With so many big hitters in today's ODI cricket, I wonder which player people consider the most dangerous to the opposition if he clicks on the day.

Gilchrist and Symonds. They have their days more often than most of the other hitters around. You cou;d argue that Kemp, Shahid Afridi or Dhoni are more destructive but they seem to do it less often than that Aussie pair.

Isn't there some doubt about Gilchrist because of a new baby?

When Afridi gets it right he is the most destructive player around though KP and Gilchrist aren't far behind.

Dangerous big hitter if defined as someone who can cautiously place his innings and as well accelerate...then names that come to my mind would be Abdur razzaq and Mike Hussey

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Tendulkar - A gift to the game of cricket

Its got too be K.P because he realy is that differnt he threads the ball through some perculier areas then become more technical, you just can't bowl or set a feild to someone like that especially technich so out of the big hitters if they all had an off day in the world cup i'd back him too score the most runs, but on the best day it has too be jayuseria because of his experience to be able to keep the mermentum, but all those men in the world cup final got going they could almost assure thier team victory.

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Finally England have risen from the ashes.

I am not sure that KP is as impregnable as he is made out to be. He has got away with it thus far by using a bold approach that is very different from other big-hitters, thus catching the bowlers off guard. But he tends to be predictable and sooner than later is going to be found out, maybe even in this World Cup. I certainly hope so because I don't like turncoats and KP certainly is one.

I do not belive K.p to be a turn coat, it takes balls to up sticks and take a chance to become an international cricketer oin another country, and unlike in other sports he earned his way to the top working from low clubs in england to notts, to hampsire and england, so he has earned his keep and to england he is worth his weight in gold, but if u love cricket then you will enjoy watching anyone like that, such as even though i am english there is no one better to watch than pointing, or tendulker, and my all time favorite cricket player is shane warne, so if k.ps a turn coat i support that if it means entertaining cricket, he has earned my respect especially what he has been through to get here, but back on the subject of smashing, then all players get sused out sometime, what makes you a good player is if you score runs ater you are sused, so give him a chance to adjust his game an he may just become englands best ever batsman, this why i dont rate afridi he is far too inconsistant

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Finally England have risen from the ashes.

I guess any of 20-30-40 international players are capable of clearing long boundaries pretty consistently if the ball is there to be hit: give them width on a long hop or half volley and they can open their shoulders and play through the line. Many also have a decent record of giving themselves room or advancing down the wicket to play pre-meditated slogs: I'm not sure it's a hugely admirable trait... or that difficult - Mal Loye manages despite being a VERY limited batsman!

In terms of raw hitting power... most of the guys on the list are no better or worse than Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee: we're talking tail-ender's shot.... and historically... tail enders have often been the best with the "long-handle"!

The best boundary hitting I've ever seen was from Tendulkar: I can't recall when it was... but it didn't seem to matter what delivery was bowled.. or how well.. he just seemed to be up to any challenge. The only player I'd expect the same from THIS year would be Ponting: no one plays the hook / pull better... and none on this list offered can be backed to find the boundary so effortlessly off even good balls - but he that's boundary hitting not slogging.

For scoring boundaries off indifferent deliveries from a 5th bowler I'd go for KP or Jayasuria... but if you had to pick a current player to score boundaries off Shoaib Akhtar's best ever over... say with 20 runs needed off 6 balls... I'd go with Ponting.

My vote for it was Mahendra Singh Dhoni but I'm sure that Chris Gayle can be equally dangerous if he clicks.What I like about Dhoni is that he plays according to the situation.If he needs to hang around,he just picks up the singles but if he needs to boost the run rate he goes after the bowling.

Another thing about Dhoni is that he can do both in the same innings and I'm sure he'll be a vital batsman in the world cup.

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Karthik Venkatesan