A one-day international is a limited-overs game played between the two teams. Each team plays a fixed number of overs—50 overs. The first ODI was played in 1971 between Australia and England. Players try their best to hit at least 50 in their match, and if the ball is turning well on the pitch, they try their best to hit at least a century and add a feather to their cap. But sometimes batters struggle to take runs, and because the bowler is too good to smash the ball or the pitch is not good to bat on, batters take their time to hit runs. As ODI is a limited overs game, we have seen many fastest centuries in ODI cricket, but some cricketers took so much time to reach their century. People might think the batters are selfish for wasting so many balls just for their record to shine because, in the end, the century gets counted. But sometimes the wicket is too slow to bat on, and batters struggle to hit, so they take their time to score runs to reach a good total on the board.
1. David Clarence Boon
David Clarence Boon was born on December 29, 1960. Boon is a former Australian cricketer and a commentator. He played for Australia from 1984 to 1996. He was a right-handed batsman. He has played 107 test matches, 181 ODI matches, and 350 first-class matches, scoring 7422, 5964, and 23413 runs, respectively. In his career, he has played many games and scored many centuries and half centuries, calming a place in his fan’s hearts. In one of the ODI matches when he played against India in theBenson and Hedges World Series, he scored a century in 166 balls, recorded as one of the slowest centuries by a cricketer in an ODI format. However, Australia won the match in the end, and he became the man of the match.
2. Rameez Raja
Rameez Raja was born on August 14, 1962. He is a former cricketer who played for Pakistan from 1984 to 1997. Raja is currently a commentator and a YouTuber. He was a right-handed cricketer who contributed good numbers to his team and was successful as a batsman. He has played 57 test matches and 198 ODI matches, scoring 2833 and 5841 runs, respectively. In the fourth match of the Benson Hedges World Cup, Pakistan faced the West Indies and Raja was at the crease. The pitch was slow, and he scored a tonne in the match, facing 157 balls. He took time to reach his century and helped his team put 220 runs on the board. However, the West Indies were in terrific form and won the match with ten wickets in hand. This inning was recorded as one of the slowest centuries in ODI cricket.
3. Geoff Marsh
Geoff Marsh was born on December 31, 1958. He is a former Australian cricketer and coach who played for Australia in all formats from 1977 to 1994. Marsh is a right-handed batsman who used to open the batting for Australia. He has played 50 test matches and 117 ODI, scoring 2854 and 4357 runs, respectively. When Australia was touring England, he scored the slowest century of his career in one of his ODIs. He reached his century in 152 balls, and when Australia won the match with three balls to spare, He was 111 not out in 162 balls. He spent a total of 212 minutes on the crease.
4. Rameez Raja
Rameez Raja was born on August 14, 1962. He is a former cricketer who played for Pakistan from 1984 to 1997. Raja is currently a commentator and a YouTuber. He was a right-handed cricketer who contributed good numbers to his team and was successful as a batsman. He has played 57 test matches and 198 ODI matches, scoring 2833 and 5841 runs, respectively. His name was again on the list of slowest centuries scored in ODIs. This time Pakistan faced Sri Lanka in the tenth match of the Benson Hedges World Cup and Raja was the opening batsman. He reached his century in 152 balls and got out, scoring 107 runs in 154 balls. He and his opening partner managed to put up 315 runs, enough to win the match.
5. Scott Styris
Scott Styris was born on July 10, 1975. He is a former New Zealand cricketer who played for his team from 1999 to 2011. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium bowler. His role was of an allrounder in his team. He has played 29 test matches, scoring 1586 runs and taking 20 wickets. He has played 188 ODI matches, scoring 4483 runs and taking 137 wickets. His name was recorded as one of the slowest hundreds scored by a cricketer in ODIs. In the 2007 ICC World Cup, when New Zealand was facing Sri Lanka in their 39th match, New Zealand was two down for four and was in a bad situation as they had lost the early wickets. Styris came to the crease, and even though the pitch was turning in Sri Lanka’s favor, Styris managed to score a century in 152 balls, helping his team put a decent total on the board. Unfortunately, they lost the match as Sri Lanka reached the target in 42 overs.
6. Tom Cooper
Tom Cooper was born on November 26, 1986. He is an Australian cricketer who plays for South Australia in domestic cricket. Cooper represents the Netherlands. He is a right-handed middle-order batsman and a right-arm off-break part-time bowler. He has played in the under-19 World Cup for Australia. Until now, he has played 29 ODI and 25 T20 matches, scoring 1242 and 552 runs, respectively. In 2010, when the Netherlands faced Afghanistan in an ICC World League Division One match, Cooper made his century in 155 balls. He helped his side put a score of 201 runs on the board, but unfortunately, Afghanistan took the match away from them, winning it in just 42 overs.
7. Geoff Marsh
Geoff Marsh was born on December 31, 1958. He is a former Australian cricketer and coach who played for Australia in all formats from 1977 to 1994. Marsh is a right-handed batsman who used to open the batting for Australia. He has played 50 test and 117 ODI matches, scoring 2854 and 4357 runs, respectively. His name was again on the list of slowest centuries scored in ODIs. In one of the ODI matches against the West Indies in 1991, the West Indies batted first and put 251 runs on the boardMarsh helped his team win the match in 48 overs with his century, albeit the slowest ever. He scored his tonne in 150 balls. At the end of the game, he was on 106, not out.
8. David Hemp
David Hemp was born on November 8, 1970. He is a former Bermudian cricketer and played for Bermuda in ODIs and T20s. Currently, he is serving as the coach of the Bermuda cricket team. He was a left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium bowler. He has played 22 ODI and 2 T20 matches, scoring 641 and 20 runs. OnApril 6, 2009, Hemp opened the inning for Bermuda in the RLD Cup Qualifier. He played an inning of 102 runs, not out in 152 balls. Hemp reached his tonne in 150 balls, and this innings is considered one of the slowest in ODI history. He helped his team put an excellent score on the board, but Kenya chased down the score with five overs remaining and seven wickets in hand.
9. Shai Hope
Shai Hope was born on November 10, 1983. He plays as a wicketkeeper and batsman for the West Indies in all formats of cricket. Hope is currently serving as captain of the West Indies in ODIs. He is a right-handed batsman. He has played 38 Tests, 108 ODIs, and 19 T20s, scoring 1726, 4488, and 304 runs, respectively. In an ODI against India in Chennai, he played one of the slowest innings and scored 102 runs not out in 151 balls, helping his team win the match with two balls remaining. He reached his 100 in 119 balls.
10. David Clarence Boon
David Clarence Boon was born on December 29, 1960. He is a former Australian cricketer and a commentator. Boon played for Australia from 1984 to 1996. He was a right-handed batsman. He has played 107 test matches, 181 ODI matches, and 350 first-class matches, scoring 7422, 5964, and 23413 runs, respectively. His name was again on the list of slowest centuries scored in ODIs. Opening the inning for his team in the Bensonand Hedges World Series against the West Indies, he scored another slowest century in 146 balls. He helped his team put a decent total on the board and won the match by bowling the West Indies all out in 42.4 overs.
