The worlds 5 most important cricketers

The cricket world is changing, and with that in mind I decided on a list of the players who will shape the next ten years of cricket.

They may not be the best players, or even in the role I think they should be, but they are the ones that will have the most impact on world cricket.

Episode 1 - RP Singh/Ishant Sharma

Ok I cheated all ready and this is the first post, but for the purposes of world cricket this applies to them as a team.

Let me break it down for you.

Batsman set up games, and draw games.

Bowlers win games.

Opening batsman provide the platform.

Opening bowlers try to burn the platform and kill anyone who ever set foot on it.

Over the years India has had every part of a side except arsonistic fast bowlers.

India have produced quite a few champion spinners. Behind them have been quite a few very good spinners.

They have also uncovered an ass full of smokin’ batsman.

Somewhere along the line they even had a bowling all rounder with an outstanding mullet and figures to match.

What they have never produced is a quick bowling team that can destroy batsman anywhere anytime.

Welcome RP Singh and Ishant Sharma.

Their great spinners are brilliant at home and serviceable on the road.

Their batsman are “add your own superlative here” at home, and produce well on the road.

Two quicks win matches.

If you defeat the top order, no matter how good the middle order is, you are setting yourself up for a victory.

Teams don’t win many series when their top 3 all average under 40.

RP Singh and Ishant Sharma are the men who can do that.

RP on his day can make the ball curve like Angelina Jolie in a tight dress.

You can’t take your eyes off it, but you know you can’t have it either.

Ishant Sharma is simply unplayable when he gets it right.

He is the most promising teenage bowler since Waqar pretended to be a teenager.

They are what India has always been missing.

India has always been known as soft on the road, but they have missed what you need to win on the road, they usually have one decent quick, one decent spinner, and a lot of guys who play good cricket on home wickets.

Australia didn’t dominate cricket because of Shane Warne, Murali has proved this, they did it because McGrath, McDermott, Hughes, Fleming, Gillespie and who ever fronted up with the new ball took wickets.

Warne was the pop, the others were the snap and crackle.

India now has a properly balanced cricket team.

RP Singh has proved himself in England and Australia.

Ishant debuted on the toughest tour in the world.

They are both young, hungry and talented, and India has never needed two men as much as it needs these two.

“Ishant, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”...
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