Ranking the top five ODI innings by an England batter since 2015 ft. Ben Stokes
England's ODI team has had an incredible and inspirational turnaround in recent years. After a disappointing 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, they completely changed their approach, adopting an ultra-aggressive brand.
The move, orchestrated by Eoin Morgan, paid off as his side won the next edition of the World Cup in 2019. Apart from this triumph, the side also won the T20 World Cup in Australia last year, further establishing their reputation in white-ball cricket.
Thanks to their thrilling style, England have provided fans with some unforgettable moments. Their batters have produced some sublime knocks and their matches have been edge-of-the-seat affairs.
Here, we rank the top five ODI innings by an England batter since 2015.
#5 Alex Hales (171 vs Pakistan, 2016)
In August of 2016, Alex Hales played one of the most destructive innings in ODI history. Opening the batting for England against Pakistan at Trent Bridge, Hales smashed 171 runs off just 122 balls, including 22 fours and four sixes.
His innings helped England set a total of 444/3, which they eventually defended to win the match by 169 runs.
Hales' knock was a masterclass in power-hitting. He used his brute strength and athleticism to clear the boundary with ease but also displayed great timing and placement. Hales' superb effort won him the Player of The Match award.
#4 Jason Roy (180 vs Australia, 2018)
England and Australia were involved in a five-match ODI series on the latter's home turf back in January of 2018. In the first ODI which was played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Aussies batted first and notched up a total of 304 on the board.
The Englishman chased the total down with 1.1 overs to spare and the man responsible for this was opener Jason Roy who played an innings for the ages, scoring 180 at a strike rate of close to 120.
The dangerous batter smashed five sixes in the process and took down some of the best bowlers in the business in Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Adam Zampa. Roy's 180 was the highest score by an England batter in ODIs until Ben Stokes made the record his own yesterday.
#3 Ben Stokes (182 vs New Zealand, 2023)
Ben Stokes has been a huge headache for New Zealand in recent times. He denied them the World Cup in 2019 and yesterday, he played a scintillating knock of 182 at The Oval in London.
Stokes took only 124 balls and ended with a destructive strike rate of 146.77, helping England set the Black Caps a target of 369.
Stokes hit 15 boundaries and nine sixes and shared a 199-run stand for the second wicket with Dawid Malan. Stokes' 182 is now the highest individual score by an England batter in One-Day Internationals.
The damage done by Stokes was way too big as the Kiwis were bowled out for 187, conceding the game by 181 runs. Stokes, who recently returned to ODI cricket was named the Player of The Match.
#2 Alex Hales (147 vs Australia, 2018)
Two years after his heroics against Pakistan, Hales put up another sensational showing at Trent Bridge, this time against Australia. England absolutely smashed the Aussie bowlers to post a record-breaking total of 481 on the board.
The chief architect of this achievement was Hales who plundered his way to 147 off just 92 deliveries. His effort included five sixes and 16 boundaries and he ended with a strike rate of 159.78.
It is to be noted that Hales came to the crease in the 20th over which makes his knock all the more special. It was the then-highest total in ODI history before England themselves broke it in 2022 against the Netherlands.
England went on to win this game by a huge margin of 242 runs and Hales was quite deservingly, adjudged the Player of The Match.
#1 Jos Buttler (162* vs Netherlands, 2022)
Jos Buttler played a stunning ODI innings in June of 2022, scoring 162 runs off just 70 balls against the Netherlands. His knock helped England set a world record total of 498/4 which left the Dutch bowlers in tatters.
Buttler's innings was a testament to his ability to hit the pace bowlers over the top and he was terrific against the spinners. He smashed 14 sixes and seven boundaries to end with an unbelievable strike rate of 231.43.
He treated the bowlers with disdain and the fielders became mere spectators. England went on to win the game by 232 runs and Buttler was obviously, the Player of The Match.