Michael Bevan

The term 'finisher' was created and cemented by Michael Bevan - arguably among the greatest ODI batsmen of all time. For most people, the 50-overs format as it grew meant adventurous strokeplay and a lot of powerhitting. For Bevan, it was all about calculation, especially in run chases. His brain worked like a calculator as he broke down chases and constructed his innings brick by brick, eventually taking his side across the line from the most dangerous of situations. It wasn't as if Bevan didn't have the big shots in his kitty, it's just that he didn't prefer to go out blazing always. He preferred to put a value on his wicket every single time and also loved to take the game deep whenever he batted. The result was an extremely successful white-ball career for Australia with several experts calling him the 'greatest ODI player ever' due to his versatile skills.

A natural athlete with an extremely enviable fitness to boot, Bevan loved to work the ball into gaps as he pinched quick singles and stole the second run when there was none. When the bad ball did present itself, he did latch onto those as well to further frustrate the opposition. Above all, the man had a great temperament and incredible amount of self-confidence which was key to his success. Having burst into the international scene in 1994, Bevan's priceless credentials were seen instantly by the Australian think tank who used him as a floater in the middle order in the years to come. The conditions never really deterred the southpaw who was equally adept at handling both the pacers and spinners. Although unorthodox in his approach and methods, he was mighty effective.

Bevan often provided the ideal final flourish to the innings with his calculated assaults but also had this enviable skill of churning out miracles when the team was down and out. Who can forget his heroics against the West Indies in 1995 or those invaluable knocks in the 2003 World Cup. Even between these two, there were loads of similar matchwinning knocks where had pulled the rabbit out of the hat for Australia many a time. Bevan had a unique ability to bat with the lower order and this boosted his credentials, especially in tense run chases. Except his last year in international cricket in 2004, Bevan never really had an off season with the bat. Such was his consistency that he held the highest ODI batting average at the time of his exit (for those who batted at least 50 times).

Of course, Bevan's average did get boosted by the not outs but that is the other point about the great man. More than one-thirds of his innings, he remained undefeated and ensured that he did his job efficiently. That's a staggering stat in itself. Only when India's MS Dhoni (who debuted the same year when Bevan last played) happened, did the Australian's feats and aura get challenged considerably. Being a part of successive World Cup winning squads in 1999 and 2003 was obviously among the highlights of Bevan's career. It wouldn't be wrong to say that a match featuring Australia was never dead till he got out, for such was his skill in turning the tables from the least hopeful situations.

Bevan's unbelievable success in limited-overs did earn him a Test career that was quite brief due to his inability to handle the short ball. Some felt it was just a mental issue because the same deliveries were being dispatched by him in ODIs. The bottomline though, was that Bevan's Test career never really took off. Nevertheless, he was a legend in ODI cricket and despite his unassuming nature, he shone brightly during Australia's dominance as an ODI outfit. After being dropped in 2004, Bevan resorted to his bat doing the talking in the domestic circuit in a bid to make a comeback. Age was catching up though, so were injuries and when even his best ever white-ball domestic season was ignored, the writing was on the wall.

Eventually, the man from Canberra called it quits in 2007. He did play a part in the rebel Indian Cricket League after retiring from all forms of the game in 2006. Bevan's contribution to Australia's limited-overs glory days can never really put in words. The impact he created and the heights that he conquered were such that only Michael Hussey came close for Australia in the years to come. Australia have lacked a consistently reliable finisher over the last few years and this seemingly perennial problem has been one of their biggest issues in white-ball cricket of late. Goes to show the value Bevan provided in his heydays. It's unlikely that Australian cricket will ever see another Michael Bevan.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan