It takes only one good inning from a batter to take the game away from the opposition. Unlike T20Is, ODI cricket offers the batters with enough time to build a long innings. The batter can take his time and start slow, catching up with the strike rate later on. Australia is one of the most successful countries in this format and has won the greatest number of ODI World Cups. In this article, we will take a look at the highest scores scored by Australian batters in the ODI format.
1. Shane Watson Vs. Bangladesh
We begin this list with Shane Watson’s unbeaten 185 run knock in the second match of the Australia tour of Bangladesh in 2011. Shane hit 15 fours and 15 sixes in his 96-ball inning to register a strike rate of 192.70. While chasing a total of 229 runs, this knock helped the Australians in registering an easy nine-wicket victory.
2. Matthew Hayden Vs. New Zealand
Moving on, we have Mathew Hayden’s unbeaten knock of 181 runs against New Zealand. He played with a strike rate of 109.03 and bagged eleven fours and ten sixes. The 166-ball inning guided Australia to a total of 346 runs in the bilateral series of 2007. However, New Zealand chased down the total in the final over.
3. David Warner Vs. Pakistan
On position number three, we have David Warner, who scored 179 runs in just 128 balls against Pakistan. In the fifth match of the 2017 bilateral series, Warner hit nineteen fours and five sixes to guide his team to a total of 369 runs. In reply, Pakistan faced a 57-run defeat as they were bowled out for 312 runs.
4. David Warner Vs. Afghanistan
David Warner once again makes it to this list, this time for his 178-run knock against Afghanistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup of 2015. His inning comprised nineteen fours and five sixes. While batting first, Australia posted a mammoth total of 417 runs and then restricted the Afghan batters to only 142 runs.
5. Mark Waugh Vs. West Indies
Position number five on the list belongs to Mark Waugh for his 173-run knock against West Indies. During the Carlton Series of 2001, Waugh hit sixteen fours and three sixes to register a strike rate of 116.89. This knock helped Australia in reaching a score of 338 runs in the first inning and then, register a 39-run victory ultimately.
6. David Warner Vs. South Africa
On the sixth place, we have David Warner’s knock of 173 runs against South Africa in 2016. Interestingly, Warner did not hit even a single six in this 136-ball inning. However, his 24 fours allowed Australia to come close to the opposition’s total of 327 runs. South Africa won this match by 31 runs.
7. Adam Gilchrist Vs. Zimbabwe
Now, Adam Gilchrist stands on the seventh spot with his 172-run inning against Zimbabwe in the 2004 VB Series. While hitting thirteen fours and three sixes in his knock, Adam recorded a strike rate of 136.50. After hitting 344 runs in the first inning, the Australians stopped Zimbabwe on only 196 runs to win by 148 runs.
8. David Warner Vs. Bangladesh
David Warner’s knock of 166 runs from 147 balls makes it to the eighth position on this list. With the help of fourteen fours and five sixes, Warner guided Australia to a total of 381 runs in the group-stage match of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup against Bangladesh. Following this, the Australian bowlers restricted the Bangladeshi bowlers to only 333 runs.
9. Ricky Ponting Vs. South Africa
Moving forward, we have Ricky Ponting, who scored 164 runs off 105 balls with a tremendous strike rate of 156.19. Despite guiding Australia to a huge total of 434 runs with the help of thirteen fours and nine sixes, Ponting and team had to face a one-wicket loss as South Africa chased down the total with one ball remaining.
10. Steve Smith Vs. New Zealand
The final knock to find way to this elite list is Steve Smith’s 164-run knock from the first ODI of the New Zealand tour of Australia in 2016. Steve hit fourteen fours and four sixes in his 157-ball inning and recorded a strike rate of 104.45. Australia registered a victory by 68 runs as they defended their total of 324 runs by bowling out New Zealand for only 256 runs.
