handed opener actually started his career as a left-arm spinner.
It was after almost 5 years in his career that Jayasuriya realised what he could do with the willow. He went on to become only the second batsman to score 13,000 runs in ODIs after Sachin Tendulkar. Jayasuriya scored 13,340 runs in 445 ODIs at an average of 32.13. He also took 323 ODI wickets.
Cameron White
Cameron White started his career as a leg spinner and was regarded as one of the best leg spinners from Australia. Sachin Tendulkar was his first test wicket. However, he was dropped in 2008 due to poor form. It was in 2009 when White made a comeback in style by scoring a century against England during Australia’s tour of England. He went on to improve his batting skills from there on and was also appointed the T20 captain of his national side. White has scored 2072 runs at an average of 33.97 with two hundreds in 91 ODIs.
