Records in cricket are something which every player wants to excel in. However, only a few have the ability to be consistent in the game in order to mark their name in record books. From most runs to most wickets, there are many achievements in which a cricketer wants to see his name, but there is one infamous record that most players will wish not to be a part of as it is related to players with the most number of ducks in ODI history.
For those who aren’t aware, a ‘duck’ is counted when a player gets out for zero. Very often, the legends of the game have suffered such situations where they didn’t trouble the opposition at all. Although, there have been few bowlers who have attained the most number of ducks but let’s focus on specialist batsmen only.
Let’s have a look at five batsmen with most ducks in ODI history:
5.) Romesh Kaluwitharana
The veteran Sri Lankan batsman Romesh Kaluwitharana is widely popular for his pairing with Sanath Jayasuriya in ODI cricket. The duo revolutionised one-day batting by taking advantage of fresh rules and regulations in the early 2000s.
Known as ‘Kalu, Romesh was an integral figure in Sri Lanka’s astonishing World Cup victory in 1996. The wicket-keeper batsman played 189 ODIs and scored 3711 runs with two hundreds and 23 fifties. However, the emergence of Kumar Sangakkara led to his elimination from the team. For 24 times, Romesh lost his wicket for a duck in ODI cricket.
4.) Chris Gayle
There is no hesitation in saying that Chris Gayle ranks on the top in whichever format he plays. Just with his unbelievable physique and outstanding hand-eye coordination, Gayle manslaughter the balls and send them out of the stadium without putting much effort.
However, at times he hasn’t been able even to open his account. The Jamaican batting power-house has so far played 301 ODIs for the West Indies team and accumulated over 10,000 runs. Out of these so many matches, 25 times Gayle has gone without troubling the scorers at all.
3.) Mahela Jayawardene
This may come as a shock, but it’s true that despite being one of the finest batsmen, Mahela Jayawardene is the third name in this list. There is no doubt that Mahela was a maestro in technique. The former Sri Lankan skipper had a magnificent ODI career. He appeared in 448 ODIs and stockpiled more than 12000 runs consisting of 19 hundreds and 77 half-centuries.
With 28 ducks in his ODI career, Mahela stands fourth on the all-time list of men, but when it comes to proper batsmen, he sits at the third spot.
2.) Shahid Afridi
One of the most feared batsmen in his days, Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi held the record for the fastest ODI hundred for a long time. Eventually, his feat was beaten by Corey Anderson from New Zealand and now, South Africa’s AB de Villiers owns it.
Due to his devastating slogging ability, Afridi was a complete nightmare for bowlers. Known as ‘Boom Boom’ in the cricketing world, the power-striker played 398 ODIs for Pakistan and amassed 8064 runs. For 30 times, the Khyber Agency-born registered a duck in the 50-over format.
1.) Sanath Jayasuriya
Another surprising name in the list is none other than one of the greatest Sri Lankan batsman Sanath Jayasuriya. The dynamic opener, who started the trend of scoring quick runs when the power play rule was introduced, has scored more than 13,000 runs in ODI cricket.
Jayasuriya’s innovative shots and ability to take the bowlers from the word go has entertained fans all around the globe. The destructive batsman has donned the Lankan jersey in 445 ODIs, smashing 28 tons and 68 fifties. He also leads the table for getting out on a score of zero in as many as 34 innings.
