3 players averaging 40+ with a strike-rate of 100+ in ODI cricket 

There are certain players that have a big impact on the game be it with the bat or ball. With the bat in limited-overs cricket, it’s always the consistency and the ability to score runs quickly that has mattered in recent times. Hence, it’s tough to find players who can do both.

Thus, here we look at players who have an average in excess of 40 and a strike-rate of over 100 in ODI cricket. For the time being, there are only three players that fit the criteria. So let’s find out who these three are.

Only players who have played a minimum of 50 matches have been included in this list

Note – Stats updated till 26th January 2019

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#3 Kedar Jadhav

Matches – 51, Runs – 967, Average – 46.04, Strike-rate – 109.14

Kedar Jadhav is one of the most underrated cricketers in the current Indian side. However, he is a good utility player and can perform multiple roles. He can chip in with a few overs and nip out a few important wickets and can score quick runs.

He is another player who has achieved the double of acquiring an average in excess of 40 and a strike-rate of over 100 in ODI cricket. Jadhav made his debut in 2014 against Sri Lanka and then featured in a three-match series in Zimbabwe in 2015 where he struck a fifty and a hundred. However, it was only towards the end of 2016 that he got regular chances.

Since then he has found a way to chip in with some useful contributions and is proving to be a utility cricketer for the ‘Men in Blue’. However, injuries have plagued his career which has set him back. However, he has turned out to play 51 matches for India and is nearing a 1000 ODI runs. He averages just over 46 and has a strike-rate of over 109.

#2 Jonny Bairstow

Bairstow has been a force at the top of the order for England.

Matches – 54, Runs – 2017, Average – 48.02, Strike-rate – 104.56

Jonny Bairstow made his international debut in an ODI game against India in 2011 and he announced himself on the big stage with some brutal hitting. Batting at No. 6, a 22-year-old Bairstow smoked the Indian bowlers all around the ground and struck a 22-ball 41 showcasing his big-hitting ability.

However, he never became a regular member of the ODI side and despite establishing himself as a regular Test cricketer, opportunities in the 50-over format were very few. But it is in the last couple of years that he has really stepped up and taken a big leap. He is now one of England’s first-choice ODI openers and he more often than not ensures that his side gets off to a good start.

2017 was a breakout year for him as far as white-ball cricket is concerned. In 10 innings, Bairstow scored 534 runs at an average of 106.80 which included three fifties and two hundreds. He carried his form into 2018 as he amassed 1025 runs at an average of 46.59 and a strike-rate of 118.22.

Thus, so far, Bairstow has a career strike-rate of 104.56 and averages a shade over 48. Hence, he is one of the three players who have got the double.

#1 AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers

Matches – 228, Runs – 9577, Average – 53.50, Strike-rate – 101.10

AB de Villiers needs no introduction. The South African star is certainly one of the most popular cricketers of this era. He’s one who grabs everyone’s attention when he is on the field. He makes the world sit up and take notice of the things he does.

Thus, to have an average in excess of 50 and a strike-rate of over 100 (only player to achieve this double) is remarkable as he’s maintained it for almost 15 years. To do it after scoring 9500 runs is a significant achievement. In fact, all his 25 ODI tons have been with a strike-rate of over 100.

De Villiers made his ODI debut in 2005 but didn’t have a big impact straight away. He got three hundreds in 2007 but from 2009, he’s got at least one ODI hundred every year (barring 2018 where he played just three games). As his career went along, he invented new shots, he displayed his ability to hit the ball anywhere on the park (360 degrees) against any bowler.

However, in May 2018, he shocked the world as he bid adieu to international cricket. Although he still plays in T20 leagues around the world, De Villiers was a class act while it lasted for South Africa.