Top ten debut innings in ODIs

1. Desmond Haynes (West Indies – 148 vs Australia, St John’s, Antigua, February 1978)

Desmond Haynes of West Indies

West Indies owed their victory in this game to newcomer Desmond Haynes, whose brilliant innings of 148 steered them to a mammoth 313/9 against the visiting Australians.

With regular skipper Clive Lloyd absent, wicket-keeper Deryck Murray captained the side and gave admirable support to the young Haynes as he punished the Aussie bowlers – mostly targeting the wayward Jeff Thomson, who sent down a lot of no-balls. Through their combined efforts, West Indies went past the 300-run mark with Thomson picking up four wickets for the opponents.

Australia never looked like reaching the target, which was revised to 226 from 36 overs due to fading light. Only Gary Cosier stood tall with a stylish 84, but the rest collapsed against Joel Garner and Colin Croft’s pace, and the home team won by 44 runs.

Fittingly, Haynes was awarded Man of the Match, and would go on to establish himself as a world-class opener, forging a successful partnership with Gordon Greenidge. His 148 still remains the highest score made by any ODI debutant.