The past decade has seen some of the most unbelievable batting performances in One-Day Internationals. There have been eight instances when the individual batting score has exceeded a 200-run mark, which looked impossible until the start of the decade.
It was Sachin Tendulkar who broke the barrier and became the first batsman to hit a double ton in ODIs. Since then, five players have achieved this feat.
Cricket Australia (CA) has taken a closer look at the best ODI players of this decade and announced their best ODI XI.
CA has selected India’s star batter, Rohit Sharma, as the opener along with South African veteran Hashim Amla.
Since 2010, Rohit has smashed 28 centuries and 39 half-centuries. Courtesy of his sublime form, the right-hander amassed 8249 runs with an outstanding average of 53.66 and a strike-rate of 90.63. He is the only player in world cricket to hit three double tons in the 50-over format.
Amla, the second opener, will go down as the most underrated ODI batsman of the modern era. In the past decade, Amla scored runs faster than Virat Kohli. He reached 2000 runs to 7000 runs in fewer games than anyone in the ODI history. In 159 matches, he scored 7265 runs with 26 hundreds and 33 fifties.
For the No.3, CA has chosen the ‘run-machine’ Virat Kohli, while AB de Villiers has been selected for the fourth position.
There is no doubt that Kohli was the best ODI batsman of the past decade and will probably finish his career as one of the greatest one-day players. The Indian captain clubbed 11125 runs, which is myriad by any batsman in this decade. At an average of 60.79 and a strike-rate of 90 plus, the right-handed batsman hit 42 tons and 52 half-centuries.
Since 2010, AB de Villiers has scored more than 6000 One-day runs with an average of 64.20 and a strike-rate of 109.76. His ability to hit boundaries across all parts of the ground is a treat to watch. The South African star has 21 centuries and 33 fifties to his name in this decade.
Bangladesh’s all-rounder Shakib-Al-Hasan also finds a place in the squad. The left-hander has played 131 ODIs since 2010 and took 177 wickets along with scoring 4000+ runs.
England’s Jos Buttler, who played a pivotal role in the English cricket revolution, has also been picked in the ODI XI. Having the highest strike-rate of 119.83 in the list is enough to explain the caliber of the right-hander. With nine triple figures and 20 fifties, Buttler has scored more than 3800 runs in this decade.
CA has chosen India veteran MS Dhoni as the leader and wicket-keeper for the side. Dhoni, India’s ultimate finisher, guided his nation to World Cup victory in 2011, and it came after a drought of 28 years. Dhoni averages more than 50 in this decade, which is terrific, especially if one considers his batting position.
Among the bowlers, Australia’s Mitchell Starc, New Zealand’s Trent Boult, and Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga hold the pace attack, whereas Afghanistan’s sensation Rashid Khan fills the only specialist spinner post.
In 85 appearances, Starc claimed 172 wickets with 6/28 being his best bowling performance. Boult, on the other hand, has taken 164 wickets in 89 ODIs. Malinga leads the bowling unit by hunting 248 batsmen in 162 games. The spinner Rashid, meanwhile, claimed 133 ODI wickets since 2010.
Cricket Australia’s ODI team of the decade:
Rohit Sharma, Hashim Amla, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Shakib-Al-Hasan, Jos Buttler, MS Dhoni (c), Mitchell Starc, Rashid Khan, Trent Boult, Lasith Malinga.
