5 Instances of a batsman outscoring the opposition team in ODIs
Getting a half-century or a century in One-Day International (ODI) cricket is considered a very good achievement. For, it sets up the team’s quest of winning a game. Those contributions from the batsmen often help take the game away from the opposition. Thus, such milestones are highly celebrated.
However, there are also instances when a few batsmen unleashed their beast mode. They did not settle at a fifty or a hundred. They went a step ahead and put up a big score on the board. The bowlers then backed it up with brilliant performances helping that single batsman outscore the entire opposition. Here are some of the instances when that happened:
5. Rohit Sharma
When Rohit Sharma played against Sri Lanka in 2014, history was made. The Indian opener broke several records on his way to a mammoth score of 264 including Virender Sehwag’s highest ODI score record of 219 runs back then. He also became the first and only batsman to cross the 250-run mark in Limited-Overs International cricket. Chasing 405 runs in the game, Sri Lanka could only reach 251 runs – a total which was less than Rohit’s score by 13 runs.
4. Fakhar Zaman
Playing Zimbabwe in 2018, Fakhar Zaman became the first batsman from Pakistan to register a ODI double hundred. The left-hander amassed 210 runs during his knock and left the Zimbabwean bowlers clueless. Courtesy his knock, Pakistan put up 399 runs on the board. However, Zimbabwe failed to get anywhere close to the target. They not only lost the game by 244 runs but also fell short of Fakhar’s individual score by 55 runs.
3. Viv Richards
Way back in 1984, Sir Vivian Richards managed to achieve the feat of out-scoring the opposition. Against a strong England team, the legendary cricketer mustered 189 runs from 170 deliveries. The flamboyant batsman took the attack to the likes of Ian Botham and Bob Willis. As a result, West Indies put up 272 runs on the board. The English team, however, could not even go past Richard’s individual score. They were bundled for only 168 runs.
2. Gary Kirsten
South Africa’s Gary Kirsten, in 1996, smashed 188* against the UAE. He got to that total in only 159 deliveries and thereby helped his team notch up 321 runs for the loss of a couple of wickets. In reply, UAE managed to get only 152 runs on the board in their quota of 50 overs and lost 8 wickets in the process.
1. Yuvraj Singh
Early in his career, back in 2003, Yuvraj Singh scored an unbeaten 102 in a game against Bangladesh. The left-hander displayed his class even though his teammates struggled with the bat. His knock helped India reach 276 runs before they were bowled out. However, this turned out to be more than adequate to defend. The Indian bowling attack was ruthless on the day and bundled Bangladesh out for only 76 runs.
