There have been many batters who have played great test cricket at their home conditions but there have been fewer players who have excelled away from home and those are the players that are more widely respected and they became all time legends. Over the years more and more batters have got better playing in away conditions as they practice a lot before the tour.
Over the last 10 years players from the prominent test playing nations such as India, Australia, England, New Zealand have worked on their skills to play in overseas conditions and their averages and the number of runs they have scored away from home. Let’s look at the top 5 batters who have the best averages in overseas conditions with a minimum of 20 innings under their belt.
1. Steve Smith –
Steve Smith is the only batter to have an average of over 60 in overseas conditions. He is one of the best batters to have graced the test cricket format and all this while not having the usual technique to play the game and in his own unique way he has stood out from among his contemporaries and secured the number 1 rank batter for quite some time. His hundred in Pune in tough spinning conditions is a prime example of his overseas prowess. He has many more years ahead of him and one can only imagine what will he achieve in the future.
Also Read | Steve Smith Best innings
2. Allan Border –
This great batter and captain of Australia is second on this list with an average of over 56 in o overseas conditions. Allan Border was one of the finest left handed batters of his generation and he was playing in the 1980s era where they were many like him and to stand out among them is very impressive. His knocks in England and India will be remembered for years and the future generations of Aussie cricketers take him as their inspiration.
3. Steve Waugh -
One of the greatest cricketers of all time and someone who is as respected as anybody in the history of the game. The perfect ambassador of the beautiful game and still playing it aggressively and fairly. He averages over 54 in matches away from home and that says something considering the level of great bowling he faced is astonishing. He was great in every country he played in be it England, South Africa or India. He was a true legend of the game and is missed by all cricket fans not just in Australia but around the world.
4. Graeme Smith -
One of South Africa's best ever batters and captains and he was one batter from South Africa who was excellent in overseas conditions throughout his career as he had an average of 53.16 away from home in his career. He was an opening batter at that, facing the most difficult time for a batter in foreign conditions and still doing so well is a testament to his greatness as a player. He was a prodigy and he made full use of it.
Also Read | Best Test Innings Of Graeme Smith
5. Greg Chappell -
A true great batter in the earlier times and a classical batter he was with a strong on side game and he loved scoring runs outside of Australia as he had a staggering average of 52.95 in overseas conditions during a time when there were no helmets and the pitches were not that good is quite something. He was a truly revered batter during his times and his combination with his brother Ian Chappell was legendary.
