Suresh Raina

London: Suresh Raina may have lost his place in the Indian team due to indifferent form but he figures among the 10 players who will “define” cricket in the next decade.

The latest issue of the Wisden Cricketer clubs Raina with Australians Michael Clarke, Shaun Tait, Shane Watson; England’s Kevin Pietersen; Pakistan’s Mohammed Asif; Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga; West Indian Dwayne Bravo, New Zealand’s Ross Taylor and Bangladesh’s Mohammed Ashraful as the players who will define cricket’s next decade.

The writer says that Raina has the talent to be a left-handed Sachin Tendulkar with even more intuitive flair. “But he needs to be sensitively handled by India. The way he dismantled England during an ODI in Faridabad in March 2006 hinted at a rare genius, and Greg Chappell never stopped singing his praises. Aged 20, he has plenty of time on his side.”

Paying glowing tributes to the hard-hitting Pietersen, the article said he finished the World Cup at the top of the one-day ratings and he has the ability to stay there.

“Only if he grows fed up with his teammates’ failings, will his potential be threatened but Pietersen — flamingo shot, left-handed sweep, bottom-handed cover drive and all — is well on course to fulfil Ponting’s prediction that he is world cricket’s next great phenomenon,” it said.

On Pakistan paceman Asif, the writer said if he could put the drug scandal behind him and rise above Pakistan’s intriguing politics, anything was possible.

“There are few more apparently effortless fast bowlers in the world; willowy, snaking, subtle and accurate, he already has figures to die for (49 Test wickets at 20 with a strike rate of 39). Expect them to get better.”

The writer was full of praise for Clarke. “Australia will relax in the knowledge that once Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey have packed it in, they will be able to base their batting around a man with a strong enough sense of his own destiny to tattoo ‘carpe diem’ on his fore-arm.” (PTI)