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Terming a player as the best finisher is pretty subjective. The literal meaning of the role of a finisher is to finish an innings for their team with the best result possible. A few fans believe that the role of a finisher is to slog the ball cleanly and ensure they maintain a high strike rate. Therefore, before ranking the players in terms of their ability to finish an innings, it is important to understand what the criteria are to be the best finisher in the world.
Winning matches for their teams is the most crucial role of a finisher. The importance of these players increases further during chases when searching for someone to seal a victory. To ensure that a finisher is consistent, their average must be taken into account.
The strike rate is unarguably the most important factor when judging a player’s finishing abilities. However, the popular belief that having a high strike rate is equivalent to being a better finisher, one needs to take into account the strike rate in the last final seven to eight overs in ODIs or the last five overs in T20Is. Apart from strike rates in different phases of the game, a closer look must be taken at their striking power against fast bowling and spinners.
Every finisher must have the ability to his sixes at will to be considered one of the best players in their role. Hitting sixes on good deliveries while facing bowlers who are varying their deliveries consistently is a crucial factor while ranking finishers.
Yuvraj Singh is the 10th best finisher in cricket. The former Indian all-rounder is one of the greatest white-ball players in the country. Yuvraj was the Player of the tournament during India’s triumph in the T20 World Cup in 2007 and the ODI World Cup in 2011. However, winning the two awards was possible thanks to his bowling performances as well. Yuvraj was a powerful batter and had a reputation for hitting sixes at will. He was the first player to hit six sixes in an over in T20Is when Stuart Broad was on the receiving end.
Soon after being at the center of all attention after winning the 2011 ODI World Cup, Yuvraj’s career came crashing down. He was diagnosed with a rare germ-cell cancer. His fighting attitude allowed, the all-rounder to make a comeback, but there were signs that he was way past his best.
Yuvraj played 362 matches in limited-overs cricket. He made close to 10,000 runs at a strike rate of more than 90. His best performance came in ODIs, where the left-handed batter scored 8,701 runs, averaging 36.55 and struck at a rate of close to 90.
Heinrich Klaasen is the ninth best finisher in cricket. The South African batter is currently the best batter against spinners in white-ball cricket. He is known for his aggressive batting against spinners. Klaasen showed signs of his power-hitting in the T20 World Cup final in 2024. He made 52 runs off 27 deliveries, including hitting 20 runs off Axar Patel’s 15th over in the final innings. However, it wasn’t enough as the Proteas failed to chase 30 runs off the last five overs.
Klaasen is one of the very few batters to strike at better than run-a-ball in ODIs. He has scored 1,987 runs in the format in 53 innings. The right-handed batter is a perfect middle-order batter in ODIs. He averages 43.19 while striking at 116.19. His average and strike rate indicate that Klaasen is a consistent batter in spite of playing high-risk cricket.
In T20Is, he has made 1,000 runs in 53 innings. However, even though he has a strike rate of more than 140, Klaasen only averages 23 in the format which can prove to be a cause of concern. Apart from international cricket, Klaasen has been a much better player in franchise leagues around the world.
Eoin Morgan is the eighth-best finisher in cricket. The former World Cup-winning skipper with England was responsible for the change in approach in the nation’s batting in limited-overs cricket. Morgan led the batting unit from the front when they decided to undertake an aggressive approach in ODIs. After the horrific 2015 World Cup, England changed personnel in order to win the 2019 World Cup at home.
The change in approach led by Morgan saw England becoming the top-ranked ODI team and creating records for the highest team totals in the format. The English skipper in 2019 scored 791 runs at a strike rate of 112. He played 248 ODIs, 23 of which came for Ireland early into his career. Morgan scored 7,701 runs in the format at a strike rate of 91.16 while averaging close to 40.
In T20Is, Morgan’s captaincy often overshadowed his batting. He scored 2,458 runs in 107 innings in the format while averaging below 30. His strike rate of 136, too, was not much to write about in the modern-day scenario.
Glenn Maxwell is the seventh best finisher in cricket. Maxwell is possibly the greatest T20I player from Australia. However, he might always be remembered for his double-century in ODIs. The ‘Big Show’ as he is fondly called, often puts up a show when he is at the crease. The right-handed batter is another batter who can hit sixes at will against the best bowlers.
Maxwell has the best strike rate for players with at least 5,000 runs in ODIs and T20Is. He is a rare batter who has more centuries in T20Is in comparison to ODIs. Maxwell plays multiple variations of reverse sweeps. While other batters often lose power in an attempt to play a switch hit, Maxwell can still clear the long boundaries of Australian grounds.
He has scored 3,950 runs in 133 innings in ODIs. Maxwell has an average of 34 while striking at a rate of 126.35. In T20Is, the Australian is even better. The 36-year-old has scored 2664 runs at a strike rate of almost 155. In T20Is, Maxwell, on average, he hits a boundary in less than five balls.
Kieron Pollard is the sixth best finisher in cricket. The former West Indies all-rounder played a huge role in popularising T20 cricket all over the world. He was one of the first global superstars of T20 leagues in different countries. He had a high batting potential, and it was evident when the Mumbai Indians bought him at the IPL 2010 auction. Pollard averaged 11.3 in 15 ODIs and 17.2 in 10 T20Is before being bought at the auction. It was the ceiling of his power-hitting potential that convinced MI to splurge more than $750,000.
Pollard made amends for his initial struggles in international cricket. In 123 ODIs, he scored 2,706 runs at a strike rate of 94.4. In T20Is, the Trinidadian batter scored 1,569 runs in 83 innings at a strike rate of 135.
Like Maxwell, Pollard was a genuine six-hitter. In white-ball cricket, the right-handed batter hit 234 sixes, averaging close to 17 balls per six. In the shortest format, he hit more sixes than fours. The West Indies batter struggled to maintain consistency and averaged sub-30 in both formats.
Michael Bevan is the fifth best finisher in cricket history. The former Australian batter was one of the best finishers in the late 1990s and the early 2000s. In an Australian batting packed with superstars, Bevan often orchestrated and broke down complex chases into simple wins. The left-handed batter only played ODIs therefore his strike rate of 74.16 does not paint a true picture of his abilities.
In successful chases, Bevan averaged 86.25. More often than not, the powerful batter would steer Australia to victory with his knocks. Even though his strike rate in these matches was 66.42, Bevan is certainly one of the best finishers in cricket, thanks to his ability to win matches from tough situations.
In 155 matches, Bevan won with Australia the left-hander scored 4,502 runs at an average of more than 65. His contribution on winning occasions was immense as he scored five of his six centuries.
Jos Buttler is the fourth best finisher in cricket. The current English skipper employs the role of a finisher in ODIs while he opens the batting in T20Is. He started as a middle-order batter in both formats but made a move to the top of the order in 20-20 cricket. However, he has still finished a fair share of games in international and, therefore, ranks fourth on the list for the best finishers in cricket.
He is arguably the greatest T20I player in the history of English cricket. Buttler has scored 3,389 runs in 118 innings in the format. He averages 35.67 while striking at a rate of 147. He smashes a boundary every fifth ball in the format.
However, the best of Buttler has come in ODIs, where the English wicketkeeper played a pivotal role in England’s 2019 World Cup victory. He scored 312 runs in the tournament at a strike rate of 122.8. In 181 ODIs, he has scored 5,022 runs at an average of close to 40 while striking at 117. He has the second-most sixes in the last 10 overs in ODIs. Buttler has smashed 100 sixes in the death overs in ODIs.
Shahid Afridi is the third best finisher in cricket. The former Pakistani is one of the most prolific six hitters in the sport’s history. Afridi holds the record for hitting the most sixes in ODIs in spite of facing less than 7000 balls in the format. Among the top-10 six hitters in the format, only Brendon McCullum, with 200 sixes, has faced fewer balls than Afridi.
In the One-Day format, ‘Boom Boom’ scored 8,064 runs at a strike rate of 117. Afridi struck a six every 19th ball in the format and a boundary every sixth ball. The biggest enemy of Afridi throughout his career has been consistency. In spite of batting at multiple positions in the order, the former Pakistani batter could not string a few good scores together. In ODIs, even after his prolific run-scoring, Afridi only averaged 23.57.
Afridi was one of the first superstars in T20Is. He was the Player of the Tournament during the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007. He was the Player of the Match in the semi-finals and finals in 2009 when Pakistan won the tournament. Afridi ended his T20I career with 1,416 runs in 91 innings at a strike rate of 150. But once again he failed at being consistent and averaged only 18 in the format.
AB de Villiers is the second best finisher in cricket. The former South African batter was one of the best players to play all three formats of the sport. To call ABD a slogger would be completely untrue. He has played over 100 tests and is the only player to average more than 50 in tests and ODIs. De Villiers had a sound technique and could still dispatch a delivery in every corner of the ground in T20Is.
De Villiers holds the record for hitting the fastest century and 150 in ODIs. In the format, Mr. 360 Degree scored 9,577 runs in 218 innings while averaging 53.50 and striking at a rate better than a run a ball. He is one of the fastest to score 9000 runs in ODIs, which speaks to his batting abilities, given that he batted out of the top-order for most of his career. De Villiers struck a boundary on average in less than 10 balls. He was an incredible runner between the wickets as well, which aided his strike rate in the format.
In T20Is, de Villiers in spite of his incredible form in T20 leagues around the world, could not replicate the same success at the international level. He is considered to be the most dangerous batsman in the IPL. However, at the international level in the format, de Villiers has scored 1,672 runs at a strike rate of 135 while averaging only 26.12. He strikes a boundary every sixth ball in the format but tends to play more dot balls than most of his contemporaries.
MS Dhoni is the best finisher in cricket. The former Indian batter has won innumerable matches for his team while batting in the fag-end of the innings. Dhoni, with 139 sixes, holds the record for the most maximums in death overs in ODIs. In 350 games, 10,773 runs averaging 50.57 in the format.
Dhoni had a strike rate of 87.56 in the format. However, he was often used to save India from batting collapses which hampered Dhoni’s strike rate. He holds the record for the highest individual score by a wicketkeeper in ODIs. He strikes a boundary in less than 12 balls in the format. Dhoni is considered to be the best finisher in cricket because of his ability to withstand pressure.
Dhoni played 98 T20Is and scored 1,617 runs, striking at a rate of 126.13. In spite of his heroics in the IPL, the Ranchi-born batter could not replicate the same level of power-hitting at the international level. However, it was his captaincy that elevated Dhoni to legendary status in the format.
MS Dhoni is the best Indian finisher in cricket. The former wicketkeeper batter is one of the best finishers in cricket all over the world. In 448 games across ODIs and T20Is, Dhoni has made 12,390 runs in spite of mostly batting in the lower-middle order.
All-rounders Yuvraj Singh and Hardik Pandya are among the top three finishers in Indian cricket history. While Yuvraj retired with one of the most impressive cricketing careers, Pandya has a chance to overtake the legacy of the two-time World Cup POTT.
Suresh Raina and Yusuf Pathan who were part of the World Cup winning teams in 2007 and 2011 make it into the top five. The list also features relatively new players like Rinku Singh and Rishabh Pant. On the other hand experienced batters like Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kedar Jadhav have created a name for themselves finishing the innings for India.
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