The unbreakable ones: Five ODI records that may never be broken
The world of cricket is filled with all sorts of records by various big names that touched the game. The game has seen some of the greatest in the form of Sir Don Bradman, Sachin Tendulkar, etc, and that is how the records in the cricket world don’t seem to end. Though it is a bit difficult to etch a name in the purest format of the game, players get well for themselves usually in ODI cricket. In fact, every time a game is played, some new record is made while the old one is broken. In the same light, let’s see five records in ODI cricket that might never be broken.
Sachin Tendulkar- Maximum Player of the Match awards
A prestigious list can never ever be completed without mentioning legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar in it. In his golden career, he bagged innumerable awards to his credit. He has won over 62 player-of-the-match awards in ODI cricket. In fact, he has won them against every Test playing cricket nation. The second in this list is Sanath Jayasuriya, who has 48 Man-of-the-match awards in his name. Virat Kohli currently has 36, and this is why this record looks impossible to break.
Joel Garner- Best career economy in ODIs
The West Indies team of the 1970s and 80s is deemed in utmost high regard, which was capable of shaking any nation on any given day. One of the most talked cricketers of that era was Joel Garner, who holds the record of highest rated bowler ever by ICC. He has 146 ODI wickets at an economy of 3.09, which just seems unbreakable. His outstanding economy is best by a bowler who has delivered over 1000 balls, and the record might stand untouched forever.
Misbah-ul-Haq- Most runs in a career without a ton
The Pakistan batting lineup struggled big time when Inzamam-ul-Haq left international cricket after the 2007 World Cup. The team was looking for a great middle-order batsman, and that is when Misbah-ul-Haq came up like a hero. Playing 162 ODIs in green, he gathered 5122 runs at a healthy average of 43.41 and even remained unbeaten on 31 occasions while taking his team over the line. However, it remains a surprising fact that he didn’t score even a single century in his ODI career while batting for Pakistan.
Ricky Ponting- most no. of matches as a skipper (230)
Ricky Ponting is considered one of the greatest batsmen and captains in Australian cricket history. Out of the total 375 matches he played, he led his side in 230 matches. He took charge from legendary Steve Waugh and pushed Australia to clinch two World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007 under his regime. During 2005-07, he smashed 41 centuries across all the formats and made batting look like a children’s play. The second in this list is Stephen Fleming, who led the NZ side in 218 matches.
Rohit Sharma- The highest score in ODI innings
The Indian hitman and a brilliant batsman Rohit Sharma has captured the world of cricket with his classy batting skills. He is the only batsman in ODIs to have three double tons to his credit. His individual score of 264 runs in an ODI against Sri Lanka in 2014 just looks impossible to break. His magnificent innings was laced up with 33 boundaries and 9 sixes and went down in the last ball of the inning.
