The Greatest Non-Asian Batsmen in Asian Conditions

Buvanesh Thiraviam Alastair Cook, Test Cricket

If you are looking to find out, which non-Asian batsmen have performed better in Asian Conditions, you are at the right place.

Here I have ranked the batsmen who are the best even non-Asian batsman in Asia!

I have taken two metrics on which the rankings are based.

The frequency of 50+ scores
Batting Average

To start with, here are few basic stats,

Most runs scored by a Non-Asian batsman in Asian condition:

Alastair Cook (ENG) – 2710

In India: 1235
In UAE: 609
In Sri Lanka: 435
In Bangladesh: 431

Most centuries by non-Asian batsmen in Asian conditions:

Alastair Cook – 9
Jacques Kallis – 8
Hasim Amla – 7

The Highest Individual score made by a non-Asian Test batsman in Asian conditions is Mark Taylor’s 334 vs Pakistan in Pakistan.

Coming to the Batting Average, for a non-Asian batsmen who have played at least 20 innings in Asian conditions, Stephen Fleming of NZ tops with an average of 65.45 in Asia, thanks to his 2 double centuries, each in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Now, let’s look into the players’ rankings based on their performances in Asian Countries.

1.Alastair Cook (England)

Alastair Cook stats in Asia: 2710 Runs in 55 Innings; 100s/50s: 9/11; HS: 263; (AVG: 53.13)

One can easily say Alastair Cook has been brilliant in Asian conditions, especially against the spin giants in Asian countries. My best of the lot.

Test Records of Alastair Cook as England Captainn, Batsman & Opener

He had scored centuries in all 4 Asian nations against the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Ravi Ashwin & Shakib Al Hasan. Indeed a great player of spin!

You can read on to Alastair Cook’s complete cricket stats here to understand his stand on Test Cricket.

He also has played the maximum innings for a non-Asian batsman in Asia – 55, which is one of the major reason to rank him at the top.

His consistency while playing in Asia is next to none. He has been fantastic throughout his tours to Asia.

Alastair Cook was the major reason for England’s historic Test win in India in 2012. He was adjudged the Player of the Series for his 562 runs scored in that Series.

Yes, he had the advantage of being the most travelled Non-Asian player to tour Asian Countries, still, his Average of 53.13 in Asian Continent is one of the bests.

2. Jacques Kallis (South Africa)

Jacques Kallis, a legendary all-rounder from South Africa, has his Asian batting records, almost similar to his overall Test records.

To be exact, his Batting Average in Asia – 55.62 is slightly higher than that in his overall Test records – 55.37.

Jacques Kallis Stats in Asia: 2058 Runs in 44 Inns; 100s/50s: 8/8; HS: 173 (AVG: 55.62)

Pakistan has been Kallis’ best-touring nation as he averages 83.14 with 3 100s and 2 50s there playing just 5 Test matches.

2 of those 5 Test matches, he was adjudged the Man of the Match.

He also has a decent Test batting average of 49.20 in the rest of Asian nations, which takes him to my list of the best non-Asian batsmen in Asian conditions.

Not to mention his bowling ability, which is an added asset. He took 27 wickets at an average of 39.44 in Asian Tests.

3. Stephen Fleming (New Zealand)

He is a successful IPL coach for a reason.

The touring left-handed opener has always been a threat to Asian bowlers. Stephen Fleming has the best average for a Non-Asian batsman who has played at least 20 Innings in the Asian continent.

Stephen Fleming stats in Asia : 1571 Runs in 29 Inns; 100s/50s: 3/8; HS: 274* (AVG: 65.45)

Can you believe, if I say 4 of his top 5 Test scores have come against the Asian teams? Look at his top 5 high scores in Test cricket here:

274* vs Sri Lanka in Colombo.
262* vs South Africa in Capetown.
202 vs Bangladesh in Chittagong
192 vs Pakistan in Hamilton.
174* vs Sri Lanka in Colombo.

3 of those top scores have come in Asia. At best, Stephen Fleming averages 107.11 in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Test Cricket.

4. Clive Lloyd (West Indies)

Clive Lloyd stats in Asia: 1629 Runs in 31 Innings; 100s/50s: 4/7; HS: 242* (AVG: 62.65)

Clive Lloyd from 1966 to 1985, played a total of 110 Test matches for West Indies, in which he played 20 Tests in the Asian continent.

In just 31 innings he played in Asia, he had 7 50s and 4 centuries including a double century against India in Mumbai. It was his only Test double century too.

Out of 20 matches in Asia, Lloyd played 14 in India and 6 in Pakistan.

In India, Clive Lloyd averaged 75.50 in 22 innings and in Pakistan, 33.75 in 9 innings.

Overall, he averages 62.65 in Asia, which is the best for any non-Asian batsman, who played 20+ Test matches in Asia.

5. Alan Border (Australia)

Alan Border walks over to my list of greatest non-Asian batsmen in Asian conditions by ticking both my boxes of more 50+ scores and having a 50+ batting average in Asia.

Alan Border Stats in Asia: 1799 Runs in 39 Inns; 100s/50s: 6/8; HS: 162 (AVG: 54.51)

Alan Border in India & Pakistan has scored 55 runs per innings including 5 centuries and 7 half-centuries, which can be bettered only by the stats of Jacques Kallis.

Alan Border along with Jacques Kallis and Alastair Cook is part of the Only 8 Players to play 150+ Test Matches for their country.

6. Andy Flower (Zimbabwe)

Another left-hander, this time from Zimbabwe – Andy Flower, the eldest of Flower brothers has what it takes to be in this list, that is filled with some great names.

Andy Flower Stats in Asia: 1614 Runs in 38 Inns; 100s/50s: 5/9; HS: 232* (AVG: 53.80)

His overpowering stats in Asia is sketched by his outstanding performance in India- his favourite playing nation.

In India, Andy Flower batted 10 Innings, where he scored 3 centuries and 4 Half Centuries, including a 232* in Nagpur – which is his career-best score.

And that puts him easily into my list.

Others who closely made to my list

Brian Lara – Averaging 58.84 in 26 innings he played in Asia, he played lesser matches in Asia than the above names to miss the list.
AB de Villiers– Even though he averages 54.56 in 36 innings in Asia, his low conversion rate of only 11 50+ scores and 3 100+ scores in those 36 innings made me think twice to add him to this list.
David Gower – The England batsman once again has lesser games to evaluate his supremacy in Asia, although he has a more than decent average of 56.90 in his 24 Innings in Asia.

Conclusion:

The above-ranked players are definitely good players of spin bowling, which is the major threat when you play in Asia.

As I have mentioned above, the frequency of scoring 50+ scores and the conversion of 100s, played a major part in my rankings. I believe they are a key factor when you play in the Sub Continent, where high scores win you matches.

And that is why AB de Villiers who has scored 11 50+ scores in 36 innings is ranked below Stephen Fleming and Clive Lloyd who have the same number of 50+ scores in lesser matches than ABD.

On the same note, Clive Lloyd and Stephen Fleming have better Averages than Brian Lara and David Gower, even though they played almost the same number of matches in Asia.

Ricky Ponting, the other player who has 15 50+ scores in Asia, has his Batting Average below 50 and that’s not great.

And on the current players, the only Non-Asian batsman to average more than 50 after playing 20+ innings in Asia is the New Zealand captain Kane Williamson – 50.70. The one to look forward to the future along with Steve Smith’s tour to Asia.

So these are just my thoughts and if you see that I missed someone on this list, feel free to comment below!

Thanks for Reading!

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