ODI Cricket: Top 10 greatest batting streaks
ODI batting has come a long way in the past 20 years. There used to be a time, not long ago when 264 was a tough score to chase down. Currently, it is Rohit Sharma's highest ODI score.
In the ongoing ODI series between Pakistan and England, both teams have scored in excess of 340 whenever they have batted. Flat pitches, small boundaries, there is a lot of stuff to be said here but at the heart of it is the fact that batsmanship has evolved, and bowlers have not adapted well enough.
ODI cricket has been around for about 50 years and for the major part of it, bowlers dominated the game. It is only in the last few years that batsmen have managed to break free, but if you are a good enough bowler you will thrive. The likes of Bumrah, Cummins, Rabada, Kuldeep, Rashid, etc have shown that.
Comparison is at the heart of all sporting debates, and this one is no different. Consistency in ODI cricket is one of the most difficult attributes. The fast-paced nature of the format means that batsmen have to go for their shots all the time, and you are bound to fail at some point in time. That is what separates the best from the lot.
Over the course of time, certain batsmen have shown that it is possible to bat at a certain tempo in Odi cricket without sacrificing the team's interests. Some of them have even posted numbers that would be astronomical, even in the longest form of the game. Let's check them out.
A shout out to Rohit Sharma and Joe Root who have been in fantastic form for the past couple of years, but narrowly miss out on this list.
Without further adieu, take a look at the top 10 greatest batting streaks in ODI cricket.
#10 Dean Jones (Australia): 1987-1991
Matches: 81, Runs: 3777, Average: 55.09, Highest: 145, 100/50: 7/29, Strike-Rate: 75.
Dean Jones rarely gets a mention when we talk about great ODI batsmen, but a quick look at his stats will tell you that he is right up there with the very best the game has ever seen. Jones perfected the risk free approach of modern day ODI batting long before anyone else.
A quick single and double, the odd boundary here and there and he was on his way to a big score. Jones played 164 ODIs in his career and scored 6058 runs at an average of 45. Those are fantastic numbers, but it his performance between 1986-1991 that gets him a spot on this list.
Between January 1987 and March 1991, Jones played 81 matches and scored 3777 runs at an average of 55. Those numbers are other worldly for that era, and serves as a stark reminder of how far ahead of everyone Jones was. He scored 7 hundreds and 18 half-centuries, and played a crucial role in Australia winning their first World Cup.
He scored 314 runs at an average of 45 in the tournament as Australia beat arch rivals England for the World Cup trophy. Jones was in great nick against both of Australia's major nemesis: England and New Zealand, 5 of his 7 centuries were scored against the two of them. Jones averaged 50+ in 8 of the 13 series he played, and was a cornerstone of Australia's batting.
Jones holds the record for the fifth highest batting rating of all time. He had 918 points after his 64 against West Indies at Trinidad in 1991. It is the highest rating achieved by a batsman in the last 30 years, not even Kohli and de Villiers have managed to surpass him.