The fame of One-day International matches after the ODI World Cup is known to all. Heretofore many great players have played this format and scored many runs. This form is currently dominating modern-day cricket. High-scoring matches with good averages are the marker of the game. The article discusses the top 10 Australian batsmen with the best batting average in ODI (min 50 innings).
1. Michael Gwyl Bevan
Michael Gwyl Bevan is a former left-hand batter of the Australian team. He made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka at Sharjah on 14 April 1994. Being a part of two World Cup wins in 1999 and 2003, Bevan holds the record for best average from Australia with an average of 53.58. He played 232 matches and scored 6912 runs in 196 innings with six centuries. Bevan played his last game against Sri Lanka in Colombo.
2. Michael Edward Killeen Hussey
Michael Edward Killeen Hussey is a former left-hand batter who made his ODI debut on 1 February 2004 against India at Perth. He is known by his nickname 'Mr. Cricket' because of his stats. He played 185 matches and scored 5442 runs in 157 innings with an average of 48.15 with three centuries. He played his last ODI match on 3 September 2012 against Pakistan at Sharjah.
3. David Andrew Warner
David Andrew Warner is a left-hand batter who played his first ODI match on 18 January 2009 against South Africa at Hobart. He played 128 ODI games and scored 5455 runs in 126 innings with an average of 45.45 with 18 centuries. Warner holds the record of the second-most ODI century in a calendar year the batsman scored seven centuries in 2016.
4. Dean Mervyn Jones
Dean Mervyn Jones was a former right-hand batter who made his ODI debut on 30 January 1984 against Pakistan at Adelaide. The batsman played 164 matches and scored 6068 runs in 161 innings with an average of 44.61 with seven centuries. He played his last ODI match in 1994 against South Africa.
5. Michael John Clarke
Michael John Clarke is a former right-hand middle-order batsman who was also the captain of the world cup winning Australian team of 2015. He made his ODI debut on 19 January 2003 against England at Adelaide and played 245 games. Clarke scored 7981 runs in 223 innings with an average of 44.58 with eight centuries. He declared his retirement after winning the world cup final on 29 March 2015 against New Zealand.
6. Matthew Lawrence Hayden
Matthew Lawrence Hayden is a former left-hand opening batsman. He made his ODI debut on 19 May 1993 against England at Manchester. The batsman played 161 ODI matches and scored 6133 runs in 155 innings with an average of 43.80 with ten centuries. He played his last game on 4 March 2008 against India at Brisbane.
7. Steven Peter Devereux Smith
Steven Peter Devereux Smith is a right-hand middle-order batter in the current squad. He made his first ODI appearance on 19 February 2010 against West Indies in Melbourne. Smith has played 128 ODI matches till now and scored 4378 runs in 113 innings with an average of 43.34 and 11 centuries.
8. Aaron James Finch
Aaron James Finch is a right-hand opening batter in the current squad who is also the captain of the ODI team. Known by the nickname Finchy, he played his first ODI match on 11 January 2013 against Sri Lanka in Melbourne. He has played 132 games and scored 5232 runs in 128 innings with an average of 41.85 with 17 centuries.
9. Ricky Thomas Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting is a former right-hand top-order batter who played his first ODI match on 15 February 1995 against South Africa at Wellington. He is a man of records with several records. Some of them are- Most ODI centuries by an Australian, 3rd most runs in ODI career in all time, 3rd most ODI hundred in all time, 3rd most ODI fifties in all time, etc. He played 374 matches and scored 13589 in 364 innings with an average of 41.81 and 29 centuries. Ponting played his last game against India at Brisbane on 19 February 2012.
10. Damien Richard Martyn
Damien Richard Martyn is a former right-hand top-order batter. He made his ODI debut against West Indies in Sydney on 8 December 1992. Damien played 208 matches and scored 5346 runs in 182 innings with an average of 40.80 with five centuries. He announced his retirement after playing against West Indies at Mumbai on 5 November 2006.
