Top 5 ODI Batsmen in Australia’s History
Greatest Australian Batters (Source – Twitter)
The Australian team is known for its domination in World Cricket throughout the years, especially in ODIs. During the early 2000s, Australia were like a nightmare for all the other teams as they used to crush them in all conditions.
Defeating the Aussies was a dream for many captains around the world during that time. Australian dominance can also be seen in the number of International trophies they won. The Baggy Greens are the most successful team in the ODIs as they clinched the World Cup titles in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2015. The main reason for Australia’s sheer supremacy in world cricket is the all-round performance of the team.
Australia have produced some of the legendary batters who used to be a nightmare for the bowlers. In this article,
Showcasing Excellence: Australia’s Top 5 ODI Batsmen:
1. Michael Bevan
Michael Bevan was known as one of the greatest finishers ever played for Australia. He made his debut for Aussies in April 1994 and was known for his power hitting in the end overs after constructing the innings brick by brick.
He has taken his team across the line many times from difficult situations. He was also a great athlete and used to steal quick singles and doubles by playing in the gaps. Bevan has appeared in 232 ODIs for Australia where he amassed 6912 runs with an average of 53.17, including 46 half-centuries and six hundred.
2. Michael Clarke
The former Australian skipper was known for his power-hitting in the middle overs and finishing the innings on a high. He led the Australian team to the ODI World Cup title in 2015. Clarke used to thrill the crowd with his power-hitting and has been a pivotal player for the Aussies in the middle order. He has appeared in 245 ODIs for Australia, scoring 7981 runs with an average of 44.59, including 58 half-centuries and eight centuries.
3. Mark Waugh
Mark Waugh was one of Australia’s great batters in the decade of 90s. Waugh started his career as a middle-order batter but went on to become an opener for the Baggy Greens. He was known for his orthodox shots and great timing with the bat. He was also part of the Australian team that won the World Cup in 1999 under the captaincy of his twin brother Steve Waugh. Mark had a remarkable ODI career of 244 matches, where he scored 8500 runs at an average of 39.35 with 50 half-centuries and 18 centuries in the format.
4. Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist is known for revolutionizing the role of the wicketkeeper batter in the format. Apart from a great batting display with the bat as an opener, Gilchrist also had one of the safest hands behind the stumps which made him one of the most important assets for the team.
He is also one of the few players who have won the World Cup thrice as he was part of the squad in 1999, 2003, and 2007. Gilchrist has amassed 9619 in the 287 One-Day matches that he played for Australia averaging at 35.89 with 55 half-centuries and 16 hundreds.
5. Ricky Ponting
(Source – Twitter)
Undoubtedly, one of the greatest captains and batters in World Cricket, Ricky Ponting also finds his name in the list of players with more than 10,000 runs in ODI cricket. Apart from batting, he was also a great leader who was known for his aggressive mindset and out-of-the-box ideas.
He led the Australian team two times to the World Cup title, in 2003 and 2007. He also won 2006, and 2009 Champions trophies as the skipper which makes him the captain with the most trophies in international tournaments. He has played 375 ODIs for the Aussies where he scored 13704 runs, averaging at 42 with 30 centuries in the format.
