Top 5 cricketers who have played the most consecutive ODIs
When ODIs first came into prominence during the early 1970s, the cricket world viewed the limited-overs format with curiosity. Despite the emergence of the World Cup, the innovative format took a backseat to Test cricket even as numerous cricketers preferred to skip ODIs in order to prolong their careers.
However, the game began to undergo a seismic shift during the start of the 1990s. As multi-team tournaments as well as day-night matches gradually became the norm in the calendar, the ODI format gained the attention of the leading cricketers who then proceeded to balance their workloads accordingly.
Also Read: Top 5 players who have played the most consecutive Tests
Considering the amount of limited-overs cricket played in the 90s, it does not come across as any surprise that the careers of some of the most durable ODI cricketers either began or overlapped during that particular era. Here are five cricketers who have played the most consecutive ODIs in the history of the format.
#5 Richie Richardson - 132 (1987-1993)
When he made his ODI debut in 1983, Richie Richardson walked into a team containing some of the most intimidating names in cricket history. As those exalted players bid adieu to the game one after another, the middle-order batsman gradually found himself forming the fulcrum of a team in transition.
The man, who was expected to be Sir Viv Richards' successor, could not quite express himself like the great man. However, he managed to carve a luminous career by amassing more than 12,000 runs across both Tests and ODIs combined.
From January 1987 to November 1993, Richardson played in all of West Indies' 132 ODIs. During that particular time period, the debonair right-hander scored 3704 runs at an average of 33.07 and strike-rate of 65.65 with four centuries and 27 fifties. He also participated in his team's underwhelming World Cup campaigns in 1987 and 1992, the latter as captain.