Every Player has the primary motive to win the match for their team and then think about their milestones. In any format of cricket, scoring a century is very difficult for any player. However, if a century did not lead to a team's win, it went in vain. Some unfortunate batsmen gave their strenuous efforts and scored significant runs for their team, but they lost the match. So, here's a list of the Highest ODI Centuries that went in vain.
1. Charles Coventry (194)
It is the most considerable ODI century that went in vain, as this century did not lead to the team's win. Charles Coventry is a former right-handed batsman from Zimbabwe. In a 4th ODI played between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in 2009, Charles Coventry scored one of the highest individual scores in the ODI. In this match, Charles Coventry scored 194 runs in 156 balls, the highest by any batsman at No. 3 in ODIs. Zimbabwe set a target of 313 runs. With Tamim Iqbal's magnificent 156 innings, Bangladesh won the match by four wickets. Even though Bangladesh won, Charles Coventry was the Man of the Match for his brilliant innings.
2. Mathew Hayden (181)
In 2007, Australia toured New Zealand, and Australia batted first in the 3rd ODI against New Zealand. Mathew Hayden became the beast and played a big innings of 181 runs, and Australia set a target of 346 runs. By Craig McMillian's and Brendon McCullum's 117 and 86 runs, respectively, New Zealand won this thriller match in the last over and won the game by eight wickets. Despite being on the losing side, Mathew Hayden got the Man of the Match award.
3. Evin Lewis (176)
In 2017, West Indies toured England, and in the 4th ODI, Evin Lewis played one of the best ODI innings in the history of West Indies cricket. England won the toss and elected to bowl first. From West Indie's side, no one scored crucial runs except Evin Lewis and Jason Holder. In this match, Evin Lewis played an innings of 175 off 130 balls. England came to bat, and Jason Roy gave England a quick start by scoring short 84 runs. In the 28th over, the rain came, and by the D/L method, England won the match by six runs. Even though Evin Lewis got the Man of the Match award, his innings were unsuccessful.
4. Sachin Tendulkar (175)
Sachin Tendulkar is the highest run scorer in the test and ODI cricket. Before Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar had the most number of ODI centuries. Even though Sachin scored many match-winning centuries, some went in vain. In the 5th ODI against Australia in 2009, Australia bat first and set a target of 350 runs. From India's side, no one scored runs except Sachin. He scored a brilliant 175 runs off 141 balls. After Sachin got out, India's batting collapsed. In the end, Australia won the match by three runs.
5. David Warner (173)
Australia is the most dominant team in cricket history. There are sporadic series where they got whitewashed, and one came against South Africa in 2016. In the 5th ODI, South Africa elected to bat first and scored 327 runs. Apart from David Warner, no Australian batter could play South Africa's bowling lineup. David Warner scored one of the highest ODI scores and played an innings of 173 off 136 balls. Despite his strenuous efforts, Australia lost the match by 31 runs.
6. Rohit Sharma (171)
Rohit Sharma is one of the most destructive batsmen in white-ball cricket. On his day, no bowler in the world can dismiss him. In the 1st ODI against Australia in Perth, India batted first and scored 309 runs. Rohit Sharma scored 171 runs in 163 balls for India and remained not out of place. After this, Steve Smith and George Bailey stole the show and scored 149 and 112 runs respectively. Despite Rohit Sharam's incredible inning, his 171 runs were unsuccessful as Australia managed to win the match by five wickets.
7. Robin Smith (167)
Robin Smith is a former right-handed batsman from England. In 1993, Australia visited England. In the 2nd ODI against Australia, Australia won the toss and elected to bowl first. From England, Robin Smith came to bat at No. 3 and scored 167 runs in 163 balls. England set a target of 278 runs, which Australia chased with the help of Mark Waugh's 113 and Alan Border's 86 runs innings. Even though Robin Smith got the Player of the Match award, his century did contribute to the team's win.
8. Ricky Ponting (164)
It is one of the most memorable matches in ODI cricket as this is the highest chased target in the history of ODI. In the 5th ODI played between Australia and South Africa in 2006, Australia won the toss and chose to bat first. Both Adam Gilchrist and Michael Hussey scored 55 and 81 runs, respectively. But Ricky Ponting was the absolute nightmare of bowlers, and he went on to score 164 runs. Australia set a target of 435 runs for South Africa. But Herschelle Gibbs stole the show from Ponting and scored 175 runs. South Africa won the thriller in the last over, and Ponting's incredible 164 runs innings did not lead to the team's win.
9. Chris Gayle (162)
It was the 4th ODI match between West Indies and England in 2019. England batted first, and by Buttler's destructive innings of 150 runs, England scored 418 runs. Despite losing quick wickets, Chris Gayle was smashing every bowler. He scored 162 off 97 balls in this match, and Gayle hit 14 sixes. Even though he played an essential innings, the West Indies could not win the match. In the end, England won the game by 29 runs.
10. Tillakaratne Dilshan (160)
Tillakaratne Dilshan is one of the best batsmen Sri Lanka has ever produced. In the 2011 World Cup, he was the tournament's highest run scorer. Dilshan plays many match-winning knocks, but some centuries have yet to lead to Sri Lanka's win. In a 1st ODI against India, Sri Lanka was chasing the target of 415 runs, where Sangakkara scored 90 runs as well. Tillakaratne Dilshan scored 164 off 121 balls, but after his impeccable innings, Sri Lanka lost the match by three runs.
