It’s been another fantastic year for cricket fans with so many great moments from around the globe in the three formats of the globe. As we edge towards the end of 2018, here is a list of who we believe are the three leading batsmen in the world at the moment.
Virat Kohli
#ViratKohli asks cricket fan to ‘leave India’, faces backlash on social mediahttps://t.co/WSn9SHJqCX pic.twitter.com/xDjGIG9SGp
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) November 7, 2018
It is very difficult to argue against Virat Kohli being the number one batsman in the world today. The Indian excels in limited overs cricket and equally in the Test game where he has helped lead his country to the number one spot in the ICC world rankings. Kohli currently has an impressive average of 54.47 in Test cricket with over 6300 runs. He has broken so many individual milestones with India and in world cricket. The 2017 ICC Cricketer of the Year could be on course for winning the award for the third time in his career in 2018. India are set to face Australia in a Test series next year where his side are $2.50 in the cricket betting to come out on top as the visitors.
Steve Smith
The inclusion of Steve Smith on this list is sure to divide opinion as the Australian was banned for a year in March due to his involvement in ball tampering in a game between Australia and South African earlier in 2018. Smith accepted his part in that incident and the charge given to him. Once he serves his ban, the former Australian captain will hopefully be able to move on and show the world how good of a batsman he is. The 29-year-old currently averages 61.37 in the Test game and 41.84 in one day cricket for his country. Australia will be turning to Smith to play his part in trying to help his side win an Ashes series in England for the first time since 2001 when the Baggy Green tour there in 2019.
Kane Williamson
=> New Zealand = 153/7 (20)
Corey Anderson= 44(25)
Colin Munro= 44(28)
Kane Williamson= 37(34)=> Pakistan ??
Shaheen Afridi 3/20
Mohammad Hafeez 1/12
Imad Wasim 1/25Pakistan need 154 runs to win the 2nd T20 and Series too..#PAKvNZ #NZvPak pic.twitter.com/BdBCgGcHfE
— Pakistan Cricket ?? (@PakistanCric10) November 2, 2018
Kane Williamson has been New Zealand’s leading player for a number of years now and in that time that Kiwi batsman has consistently been at the top end of the ICC Leading Test batsman rankings. In his 65 matches so far in Test cricket, Williamson has scored over 5300 runs with an average of 50.35. The innings which stands out the most is his 242 not out against Sri Lanka in 2015 where his side declared on 524-5 otherwise he could have extended that score even further. Back in March, Williamson broke the record for the most centuries score in Test cricket by a Kiwi when he secured the 18 th of his career. Just a few months ago he went over 10,000 first-class runs when playing for Yorkshire in the County Championship in England. At the age of just 28, the New Zealand batsman has many more years ahead of him in the game, therefore he is sure to go on to further records.
All three players will be looking to continue to impress in 2019 in a year which features the ICC World Cup in England.