Updated: October
Introduction: Where ODI matches tilt on the quiet overs
One‑day internationals reward versatility. Momentum turns not just on a yorker or a slog‑sweep, but on the invisible stuff: the second new ball held back for a finisher, a fifth bowler who concedes 4 an over when the game screams for 7, an eighth batter who quietly squeezes 35 off 38 while the chase wobbles. The best ODI all‑rounders live in those gaps. They bat like specialists and still bowl like captains’ first options. They morph with conditions, reinvent roles mid‑series, and interpret tempo in ways that pure batters or pure bowlers simply can’t.
This is a deep, editorially rigorous look at the best ODI all‑rounders, right now and across eras. It’s built on match data, impact markers, and firsthand observations from the press box and dressing rooms, not on sentiment alone. You’ll find current form separated from all‑time greatness, a clear scoring model, and a rare section dedicated to women’s ODI all‑rounders—because no complete story exists without it.
What counts as an ODI all‑rounder?
An ODI all‑rounder is a player who contributes meaningfully with both bat and ball across a significant sample of matches, often capable of winning games in either discipline while also influencing fielding, phases, and match tempo.
Our methodology: The All‑Rounder Impact Index
To cut through nostalgia and noise, I use a blended All‑Rounder Impact Index (ARII). It balances sustained excellence with match‑turning peaks and role‑specific context. Two versions exist: a Career ARII for all‑time rankings and a Current ARII for today’s form.
Career ARII (for all‑time list)
- Eligibility minimums:
- 1000 ODI runs and 50 ODI wickets
- At least 50 ODIs
- Weighting:
- Batting Value Score (BVS) – 40%: batting average adjusted for strike rate, role (opener, middle order, finisher), and opponent quality; runs per innings; hundreds and fifties per innings; chase impact.
- Bowling Value Score (BowVS) – 40%: bowling average adjusted for economy and strike rate; wickets per innings; phase value (powerplay/middle/death); overs per match; top‑order dismissal share.
- Impact and Longevity – 20%: player‑of‑the‑match/player‑of‑the‑series frequency, World Cup impact, series‑deciding performances, fielding value, durability across conditions.
Current ARII (for the “right now” list)
- Eligibility minimums:
- At least 10 ODIs in the last competitive cycle
- Bowling at least 5 overs per match on average or batting at least 20 balls per match on average
- Weighting:
- Recent form window – 50%: last block of ODIs weighted twice as much as the previous block
- Career baseline – 30%: to stabilize small‑sample variance
- Context and role – 20%: match situation difficulty, batting order stability, phase usage, leadership
This model captures why a batter who bowls regularly but softly might rank below a bowler who bats “handy” yet wins chases from No. 7, and why an opener who also squeezes the middle overs with quality spin can outrank a death‑overs slogger with sporadic wickets.
The current best ODI all‑rounders
This list reflects form, usage, and impact right now, with the Current ARII discussed above. It’s not a carbon copy of ICC rankings, which measure distinct criteria and update monthly. It’s a lens focused on how teams actually win ODIs today.
- Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) – the template modern all‑rounder
Role type: spin‑anchoring batting all‑rounder
Why here: The most complete ODI all‑rounder of the modern era. Top‑five batter and bowler for his team at the same time. With the ball, he smothers the middle overs—over after over at sub‑5 economy—while still taking key wickets. With the bat, he turns 220 for 4 into 300 and a shaky 40 for 3 into control. Captains shape fields around him because his lengths let them attack.
Signature imprint: The best players in subcontinental ODIs set tempo with quiet spells; few are quieter—or deadlier—than Shakib’s fifth through fortieth overs, game after game.
- Ravindra Jadeja (India) – control, fielding, and game intelligence
Role type: spin‑bowling all‑rounder; elite fielder
Why here: Not a sectional all‑rounder; an ecosystem. Jadeja’s overs control risk in any chase. He bowls to fields he invents as he runs in, pinning batters to angles rather than dots. With the bat he’s grown from lower‑order helper to finish‑line navigator, especially in tight chases. The fielding? Ten runs saved per match is not hyperbole; it shows in the math.
Tactical note: India use him to shut out one side of the pitch. In white‑ball cricket, that’s a stranglehold.
- Glenn Maxwell (Australia) – chaos agent and phase inverter
Role type: batting all‑rounder with off‑spin
Why here: Maxwell challenges the entire grammar of ODI batting. By ball 10, he’s in T20 gear; by ball 30, the run‑rate target looks daft. With the ball, he’s deceptively incisive: releases the ball faster, hits the seam on off‑cutter angles, and suddenly he owns two overs where captains expected part‑time filler. Fielding adds a third discipline.
What changes games: He converts par into “way above par” without chewing deliveries. There’s no other ODI all‑rounder who uplifts net run rate and bowling matchup tables in one go like him.
- Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe) – middle‑overs king, batting heartbeat
Role type: batting all‑rounder with off‑spin
Why here: Evidence of the modern ODI’s democratization. Raza doesn’t just keep Zimbabwe in games; he drags them through crucial windows. Strike rotation against spin, late power, and disciplined off‑spin with powerplay cameos. He owns the pressure overs opponents hoped were safe.
Insight: Raza’s value is most visible in close games; he both sets targets and defends them with relentless clarity of plan.
- Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan) – balance in every sense
Role type: holding off‑spinner, lower‑middle order composure
Why here: Nabi’s batting style trims panic from a chase. With ball in hand, he bowls like an accountant—controlled, unflashy, infuriating to hit. Afghanistan’s rise in ODIs tracks closely with how they’ve used his overs to free attacking quicks and legspinners, and how he turns 230 into 260 with clever end‑overs batting.
Quiet edge: He bowls to mis‑hits, not edges. That’s a subtle but vital ODI skill.
- Mitchell Santner (New Zealand) – seam‑up variations, defensive mastery
Role type: left‑arm spin anchor, lower‑order utility bat
Why here: Santner’s ODI bowling is misread if you only see economy. The devil is in his speeds and the way he disguises them, forcing aerial strokes to long boundaries. His batting offers calm hands and a clean slog sweep late.
Tactical fingerprint: Kane Williamson often uses Santner as the matchup key—whenever a right‑hand‑heavy middle arrives, Santner’s overs open a trapdoor.
- Ben Stokes (England) – decisive aura wrapped in utility
Role type: batting all‑rounder; seam‑up overs in heat moments
Why here: Even when bowling volume dips, Stokes’s wickets arrive where scorecards throb. His batting presence is sport‑defining; he can glue or explode at will. With the ball, he hits awkward back‑of‑length on surfaces that need violent honesty.
Captains’ secret: Stokes is a phase‑shifter. Unquantifiable? Not really. Win probability graphs bend when he’s set.
- Hardik Pandya (India) – India’s white‑ball thermostat
Role type: seam‑bowling batting all‑rounder
Why here: Quality seam overs, especially at the back end, plus a finisher’s toolbox. When India can field a four‑seamer and two‑spinner balance, Hardik is the enabler. He hits hard lengths with the ball and the V with the bat, then toggles to 360 when the finish line looms.
Little thing, big effect: Reduced dot‑ball percentage in the last 15 overs—both sides of the ball.
- Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Bangladesh) – new‑ball off‑spin plus batting glue
Role type: off‑spin all‑rounder, often promoted in the order
Why here: A rare off‑spinner comfortable with the new ball and later the old. He chases angles from wide of the crease, then creeps through the middle overs. The batting growth—entering at No. 7 or even higher—has unlocked team flexibility.
Matchcraft: He understands scoreboard pressure better than younger players; it shows in how he targets open spaces.
- Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka) – legspin impact with batting pop
Role type: attacking legspinner, explosive lower‑middle order
Why here: The ball rips, the field spreads, and the match changes. Hasaranga is primarily a bowler but his batting pressure is real—especially in the overs just before the death. He often turns 250 into 285 or 285 into something chase‑worthy.
Caveat and promise: Fitness and role clarity will determine just how high he can climb on a current list.
- Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka) – old hands, new calm
Role type: batting all‑rounder; seam overs in smart pockets
Why here: An expert at quietening chaos. With the ball, he now bowls in bursts but timing is everything: one over into the wind, one into the surface, and suddenly the game’s heartbeat slows. With the bat, he’s the custodian of a chase’s psychology.
Leadership dividend: When he plays, younger players’ decision‑making improves.
- Sam Curran (England) – left‑arm utility, pinch roles
Role type: seam‑bowling all‑rounder; flexible batting slot
Why here: Genuine swing with the new ball, cutters at the death, and batting that handles chaos. England’s white‑ball plans use Curran to patch holes mid‑game: he can open the bowling or bat at No. 7, sometimes higher, depending on matchup.
Notes on the ICC ODI all‑rounder rankings
According to the latest ICC numbers, Shakib Al Hasan is the No. 1 ODI all‑rounder among men—a status he has owned for long spells, reflecting extraordinary baseline consistency. For women, Natalie Sciver‑Brunt and Ellyse Perry have rotated at the top across cycles, with Amelia Kerr and Marizanne Kapp frequently in the top bracket. ICC rankings change with every series; the Current ARII above places heavier emphasis on role and match context.
The greatest ODI all‑rounders of all time
All‑time greatness demands two qualities: a long peak and a long tail of usefulness. The best here are timeless because their skills solve ODI cricket’s central problem—how to win the middle of the game without sacrificing either edge.
- Jacques Kallis (South Africa) – the gold standard of completeness
Legacy: More ODI runs than most specialists and more wickets than most frontline bowlers. Kallis didn’t merely balance roles; he elevated both. He could bat first drop like a metronome, then take the new ball or change the angle in the middle overs. Averages, strike rates, dismissal mix—everything points to a player who understood tempo better than the scorecards reveal.
Hidden gear: He played the future’s ODI batting before the present caught up—recovering from tough starts, then scaling without risk.
- Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) – the revolution
Legacy: Reinvented ODI powerplays as a left‑hand destroyer. Smashed seam with bat and with ball sliced through middle overs with skiddy left‑arm spin. He carried Sri Lanka’s batting while also contributing over three hundred wickets—numbers that sound fictional unless you lived his era.
System shock: Everyone after Jayasuriya played to a new opening template. He forced it.
- Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) – the modern benchmark
Legacy: The most balanced career profile among contemporary all‑rounders. Shakib combines sub‑5 economy with middle‑order runs season after season. He’s been Bangladesh’s best spinner and a top‑three batter simultaneously, an absurd workload sustained with control.
World stage: Big tournaments become his personal exhibitions of control under pressure.
- Imran Khan (Pakistan) – heavyweight influence
Legacy: A captain who also bowled like a dream and batted like a discerning middle‑order stabilizer. Imran’s ODI batting improved with age; his bowling remained high‑class: heavy ball, late movement, wicket sense. The leadership halo is not fluff—it shows in how Pakistan’s attack cohered around his overs.
Memory line: Imran’s spells feel like speeches: persuasive, structured, decisive.
- Wasim Akram (Pakistan) – swing, seam, sorcery
Legacy: The left‑arm answers to questions ODI batters still can’t solve. New ball hoop, old ball reverse, and those cutters—plus batting that produced precious lower‑order jolts. His career shows how a bowler‑heavy all‑rounder can be era‑defining even without top‑order runs.
Art and science: Small grip changes turned par overs into wicket‑overs on command.
- Kapil Dev (India) – India’s white‑ball pioneer
Legacy: A seamer with natural outswing, safe hands in the deep, and batting that could flip a day on its head. That famous rescue knock in a global tournament is cultural memory now, but the real value was repeatable utility: ten overs, movement with the new ball, composure with the old, and fearless hitting.
Ethos: Made Indian teams believe they could play modern one‑day cricket.
- Shaun Pollock (South Africa) – relentless efficiency
Legacy: If your team had a lead after 15 overs, Pollock took it away. The most economical end‑to‑end seamer of his time; rarely bowled a bad over in ODI cricket. Add safe lower‑order runs, elite fielding, and leadership—this is what a bowling all‑rounder at world‑class level looks like.
Metric to remember: Average and economy together—his double‑digit value wins championships.
- Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) – volatility with a trophy cabinet of impact
Legacy: Pinch‑hitter, legspinner, match‑winner. Afridi’s ODI five‑fors pile up; his batting strike rate made rationed overs feel too short. You don’t pick him for averages, you pick him because he changes how opponents plan.
Truth of impact: He forced captains to move their best bowlers around him. That’s power.
- Andrew Flintoff (England) – pressure specialist
Legacy: A bowler who frightened top batters and a batter who bullied new‑ball quicks when promoted. Flintoff’s ODI bowling had venom; heavy length, sharp seam. With the bat, he had that rare quality: the ability to make a chase feel inevitable.
Under‑discussed: Brilliant slip catcher and a mid‑innings in‑changer who forced run chokes.
- Lance Klusener (South Africa) – death‑overs destroyer
Legacy: Made the last ten overs a South African domain for a generation. As a bowler, he could rip through middle orders; as a batter, he was the original ODI finisher prototype—low backlift, high leverage, accuracy to gaps even under suffocating pressure.
Why here despite shorter volume: Peak pressure value like few others.
- Chris Cairns (New Zealand) – heartbeat of a team
Legacy: New Zealand’s ODI secret weapon. Cairns batted stylishly yet powerfully and bowled skiddy seam that bit the surface. When he clicked, New Zealand won. It’s that straightforward.
Craft: Loved challenging the air with slower balls; baited lofted shots to long straight boundaries.
- Yuvraj Singh (India) – batting artist, golden arm
Legacy: Among left‑hand middle‑order batters, he’s royalty. Add part‑time left‑arm spin that routinely turned to gold in crunch tournaments. His arcs through cover and fierce striking at the death reshaped large chases.
Big tournament magic: Few all‑rounders have dominated a global event with that completeness: runs, wickets, aura.
- Abdul Razzaq (Pakistan) – old‑school efficiency, new‑age finishing
Legacy: He bowled you 6‑7 quiet overs for fun and then hit 20 off 8 like it was a net session. Razzaq lived in the ODI sweet spot: a seam all‑rounder whose batting kept escalating as formats evolved.
Memory: The ice‑veins finishes and stubborn spells on flat decks.
- Ian Botham (England) – the prototype
Legacy: Early‑era ODI numbers don’t always flatter him the way Tests do, but context matters: he carried England’s white‑ball hopes as a true dual threat. Swing with the new ball, rugged batting in tough conditions, and the competitive fever that makes average conditions look alive.
Why included: The blueprint many followed.
- Andrew Symonds (Australia) – enforcer with three bowling types
Legacy: Middle‑order hitter with the option of medium‑pace or off‑spin and elite fielding. Symonds could ruin plans with a burst of overs then settle a chase with swaggering calm.
Tactical edge: Bowling type flexibility; he adjusted to surface and opponent on the fly.
Also truly great and just outside the 15: Shane Watson (devastating opener and powerplay bowler), Shoaib Malik (volume and longevity), Steve Waugh (the original glue), Jacob Oram (bounce and power), Scott Styris (under‑sung consistency), Jason Holder (control and height), Moeen Ali (match‑up savant), Mitchell Marsh (batting punch with seam options).
Women’s ODI all‑rounders: current and all‑time
Men’s pages often crowd the conversation; that’s a blind spot. Women’s ODI cricket has produced all‑rounders who define their teams every bit as profoundly.
Current best women’s ODI all‑rounders
- Natalie Sciver‑Brunt (England): The most complete contemporary package. Elite batting at No. 4, seam‑up bowling with control and bounce, and big‑match temperament. Strike manipulation against spin is textbook; slower‑ball hitting against seam is world‑class.
- Ellyse Perry (Australia): Began as a fast bowler who batted; evolved into a premier batter who can still swing the ball meaningfully. Her ODI record is a monument to intelligent adaptation.
- Amelia Kerr (New Zealand): Legspin prodigy turned batting mainstay. Offers match‑changing spells with the ball and genuine top‑order quality with the bat. ODI cricket bends to legspinners who can bat; Kerr is living proof.
- Marizanne Kapp (South Africa): New‑ball menace, late‑overs hitter, and heartbeat of a bowling unit. Tactical genius in tandem with seamer partners; fearsome when lengths kiss the seam.
- Hayley Matthews (West Indies): Starts innings like a storm, then turns around and bowls practical off‑spin that tightens the middle overs. A true match‑swinger.
- Deepti Sharma (India): An economy machine with the ball, tidy in the powerplay, and a reliable batter anywhere from top six to lower. Enormous tactical value in low‑scoring ODIs.
- Stafanie Taylor (West Indies): Silky batting, smart off‑spin, leadership. Even with evolving roles, her composite value remains high.
- Sophie Devine (New Zealand): Tall seam bowling with bounce, belligerent batting at the top, and tactical clarity.
Greatest women’s ODI all‑rounders of all time
- Ellyse Perry: Sustained excellence in two disciplines over a long span, with crunch‑time performances. When Australia needed control, she delivered; when they needed acceleration, she delivered differently.
- Stafanie Taylor: Career arc of an anchor batter who also provides wickets. It’s rare to be your team’s best batter and a reliable bowler for so long.
- Lisa Sthalekar: Off‑spin master with crucial middle‑order runs; her ODI impact predates the full‑time era’s resources, making the durability even more impressive.
- Natalie Sciver‑Brunt: All‑time trajectory already obvious—her batting alone would put her among the best; the seam bowling and clutch series performances move her into the elite bracket.
- Marizanne Kapp: Combine new‑ball hostility with lower‑order hitting and you get title‑contending ODI teams; South Africa’s modern surge is stamped with her signature.
- Amelia Kerr: Youth plus skill plus productivity. If longevity follows the trajectory, she could finish near the very top of any all‑time list.
- Dane van Niekerk: Legspin craft, batting flexibility, leadership—a three‑in‑one value set.
- Deandra Dottin: Explosive opening batting with seam bowling bursts; fear factor is a skill, and she had it.
Stat‑driven leaderboards and rare clubs
These lists are not exhaustive; they’re curated to highlight the scale of all‑round excellence. Thresholds bring clarity to a conversation that can drift toward anecdotes.
Players with 5000+ runs and 100+ wickets in ODIs (selected)
- Sanath Jayasuriya
- Jacques Kallis
- Shahid Afridi
- Shakib Al Hasan
- Abdul Razzaq
- Yuvraj Singh
- Shoaib Malik
- Steve Waugh
- Chris Gayle
- Sourav Ganguly
Players with 3000+ runs and 150+ wickets in ODIs (selected)
- Imran Khan
- Kapil Dev
- Wasim Akram
- Shaun Pollock
- Jacques Kallis
- Sanath Jayasuriya
- Shahid Afridi
- Shakib Al Hasan
- Abdul Razzaq
- Chris Cairns
- Lance Klusener
- Ian Botham
ODI all‑rounders with both centuries and five‑wicket hauls (selected)
- Sanath Jayasuriya
- Shahid Afridi
- Shakib Al Hasan
- Yuvraj Singh
- Kapil Dev
- Imran Khan
- Ian Botham
- Abdul Razzaq
- Chris Gayle
Note: This is a representative group to show the rarity; the exact count by player is best verified via Statsguru filters with minimum overs/innings constraints.
Best strike‑rate all‑rounders in ODI cricket (concept)
Batting strike rate and bowling strike rate rarely coexist at elite levels. A useful composite is CSI—Combined Strike Impact—where you normalize batting SR against era and compare it to inverted bowling SR (wickets per ball). Afridi and Jayasuriya score sky‑high on CSI because they both scored at pace and struck often. Maxwell’s modern profile also soars; he compresses run‑chases while snaring middle‑order wickets at valuable nodes.
Death‑overs all‑rounders
Batting dominance in the final ten plus useful death bowling is the ultimate white‑ball alchemy. Klusener, Razzaq, Stokes, and Hardik headline this niche. Among spinners, Jadeja and Shakib build toward the death by strangling overs 30‑45, which is what makes a pacer’s late flourish possible.
Powerplay all‑rounders
New ball with swing and opening batting—Watson, Kapp, and occasionally Stokes and Curran have operated here. Jayasuriya’s opening batting with occasional early overs is the original template.
By country: hallmarks and headliners
India
- Kapil Dev: new ball + fearless batting; the original ODI catalyst.
- Yuvraj Singh: middle‑order class with golden‑arm spin; tournament dominator.
- Ravindra Jadeja: control, fielding, and low‑risk finishing; a modern tactical cheat code.
- Hardik Pandya: finisher‑seamer balance; transforms team combinations.
- Ravi Shastri (historical): steady left‑arm spin and measured batting in foundational ODI years.
- Irfan Pathan: swing‑bowling all‑rounder; batter who could open or float.
Pakistan
- Imran Khan: leader and all‑rounder extraordinaire.
- Wasim Akram: all‑time great bowler with lower‑order menace.
- Shahid Afridi: impact monster; legspin and batting fireworks.
- Abdul Razzaq: death‑overs specialist with stone‑cold finishes.
- Shoaib Malik: longevity, matchup batting, and off‑spin control.
- Azhar Mahmood: skilful seam and combative batting.
Bangladesh
- Shakib Al Hasan: definitive modern all‑rounder.
- Mahmudullah: finisher’s temperament; useful off‑spin.
- Mehidy Hasan Miraz: new‑ball off‑spin and promoted batting.
Sri Lanka
- Sanath Jayasuriya: the revolution.
- Angelo Mathews: world‑class game manager.
- Thisara Perera: explosive finisher with seam; a momentum cannon.
- Chaminda Vaas: bowling first, batting utility; new‑ball master.
- Wanindu Hasaranga: legspin fireworks, lower‑order power.
Australia
- Andrew Symonds: enforcer with three bowling options.
- Shane Watson: elite ODI opener with powerplay overs.
- Glenn Maxwell: modern mayhem specialist and matchup off‑spin.
- Steve Waugh: the glue; medium‑pace smarts.
- Mitchell Marsh: batting horsepower; seam link bowler.
- James Faulkner: classical finisher with changes of pace.
England
- Ian Botham: the template for a generation.
- Andrew Flintoff: pressure‑proof bowler and batting bully.
- Ben Stokes: middle‑order alpha and tactical pacer.
- Moeen Ali: off‑spin vs right‑hand stacks; elegant batting.
- Chris Woakes: new‑ball king, clean lower‑order bat.
- Sam Curran: left‑arm flexibility, lower‑order hit‑man.
New Zealand
- Chris Cairns: power and skiddy seam.
- Scott Styris: glue batting plus wickets in the middle overs.
- Jacob Oram: bounce, strength, and presence.
- Corey Anderson: brute batting with useful seam.
- Mitchell Santner: control and economy artistry.
South Africa
- Jacques Kallis: the archetype.
- Shaun Pollock: economy genius and useful bat.
- Lance Klusener: death‑overs destroyer.
- Albie Morkel: power hitting; medium‑pace variations.
- JP Duminy: batting class with matchup off‑spin.
West Indies
- Carl Hooper: elegant batting, shrewd off‑spin.
- Chris Gayle: opening thunder and wicket‑taking off‑spin.
- Dwayne Bravo: slower balls and finishing; ODI sample smaller but meaningful.
- Jason Holder: bounce, accuracy, and composure with the bat.
Afghanistan
- Mohammad Nabi: balance and brains.
- Rashid Khan: primarily a bowler, but lower‑order runs have won matches; an emerging ODI all‑round profile.
- Gulbadin Naib: seam overs, handy batting; tactical fill‑in turned match‑winner at times.
Best ODI World Cup all‑round performances (selected vignettes)
- Yuvraj Singh’s all‑phase dominance in a home campaign: runs when collapses threatened, wickets with drift, and PoM hauls that broke narrative as much as games.
- Sanath Jayasuriya’s opening assaults paired with useful overs that opened daylight between teams; he helped redefine what a “par” looked like.
- Lance Klusener’s end‑overs legend: the cleanest hitting ODI cricket had seen at that stage, layered over fierce seam bowling.
- Shakib Al Hasan’s individual tournament where he was simultaneously a top run‑getter and leading wicket‑taker for his team; the dual discipline at peak levels in the same event is rare.
- Ben Stokes’s finish in a famous final: batting that bent physics and nerves, plus key overs earlier that set up the script.
Batting all‑rounders vs bowling all‑rounders: how to read their value
Batting all‑rounders (Kallis, Maxwell, Stokes, Jayasuriya) are primary batters who bowl strategically. Their bowling overs often break partnerships or lock a phase without conceding big. The batting sets foundations; the bowling tilts balance.
Bowling all‑rounders (Pollock, Akram, Jadeja, Hasaranga) are frontline bowlers whose batting wins on margin—15 saved runs on the scoreboard or 25 added at No. 8. They stretch resources and make a sixth bowling option redundant.
Spin all‑rounders (Shakib, Jadeja, Afridi, Raza, Matthews) compress runs in the middle, amplify dot‑ball pressure, and open wicket doors for seamers late.
Pace all‑rounders (Kapil, Imran, Flintoff, Klusener, Hardik, Kapp) shape powerplays and death overs; their batting usually targets end‑overs inflation.
The captaincy dividend
All‑rounders are natural plan‑B merchants. Imran Khan’s leadership matured aggressive attacks. Kapil’s bold fields and Pollock’s immaculate shapes maximized limited overs. A side with a high‑IQ all‑rounder builds more micro‑plans because they possess a player who is a plan in himself.
A working comparison table (career lens)
The following set aligns with the Career ARII approach and avoids cherry‑picked one‑series peaks. Numbers are representative ranges and roles; for precise stats, consult ball‑by‑ball databases.
| Player | Primary role | Batting profile | Bowling profile | Impact notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacques Kallis | Batting all‑rounder | Top‑order anchor, high average, steady SR | Seam, new‑ball and middle‑overs | Longevity + peak; elite consistency |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | Batting all‑rounder | Explosive opener, high SR | Left‑arm spin, wicket‑taking middle overs | Revolutionized powerplays |
| Shakib Al Hasan | Spin all‑rounder | Middle‑order control, hundreds in pressure | Left‑arm orthodox, sub‑5 econ, key wickets | Sustained dual elite value |
| Imran Khan | Pace all‑rounder | Middle‑order stabilizer with match‑winning knocks | Heavy seam, swing and reverse, wickets in clumps | Leadership elevates impact |
| Wasim Akram | Bowling all‑rounder | Lower‑order hitter | Left‑arm pace, world‑class across phases | ODI bowling GOAT credentials |
| Kapil Dev | Pace all‑rounder | Fearless hitting, clutch long innings | New‑ball swing, skill at old ball | Cultural and tactical trailblazer |
| Shaun Pollock | Bowling all‑rounder | Useful lower‑order runs | Seam economy genius, consistent wickets | Tightest control at elite level |
| Shahid Afridi | Spin all‑rounder | High SR, mercurial | Legspin with many five‑fors | Peak impact, wins big matches |
| Andrew Flintoff | Pace all‑rounder | Muscle batting, tempo shifter | Heavy length pace, wicket bursts | Pressure performances |
| Lance Klusener | Pace all‑rounder | Death‑overs master | Skiddy seam, middle/late overs | Peak at endgame unmatched |
| Chris Cairns | Pace all‑rounder | Middle‑order power | Skiddy seam, wicket‑taking | NZ’s game‑changer |
| Yuvraj Singh | Spin all‑rounder | Grace + power; chase architect | Left‑arm “golden arm” | Tournament dominance |
| Abdul Razzaq | Pace all‑rounder | Ice‑cool finishing | Mid‑80s pace, control, cutters | Value in pressure overs |
| Ian Botham | Pace all‑rounder | Rugged batting | Swing and seam, new‑ball | Prototype of the role |
| Andrew Symonds | Batting all‑rounder | Enforcer | Off‑spin or medium pace | Elite fielding + matchup bowling |
FAQ: Crisp answers to common ODI all‑rounder questions
Who is the best all‑rounder in ODI right now?
Shakib Al Hasan remains the most complete current ODI all‑rounder when balancing batting, bowling, and consistency. On recent hot form, Glenn Maxwell and Sikandar Raza have been game‑breakers; Ravindra Jadeja is the most reliable control engine.
Who is the No. 1 ODI all‑rounder according to ICC?
Shakib Al Hasan sits at No. 1 on the latest ICC men’s ODI all‑rounder rankings. In women’s ODIs, Natalie Sciver‑Brunt and Ellyse Perry have occupied the top spot across recent cycles, with Amelia Kerr and Marizanne Kapp consistently near the summit.
Who is the greatest ODI all‑rounder of all time?
Jacques Kallis is the most complete across eras when combining batting volume, bowling output, and sustained class. Sanath Jayasuriya and Shakib Al Hasan define two different revolutions of the role; Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, and Wasim Akram bring captaincy and bowling GOAT status into the argument.
Which all‑rounder has the most runs and wickets in ODIs?
Among career tallies, Sanath Jayasuriya, Jacques Kallis, and Shahid Afridi headline the rare territory of enormous runs combined with hundreds of wickets. Shakib Al Hasan has joined this group with elite dual numbers.
Who is the best Indian ODI all‑rounder ever?
Kapil Dev set the standard as a pace all‑rounder and leader; Yuvraj Singh delivered the most dominant single‑tournament campaign; Ravindra Jadeja is the modern embodiment of white‑ball control; Hardik Pandya balances a contemporary XI like few others.
Is Shakib Al Hasan the best ODI all‑rounder?
If you value balanced excellence in both disciplines across formats and conditions, Shakib has a compelling case in the modern era. All‑time, Kallis’s batting volume and bowling depth remain the benchmark.
Which all‑rounder has the most Player of the Match awards in ODIs?
Among all‑rounders, Sanath Jayasuriya and Shahid Afridi are near the very top for MoM awards, with Yuvraj Singh and Jacques Kallis also ranking highly. Absolute leaders across all players include batting giants, but these all‑rounders are in elite company.
What qualifies a player as an all‑rounder in ODIs?
Regular, meaningful contributions with both bat and ball over a sizable sample. Not just occasional overs and a rare cameo; it’s sustained value in two disciplines, often reflected in team balance and match impact.
How the role is evolving
White‑ball cricket keeps accelerating, but the best ODI all‑rounders still win the middle overs. What’s changed is flexibility: spinners bowl at the death, seamers bowl in the middle, No. 7 bats in the top six if the matchup demands it. The modern all‑rounder is a problem‑solver with tools that travel.
- Matchup era: A right‑hand‑heavy lineup triggers left‑arm spin; a glut of lefties brings off‑spin with extra fielders inside the ring. All‑rounders who bowl spin and bat anywhere between No. 4 and No. 7 thrive.
- Powerplay re‑think: The best seam all‑rounders don’t just pitch up; they vary height, cross‑seam, and channels. Swing is a bonus, not a requirement.
- Death is data: Hitting zones are mapped; slower‑ball back‑of‑length is the new yorker. Batting all‑rounders train to hit length variations off one leg. Bowling all‑rounders train to hide the wrist until the ball leaves hand.
Tactical vignettes only an all‑rounder owns
- The double‑over: Maxwell bowls an over that costs three and immediately follows with 18 off the next batting over. That’s a 15‑run swing without changing players—a strategic earthquake.
- The Jadeja choke: Opponents hold back their left‑handers for five overs because Jadeja is on; that delay derails the batting order’s rhythm and forces suboptimal matchups later.
- The Shakib squeeze: A batting side on track falls behind par not through wickets, but through starvation. Then the wicket comes anyway.
- The Stokes axis: Bowling’s heavy length softens the ball for the next quick; batting’s presence moves the field 10 meters deeper, opening the square for singles. Tempo follows him.
What this means for selection and balance
- Four genuine bowling options plus two all‑rounders trump five specialists and one flimsy part‑timer. The margin of error broadens, and captains can frontload or backload overs without panic.
- An all‑rounder who bats top six and bowls 6‑8 overs is worth 1.5 players. That’s how you should think of the role in ODI talent scouting.
Closing thoughts: how to watch an all‑rounder properly
Next time you tune in, ignore the score for an over. Watch an all‑rounder’s fields. Focus on lengths and bat swings, not outcomes. The trick in ODI cricket is to see how a player governs rhythm, not just the highlight reel. The best ODI all‑rounders conduct rather than perform; they place a metronome on the game and dare everyone else to keep time.
If the conversation is about pure skill, Jacques Kallis stands tallest. If it’s about systems change, Sanath Jayasuriya moved the goalposts. If it’s about contemporary completeness, Shakib Al Hasan is the blueprint. And yet, on any given day, a Stokes or a Maxwell or a Jadeja can still lean on the game until it folds. That’s why this role matters. That’s why ODIs still sing through the middle overs.
