Left-handed batsman have made some of history's greatest runs at the plate. The all-time Test run scoring charts place Brian Lara first and Allan Border third, respectively, and several other players rank within the top 30: Shiv Chanderpaul, Justin Langer, Mark Taylor, Clive Lloyd, Gary Kirsten, Matthew Hayden, David Gower, Sir Garfield Sobers, and so on.
These are merely the most productive in terms of runs scored, despite the fact that several of their titles allude to what makes left-handers unique: their sense of style. Lara and Sobers mix Gower's grace and Hayden's strength, and it is a sight that is getting progressively more common.
Ten players rank in the top 30 and four of the top 10 Test players are left-handed. Even though many athletes are not left handed, this ratio is significantly higher than both the average and that of other sports. All of the right-handed bowlers—Graeme Smith, Saurav Ganguly, Chris Gayle, Chanderpaul, and Michael Hussey—suggest that this is their dominant hand. Left handedness in batting is primarily related to footwork, and players can really switch at a young age and become skilled in the opposite style from their original one.
Teams like left-handed players because they offer variety. Bowlers have to shift their line of attack if they are bowling at a right and left hander, which means they cannot settle into a groove of bowling in the same location. The fielding captain must also constantly adjust his position.
Similar to this, having left arm bowlers is advantageous. When paired with swing, they offer a distinct angle of attack, typically bowling over the wicket, which may make life challenging for right-handers. Both Ryan Sidebottom and Chaminda Vaas, who are both ranked in the top 10 worldwide, have this formula. Despite having extra velocity and a distinctive bowling movement, Sohail Tanvir's incredible success in the Indian Premier League demonstrated how dangerous this combination can be.
Left arm finger spinners are more effective than traditional right arm spinners, according to Monty Panesar (ranked 11th) and Daniel Vettori (20th). They turn the ball away from the right-handed batsman (much like the more aggressive leg spinners do), and they are much more likely to be given out for ducking.
All Test teams prefer to have a balance of right- and left-handed players, and there are currently many options available. Hayden, Smith, Sangakkara, Chanderpaul, Hussey, Ganguly, Vettori, Vaas, Zaheer Khan, Sidebottom, and Panesar would make up a current Test left-handers lineup.
That lineup would put up a decent fight against a right-handed global XI and demonstrates that left-handers don't necessarily make better cricket players, but they do make more useful ones. In the West Indies-Australia Test series, Chanderpaul leads both teams in terms of form, while Sidebottom, the player of the year in English cricket, is arguably the most dangerous fast bowler in the world right now.
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