5 batsmen with the highest average in ODI cricket

ODI cricket has its own set of challenges. A batsman has to adapt to different situations, know exactly when to attack and when to consolidate, and be consistent to help his side win matches.

One of the most important measures of consistency is the average of a batsman. In this article, let us look at the top 5 batsmen with the highest average in ODI cricket.

(Note: In this list, we look at batsmen who have played a minimum of 30 innings to exclude any outliers.)

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5. Ambati Rayudu

At No.5 is the talented Indian middle order batsman Ambati Rayudu. In the 40 innings that he has played, Rayudu has scored 1447 runs including 3 hundreds and 9 fifties with a highest score of 124*. Rayudu has cemented his place in the Indian ODI side on the back of some excellent performances in 2018. His average in ODI cricket is 51.68.

RECORD: Matches:45, Innings:40, Runs:1447, 100:3, 50:9, Avg:51.68, S/R:79.72

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4. AB De Villiers

If there is any modern day marvel in ODI cricket, then it has to be De Villiers. Also known as Mr. 360 for his ability to hit the ball to all parts of the ground, De Villiers easily qualifies as the greatest batsman produced by South Africa in limited-overs cricket.

In the 218 innings that he played for his country, De Villiers scored an incredible 9577 runs at an astounding strike rate of 101.09 including 25 hundreds and 53 fifties. His average in ODI cricket is 53.50.

RECORD: Matches:228, Innings:218, Runs:9577, 100:25, 50:53, Avg:53.50, S/R:101.09

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3. Michael Bevan

At No.3 in the list is the former Australian batsman Michael Bevan. He was known for his extraordinary abilities to finish matches for Australia in the 1990’s and the early 2000’s.

In the 196 innings that he played, Bevan scored 6912 runs including 46 fifties and 6 hundreds. He has such a high average of 53.58 because he remained unbeaten on 67 occasions in ODI cricket.

RECORD: Matches:232, Innings:196, Runs:6912, 100:6, 50:46, Avg:53.58, S/R:74.16

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2. Virat Kohli

The cricketing world is running out of adjectives to describe Virat Kohli’s form with the bat. The batting dynamite has plundered runs against every opposition in all conditions.

Kohli has already scored a staggering 10232 runs, including 38 hundreds and 48 fifties. The Indian captain is now considered as the man who has any realistic chances of going past most of Sachin Tendulkar’s big-ticket records.

In the 208 innings that Kohli has played in ODI cricket, he averages an ethereal 59.83.

RECORD: Matches:216, Innings:208, Runs:10232, 100:38, 50:48, Avg:59.83, S/R:92.88

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1. Ryan Ten Doeschate

This might come as a surprise to many, but the highest batting average in the history of ODI cricket belongs to Ryan Ten Doeschate from The Netherlands.

In the 32 innings that he played, Doeschate scored 1541 runs including 9 fifties and 5 hundreds at an average of 67.00. His high average is mainly due to the fact that he remained unbeaten on 9 out of the 32 innings that he played in ODI cricket

RECORD: Matches:33, Innings:32, Runs:1541, 100:5, 50:9, Avg:67.00, S/R:87.70

Honourable Mention: Fakhar Zaman of Pakistan has an average of 57.95 in ODI cricket, but he does not figure in the list because he has played only 26 innings.