Top 10 brutal innings in ODI cricket

Brutality seldom has a clear definition, but it is most commonly used to describe the methods used to slay any living thing – man or animal.

Cricket has also seen quite a few instances where batsmen have slain bowling attacks without a care in the world. The likes of Yuvraj Singh and Aaron Finch, bolstered by the advent of Twenty20 cricket, can decimate any side by the sheer power of their exploits with the willow.

Sachin Tendulkar started his international career on those lines, and over time, developed a refined version of the savagery that he would dish out to bowlers around the world.

Here is a look at ten of the most brutal innings ODI cricket has ever seen:

Special Mention: Collis King (86 v/s England, 1979 World Cup final)

It wasn’t every day that Viv Richards, the swaggering batsman of the seventies and eighties, ended up playing second fiddle to anyone else. But in the final of the 1979 World Cup against England, a Bajan all-rounder put him to shade with a masterly knock of his own.

Walking in with the side reeling at 99/4, Collis King set about the bowling almost immediately. He cut Ian Botham for four off his first ball, and then went after part-timers Boycott, Larkins and Willey. With Bob Willis absent due to injury, England had to gamble on the remaining 12 overs, and it proved to be their undoing.

King ignored Richards’ advice of taking it easy, and swiftly mowed down the rest of the bowling post-lunch. He fell for a well-made 86 from just 66 balls, and coupled with Richards’ 138, West Indies overcame a spirited response from captain Mike Brearley and Boycott to retain the trophy they had won four years ago.