There are underdogs in cricket who have achieved much more than anyone could ever think of and yet they don’t get the same love, recognition and affection from the fans. And then, there are a few overrated international cricketers who played and did only sub-par things but got enormous love and recognition from the fans and cricketing legends alike. These cricketers had abilities and shined at one or two moments but could never really make the full use of their talent. However, the talent that they possessed made them look like one of the bests and people still continue to overrate them in cricket. Here are the eight overrated cricketers who are hyped by the fans and media.
1. Shahid Afridi
The explosive batter turned bowling all-rounder for Pakistan, Shahid Afridi has a big fanbase in cricket. He is respected and revered in Pakistan and is considered one of the greatest to ever play the game of cricket. However, what if we tell you that Shahid Afridi was highly overrated and hyped by the media? You might not believe at once but the stars of Afridi tell the real story.
He played 27 Test matches and scored 1716 runs at an average of 36.5. Afridi picked only 48 wickets in these Tests. In ODIs he played 398 matches and scored 8064 runs at a measly average of 23.6. His 37 ball hundred attained him a great status in batting otherwise he was a below-average batter. Afridi picked 395 wickets in ODIs which is a big number but when compared to the matches he played looks tiny. He also played 99 T20Is in which he averaged 17 with the bat 24.4 with the ball. These are pretty ordinary records for a cricketer who is considered to be a legend.
2. Angelo Mathews
Hailed as a great all-rounder with exceptional leadership qualities, Angelo Mathews is a former captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team. He continues to represent Sri Lanka in ODIs and Tests and has retired from T20Is. Angelo’s records in international cricket are not that impact worthy and one can definitely say that he is one of the most overrated cricketers of all time.
Mathews has played 106 Tests so far in which he scored 7361 runs at an average of 45.4. His batting numbers are quite good but he has picked only 33 wickets in Tests which is quite mind-boggling. Mathews has represented Sri Lanka in 221 ODIs so far to pick only 120 wickets. His performance with the ball in ODIs is not up to the mark. However, he has scored 5865 runs at an average of 41 in ODIs.
3. Mohammad Rizwan
Currently called the best wicketkeeper batter in Pakistan, Mohammad Rizwan surprisingly has an ordinary record. He is surely overrated by the experts, fans and media alike. Except for T20Is, Rizwan has failed to deliver anything substantial in cricket for Pakistan. His ODI and Test record so far speaks the hype that media has created around him without any good reasons.
Mohammad Rizwan has played 28 Tests so far to score only 1423 runs at an average of 39.5. In ODIs he has played for Pakistan in 60 matches to score only 1498 runs at an average of 34. These records are not great by any standard. However, Rizwan has been good in T20Is with 2797 runs at an average of 49 in 85 matches.
4. Misbah-ul-haq
Former Pakistani batter and captain, Misbah-ul-haq was an overrated cricketer who could never win the clutch situations for his team despite delivering a good performance. Misbah just somehow always came short and failed to convert the opportunities he created into something that results for Pakistan in glory.
He scored 5222 runs at an average of 46.6 in Tests. In ODIs, he scored 5122 runs at average of 43.4 in 162 ODIs. In 39 T20Is, he scored 788 runs at average of 37.5. Even though the runs and average are quite good but Misbah’s overly defensive approach could never make use of these runs. He had a strike rate of just 73.8 and 110.2 respectively in ODIs and T20Is.
5. Shaun Tait
Former bowling coach of Pakistan and the pacer from Australia was known for his express pace in the past. He regularly clocked 155 km/ph when he bowled bit his line and length was so wayward that Australia could never really trust him to take the team forward with the likes of Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson. He was a below average bowler who only knew how to bowl fast and nothing else.
Tait played 3 Tests and picked only 5 wickets. He also played 35 ODIs and picked 62 wickets an an economy rate of 5.19. In T20Is, he picked 28 wickets 21 matches. He had the potential but could never materialise the opportunities that came his way.
6. Umar Akmal
It seems that Pakistan has a habit of hyping up ordinary players in media. Umar Akmal is one such player who was hyped and glorified in the media despite continuously failing for a long time in international cricket. The wicketkeeper batter was dubbed as an exceptional talent and a rival of Virat Kohli. However, he faded away pretty soon as PCB realised that he was only a burden on the team.
Umar played 16 Test matches to score 1003 runs at an average of 35.8. He also played 121 ODIs to score 3194 runs at an average of 34.3. Akmal was also part of 84 T20Is in which he could score only 1690 runs at an average of 26. These records are pretty ordinary for a cricketer who was called a generational talent by media.
7. KL Rahul
KL Rahul was termed the successor of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in Indian cricket. However, he has disappointed his fans with his string of bad performances and fearful approach in the past couple of years. Rahul has failed to work for India in Tests and is completely out of the picture in the red ball format. His performances in T20Is are also not up to the mark and he is dropped from the Indian squad in recent times. However, India is still persisting with Rahul in ODIs despite his consistent failure in cricket in recent times.
Rahul has played 47 Tests in which he scored 2642 runs at a dismal average of 33.4. He has played 54 ODIs so far and scored 1986 runs at an average of 45.1. In T20Is, he has amassed 2265 runs at an average of 37.8 in 72 matches. His records are quite good but he is someone who crumbles under pressure. Rahul was a flop show in T20I World Cup 2022 and India is hoping that somehow he works for them in the 2023 ODI World Cup. For now, KL Rahul is an overrated cricketer.
8. Mark Boucher
Mark Boucher was undoubtedly a legendary wicketkeeper from South Africa who affected a lot of insane dismissals with his catching and stumping abilities. However, Boucher was never a safe bet with the bat for South Africa. He failed to deliver with the bat and the Proteas had to pay because of that on many occasions.
Boucher played 147 Test matches and scored 5515 runs at an average of 30.3. He also played 295 ODIs and scored 4686 runs at an average of 28.6. In T20Is he played 25 matches to score 268 runs at an average of 17.9.
