When we talk about cricket the first thing that comes to the mind of a cricket fan is One-Day International (ODI) Cricket as ODI has revolutionized the game of cricket in a very unique manner after its introduction in 1971. ODI Cricket has provided many memorable moments to its fans for over a decade. Many great players have played some incredible innings while playing this unique format of the game. This format of the game has witnessed some outstanding innings being played in a winning cause but it has also witnessed some unbelievable innings being played by some warrior-type players but in a losing cause. Today we are here to read about the Batsmen with the Highest ODI individual Scores in a Losing Cause.
1 Charles Coventry- 194* (156) vs Bangladesh, 16th August 2009. Bulawayo
Many of us might not have heard of the name Charles Coventry. The Zimbabwean No.3 batsman played the innings of his life in an ODI Vs Bangladesh. In the Match, Zimbabwe won the toss and opted to bat first, they scored a challenging first innings total of 312 for the Bangladesh team to chase. Out of these 312, 194 were scored by Coventry himself. This shows you the magnitude of his innings. Coventry’s impactful innings included 7 sixes and 16 boundaries. He equaled the then- highest score of 194 set by Saeed Anwar in 1997 against India but unfortunately, Zimbabwe lost the match against Bangladesh by 4 wickets.
2Â Â Â Fakhar Zaman- 193 (155) vs South Africa, 4th April 2021, Johannesburg
This match might be the most memorable match of the decade for every cricket fan as we witnessed one of the most incredible innings being played by a batsman while chasing a score in the Morden Era.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first. South Africa put on a gigantic total of 341 in 50 overs for Pakistan to chase. Pakistan lost three crucial wickets in the first 10 overs of the match which made the gigantic total seem impossible to chase. The Left-Hand Batsman Fakhar Zaman kept his cool and played an unbelievable inning of 193 against the Proteas side while chasing a mammoth total of 342. The wickets were falling continuously on the other hand but Zaman kept his calm and played innings to remember on the other side. The next highest score in the team was 31 by Babar Azam which shows you the importance and impact of his innings. He struck 18 boundaries and 10 sixes in his innings of 193 against the Proteas Side.
The visitors may have lost the match but Zaman’s 193 remains the highest-ever ODI score in South Africa.
3 Matthew Hayden- 181 (166) vs New Zealand, 20th February 2007, Hamilton
Matthew Hayden is major known for playing explosive innings while opening the innings for Australian Cricket Team before his retirement. One of his explosive innings came against New Zealand during the Australia tour of New Zealand in 2006/07. Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. The Aussies put on a mammoth total of 346 on board for the Kiwis to chase. Out of those 346, 181 were scored by Matthew Hayden himself. Hayden struck 11 boundaries and 10 sixes in his explosive innings of 181. He rattled the bowling lineup of the New Zealand side.
The Kiwis lost 4 crucial wickets under the first 7 overs of the game which made the mammoth total seem impossible to chase for them but the heroics of Craig McMillan and Brendon McCullum changed the whole momentum of the match. Craig scored 117 off 96 balls and McCullum scored 86 off 91 balls to help the side reach the mammoth total with 3 balls remaining to bowl.
4 Evin Lewis- 176 (130) vs England, 27th September 2017, The Oval
The Oval has witnessed many incredible ODI matches being played on the ground for so many years as it is still considered one of the highest scoring grounds in comparison to other grounds. One of the ODI matches was played on 27 September 2017 between West Indies and England.
England won the toss and opted to field first. West Indies started the match on a worrying note as they lost the crucial wickets of Gayle, Hope, and Samuels in the first 7 overs. West Indies looked in trouble and were rescued by their other explosive opener Evin Lewis in a time of need. Lewis scored 176 off 130 deliveries but unfortunately, he had to retire hurt as he suffered a hairline fracture to his right ankle while on 176. His remarkable innings helped his side to reach the mammoth total of 356 in 50 overs.
England scored 258 runs from 35.1 when the rain gods decided to interrupt. This was enough to secure a win in a rain-truncated game for the hosts as they won by 6 runs.
5 Sachin Tendulkar- 175 (141) vs Australia, 5th November 2009, Hyderabad
The God Of Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar is the name you’ll always find in the list of the highest ODI scores in the list of the winning cause but this time you’re seeing it here in the list of losing causes as well. The little master scored an astounding inning of 175 against the mighty attack of the Australian Cricket Team.
Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. The Aussies posted a massive total of 350 for India to chase in 50 overs. Shane Watson and Shaun Marsh scored 93 and 112 respectively to help their side reach such a large total. Indian Team had a rocky start to the chase as they lost the crucial wicket of explosive batsman Virender Sehwag in the first 10 overs of the match. Wickets kept on falling on one end but Tendulkar kept his calm and used his experience to his advantage at the moment. He scored an astonishing inning of 175 off just 141 deliveries which kept the hope of every cricket fan alive till the last moments of the match. Unfortunately, his heroics weren’t able to save India from losing as they lost the match against Australia by only 3 runs as they got all out with 2 balls remaining.
Also Read– Top 5 Unbelievable Coincidences in Cricket History
