Prominent among the noteworthy strokemakers of that decade were West Indies' enigmatic yet electrifying batting genuis Brian Lara, Australia's elegant opener Mark Waugh, Pakistan's wristy Saeed Anwar and Sri Lanka's masterclass with the willow Aravinda De Silva. Then there were others too who were very good players Mohammad Azhar, Ijaz Ahmed, Nathan Astle and Gary Kristen to name a few..However if one were to single out who among these batting icons was the best of them all, then arguably India's 'Master Blaster' Sachin Tendulkar was a cut above the rest as his consistency in run scoring over a large period of time, adeptness to play spin and pace with equal poise and his ability to raise his game at the biggest stage of them all - the ICC Cricket World Cups - made him the standout batsman of the 90s.
On the Master Blaster's 47th Bday, here is a look at the top 10 ODI batsman of the 90s, a decade where Sachin stood tall among the rest of his arch rivals and contemporaries
- SACHIN TENDULKAR
Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar was arguably the best exponent of the willow and the most accomplished batsman in white ball cricket all through the 90s. Equipped with good footwork, exquisite timing, perfect balance and superlative hand eye co-ordination - the Indian batting great had it all in his lethal batting armoury.
The 'Master Blaster' almost single handedly took the enourmous responsibility of spearheading India's batting under the weight of enourmous expectations and more often than not came out as the greatest match winner with the willow. A belligerant opener who flayed the best of attacks with utter disdain, Sachin formed a lethal opening partnership with Sourav Ganguly in the mid and late 90s.
Record In ODIs During 90s
Matches 228 Runs 8571 100s 24 50s 44 Avg 43.07
2. BRIAN CHARLES LARA (WEST INDIES)
West Indies batting wizard Brian Lara was the arguably the most talented batsman of the 90s .Bestowed with immense god given talent the willow, the enigmatic left handed batting genuis possesed the ability to destroy attacks with those jaw dropping electrycing knocks. A magician with his supple wrists, Lara was a treat to watch when on full song as those perfectly timed booming drives and square cuts made the best of attacks look pretty ordinary .
An exaggerated backlift with that trademark shuffle at the crease made him look like a class act and his ability to play the ball late made him special. Spearheading a Windies batting lineup which wasn't all conquering, Lara was their treasured asset who changed the course of many matches with the sheer brilliance of his blade.
Matches 162 Runs 6166 100s 11 50s 38 Avg 42.81
3. MARK WAUGH
Australia's elegant opener Mark Waugh lazy elegance made batting look rather efforless. Such was the Australian opener's fluency with those perfectly times strokes that it was a real treat for the fans to watch. A dominant on-side player who excelled with those trademark flicks of his hips, Waugh scored at a fair click openning the batting with Mark Taylor and Adam Gilchrist and consistently provided the Aussies with a strong platform to build on.
Once Waugh had his eye in, he had the ability to score those big hundreds and take the game way from the opposition.'Junior' formed the nucleas of the powerpacked Australian batting with Ricky Ponting, Micheal Bevan brother Steve and Adam Gilchrist in the mid and late 90s.
Record In ODIs During 90s
Matches 191 Runs 6839 100s 13 50s 44 Avg 39.76
4. Aravinda De Silva
A major contribution in Sri Lanka's tectonic rise in the mid 90s came on the back of Aravinda De Silva's masterclass with the willow. The dashing strokemaker was Sri Lanka's answer to India's Sachin or West Indies Brian Lara. One of the most lethal middle order batsman of his generation, De Silva was the lynchpin and sheet anchor of a strong and compact Lankan batting order.
De Silva had the art of milking the singles and also pushing the acceleration button with some belligerant strokeplay. A verstatile strokemaker, De Silva was strong sqaure of the wicket with his cover driving and also was a good exponent of the cut shot.
Matches 196 Runs 6441 Avg 37.44 100s 11 50s 41
5. Saeed Anwar (Pakistan)
Argubaly Pakistan's most fluent strokemaker in the 90s, Saeed Anwar was one of the most prolific run scorers all through that decade. Devoid of much footwork, Anwar was blessed with the gift of timing and had a glimpse of class and panache in his clinicaly executed shots. Opening the innings with his ever dependable partner Aamir Sohail,the attacking left hander got his team off to some breezy starts courtesy his ability to score boundaries without taking too much risk.
The stylish left handed opener was a match winner in his own merit as he had the penchant to score big tons with staggering consistency. Along with Inzamam and Ijaz, Anwar formed the nucleas of the Pakistani batting which was the envy of many other top ODI teams of that era.
Record In ODIs During 90s
Matches 180 Runs 6664 Avg 40.63 100s 17 50s 33
6. Inzamam Ul Haq
Yhe Big and burly Inzamam Ul Haq was regarded as one of the most accomplished batsmen of the 90s. The extremely gifted Pakistani batsman was a master at pacing his innings and knew when was the right time to explode and change gears according to the match scenario.
Adepth against both pace and spin, Haq had a plethora of shots in his arsenal to unleash carnage at any time of his innings. His ability to tonk big sixes off spinners made him look extra special. A calm and composed giant who at times lost his cool, Haq often took the opposition by surprise with his lethal assault on the back of some meaty bows with the willow.
Matches 200 Runs 6475 Avg 39.48 50s 6 100s 47
7. Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly was one of the most prolific runs getters and ton maker in 90s. The elegant left handed opener's gracious batting was a perfect blend of superlative timing and poetic grace. 'Dada' looked regal when he carresed those booming drives through the off side, which rightlfully earned him the title 'Lord of the Off side'. Ganguly was highly consistent in his run making exploits and often brought his best to the fore at the biggest stage at the World Cups and Champions Trophy.
He often played second fiddle to Sachin early in the innings and got into his own with those sky rocketing sixes of spinners.Much like Sachin, Ganguly always made it count big and went onto score some big daddy tons to take his team across the finishing line many a times.
Record In ODIs During 90s
Matches 126 Runs 4705 Avg 42.38 100s 9 50s 29
8. Sanath Jayasuriya
Sanath Jayasuriya was the most feared and destructive openers of the 90s in ODI cricket. The explosive left handed opener with belligerant strokeplay could tear into the opposition attack with some fearless power hitting in the powerplays. Jayasuriya along with his opening partner Romesh Kaluwitharan changed the very dimension of opening in ODIs as they found a new success mantra at the top of the innings - attack is the best form of defence.
A fierce cutter and puller, Jayasuriya's ability to pick the length early and heave the red cherry to all corners of the park made him a dangerous customer with the willow. Superb hand-eye coordination and raw power in those iron like forearms were the major assets to his daredevil style of batting. He was not just about quick fire cameos but could go the distance by playing those whirlwind match winning tons for his nation.
Record in ODIs during 90s
Matches 195 Runs 5083 Avg 28.39 100 7 50s 33
Gary Kristen
Gary Kristen was the South Africa's perenial workhorse and ever dependable run getter at the top of the order for most part of the 90s. Gary wasn't as flamboyant as some of his other counterparrts but he was extremely gritty, calm and dodged in his pursuit to score for the Proteas. Before the arrival of Jacques Kallis, Kristen was South Africa's lynchpin with the bat for most part of the 90s.
The left hander was consistent in providing the South Africans with the opening salvo up the order and usually played the run grafter's role to perfection by playing second fiddle to his more flamboyant and attacking opening partners in Andrew Hudson and Herchelle Gibbs.
Michael Bevan
Australia's highly consistent and Mr Dependable, Micheal Bevan, was the best finisher in ODI cricket in the 90s. A calm and composed batsman, Bevan who came into bat at No.6 was a perfectionist at peircing the gaps and milking the singles in the middle overs.
Bevan's craft at building an innings or even getting a derailed innings back on track was simply phenomenal. His superlative fitness levels made him run like a hare across the wickets. He took the game deep and always had the steel to pull of some spectacular wins from nerve wrecking situations.
Record in ODIs
Matches 122 Runs 3922 Avg 60.33 100s 3 50s 27
Top 10 ODI Batsmen In 90s - Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Mark Waugh, Saeed Anwar, Inzamam Ul Haq, Aravinda De Silva, Sourav Ganguly, Sanath Jayasuriya, Michael Bevan, Gary Kristen
Notable Mentions: Ricky Ponting, Dean Jones, Mohammad Azharuddin, Ijaz Ahmed , Nathan Astle, Ajay Jadeja, David Boon, Hansie Cronje