Stats: Players who have scored a century in their 100th ODI
The sheer volume of limited-overs games being played these days has nulled the importance of an individual’s 100th ODI game, a milestone that used to be quite significant when the ODI format was gaining ground a few decades back.
David Warner recently became the first Australian to score a hundred in his 100th ODI, against India, amassing a sublime 124 to help overcome the hosts by 21 runs in a high scoring encounter. Warner had a below-par Test record in India, averaging 24 from eight Tests, and had to prove himself in what was his first ODI in the country.
Playing at the Chinnaswamy, a ground he was well versed with courtesy the IPL, Warner took his time to settle down along with Aaron Finch, but once in flow, he let loose, smashing his 14th century to power Australia to 334.
While he was the first Aussie to achieve this feat, there have been seven batsmen who have made the most of their 100th ODI in the past. Here’s the list:
Gordon Greenidge
The Barbadian great, who formed a formidable opening partnership with Desmond Haynes in ODIs, helped West Indies become the first powerhouse of ODIs over the course of his 16-year long career. A right-hand bat, he averaged more than 45, scoring over 5000 runs at a time when the game was slowly shifting to the condensed form and run-rates started becoming relevant.
He developed a strong defensive technique while learning the ropes of the game as a kid, but the innate streak of aggression within him struck as he played for the West Indies, especially in the ODI format.
In his 100th game, against a young Pakistan side at Sharjah in 1988, Greenidge scored a sedate 102, when the rest of the batsmen, stumbled by the pace of a 22-year-old Wasim Akram, contributed a combined 78 runs.
He played 28 more ODIs for the Windies, before retiring in 1991.