5 famous captain-batsmen in men's cricket who fail to match Mithali Raj's ODI record

You have to admit that Mithali Raj is an all-time legend when it comes to women’s cricket. In fact, she is even referred to as the ‘Tendulkar of Indian women’s cricket’.

When it comes to ODI cricket, Mithali has an enviable record. The Jodhpur-born girl has notched up 6190 runs in ODIs and is only woman to cross the 6,000-run mark in 50-over cricket.

In her 186 games, Mithali has a staggering average of 51.58, and has scored six hundreds and 49 fifties – with the highest being an unbeaten 114. At the 2013 Women's World Cup, Mithali Raj starred as the No. 1 Cricketer in the ODI chart among women.

Mithali has such great numbers that she even gives many well-known male batsmen a run for their money. Mithali has been captaining the Indian team for the last few years, and only recently was replaced by Harmanpreet Kaur.

Even though the women cricketers put in as much effort as their men counterparts, women’s cricket has often been considered the poorer cousin of men’s cricket. But Mithali’s stupendous record has made us compile a list of well-known male batsmen-cum-captains who fail to match her record in ODI cricket:

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Mohammad Ashraful

Even though Mohammad Ashraful was the star of Bangladesh cricket for a few years, his prominence could not last long as he was involved in match-fixing controversies. When Bangladesh looks back at its cricketing history, Ashraful will be considered one of the most talented batsmen to have turned up for them.

Having said that, when one compares Ashraful’s batting record to that of Mithali Raj, the latter wins hands down.

Player	Matches	Innings	Not outs	Runs	Highest Score	Average	100s	50s
Mithali Raj	186	167	47	6190	114	51.58	6	49
Mohammad Ashraful	176	169	13	3468	109	22.23	3	20

Hansie Cronje

Hansie Cronje was one of the greatest South African captains of all time. With the bat, Cronje was known for his big-hitting abilities. In an ODI career that spanned 188 ODIs, Cronje averaged 38.64, and scored only two hundreds. Cronje’s records lag behind Mithali’s in all aspects barring aggregate runs scored.

Player	Matches	Innings	Not outs	Runs	Highest Score	Average	100s	50s
Mithali Raj	186	167	47	6190	114*	51.58	6	49
Hansie Cronje	188	179	31	5565	112	38.64	2	39

Andrew Strauss

Former England captain Andrew Strauss had a much better Test record as compared to ODIs. In fact, barring a hundred more and the highest score, Strauss’s numbers don’t even come close to that of Mithali Raj.

Player	Matches	Innings	Not outs	Runs	Highest Score	Average	100s	50s
Mithali Raj	186	167	47	6190	114*	51.58	6	49
Andrew Strauss	127	126	8	4205	158	35.63	6	27

Eoin Morgan

Eoin Morgan has been appointed as the captain of England’s squad for the ODI series against India. The Ireland-born batsman predominantly bats in the middle order for England and is known as a finisher.

But when you compare the record of Morgan with that of Mithali, your realize that England’s ODI captain still has a long way to go.

Player	Matches	Innings	Not outs	Runs	Highest Score	Average	100s	50s
Mithali Raj	186	167	47	6190	114*	51.58	6	49
Eoin Morgan	170	159	24	5020	124	37.18	8	31

Misbah ul Haq

Misbah ul Haq has been considered one of the mainstays of Pakistan’s batting in the last decade. He has been rock-solid for Pakistan in the middle order, taking his team out of crunch situations on numerous occasion.

But having said that, a comparison between Misbah and Mithali clearly shows that Mithali outshines Misbah’s numbers by a decent margin.

Player	Matches	Innings	Not outs	Runs	Highest Score	Average	100s	50s
Mithali Raj	186	167	47	6190	114*	51.58	6	49
Misbah ul Haq	162	149	31	5122	96 (no)	43.3	0	42

Watch Mithali Raj’s brilliant innings of 73* against Pakistan in the final of the 2016 Asia Cup

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