Top 5 batting performances in England's ODI history
Among the major cricketing nations (excluding the likes of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe), England are the only team to not win even a single ICC ODI tournament. While their record in the World Cup and Champions Trophy may not stack up favourably with the other eminent sides, they have managed to find their mojo from time to time in various bilateral series across the globe.
In this particular segment, let us take a close look at the *top five highest individual scores registered by England batsmen in the history of ODI cricket. Interestingly, only one of those mammoth knocks have been notched in an ICC event. Unsurprisingly, all of those gargantuan performances have come from top-order batsmen.
(*Note: All statistics are accurate as of 25th January, 2018)
#5 David Gower - 158 (118), 1983 & Andrew Strauss - 158 (145), 2011
A couple of left-handers jointly occupy the fifth spot in this distinguished list. While David Gower was an artist with the bat, Andrew Strauss combined orthodoxy with enterprising skills to carve a reasonably good ODI career. At the peak of their respective careers, both batsmen registered an impressive 158 each.
During the fourth match of the 1983 Benson & Hedges World Series Cup, Gower treated the Brisbane faithful to an exhilarating display of shot-making. Much like a painter working on an expansive canvas, he caressed the ball to all parts of the ground and put New Zealand's bowling attack to the sword. His 118-ball 158 was laced with 18 boundaries and 4 sixes. Riding on the southpaw's knock, England posted 267 runs on the board and defended the total with ease.
28 years later, Strauss matched Gower's epic with a sublime knock of his own. Chasing a mammoth target of 339 against India in a group game at the 2011 World Cup, he led from the front to anchor England's pursuit. On a sluggish track in Bangalore, the skipper paced his innings to perfection and ensured that the match went right down to the wire. His 145-ball 158, containing 18 boundaries and a solitary maximum, delivered a creditable tied contest against the eventual tournament champions.
Relive David Gower's majestic knock