I think the point about playing the big hitters in the lower-middle order (behind the nudgers and nurdlers) is that they end up coming to the crease knowing what they are licensed to do: if the nudgers and nurdlers have done their job and the platform is in place they know they have a license to slog good balls... whereas if the top order has failed they know they have to wait for the bad ball (and ideally play shots along the ground rather than going over the top).

I agree with you though: Bevan (batting average of 53.58) is arguably the best ODI batsmen of all time... and he scored barely 1 in 4 of his runs through boundaries. Mark Waugh and Damien Martyn have perhaps been Australias other two great ODI batsmen for the core overs of a match... and both scored just 1 in 3 of their runs through boundaries. Hooper was a superb ODi batsman and worked much the same way. Batting at 6, Johnty Rhodes managed a strike rate of over 80 through his scurrying between the wickets: just 3 in every 10 of his runs came through boundaries.

ps. Shahid Afridi has scored two out of every three of his runs through boundaries. I calculate that he's faced about 4535 deliveries.... and off 3859 (85%) of those he's scored... 1742 runs.. suggesting that he returns a dot ball for well over half (and probably near three-quarters) of the deliveries he faces! No wonder his average is just 22.91!