50+ average in International cricket is a special milestone for any batsmen.
Any batsman with an average of 50+ in any format of the game can be claimed as more than a decent batsman.
But having a 50+ average in both Tests and ODIs is sensational and legendary. Currently, there is only one batsmen in the history of cricket, who has a batting average of more than 50 in both Tests and ODIs.
[To note, we have only considered batsmen who have played more than 100 Innings in both Tests & ODIs.]
AB de Villiers
Retired from International Cricket, AB de Villiers has left with some amazing numbers to his name.
Standing very close to the players who are into the league of 10,000 Runs in ODI Cricket, ABD’s retirement at 9577 ODI Runs has come in as a shock to most of his fans around the world.
Still, like Virat, ABD has got the batting average of 50+ in both Tests & ODIs.
ABD’s Batting Average in ODI –> 53.5 & in Tests –> 50.66.
Unlike Virat, AB de Villiers had poor T20 showings with an average of 26.12 in 72 innings.
Players who almost made it to the list:
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is someone who was part of this list but has gone down the path due to the law of averages. Even he has been the exemplar of consistency in cricket in the last few years, his Test batting in the recent years has pushed his numbers a little down.
Virat’s ODI average stands well above 50, but his Test average has seen a dent recently, touching 46. He has also ended his T20I career with the highest batting average in the International T20s (48.69) among the batters who have batted more than 100 innings in the format.
In my article regarding complete chasing records, you can learn how Virat is leading the other batsmen in the batting average while chasing. He is scoring at an average of 65+ while chasing in ODIs.
Hasim Amla:
Only due to his out of form and poor showings against the strong Indian team in the 2017/18 India’s tour to South Africa, Hasim Amla’s test batting average has come under 50.
With him being close to the 50s, he is expected to get back into this league of players with 50+ batting average in tests and ODIs sooner.
Sachin Tendulkar
One can’t leave his name while discussing the Cricket Batting records. Right?
I have shared an infography on Sachin’s complete cricket records in one of my blog. You can see it here –> Sachin Tendulkar Records – An Infographic.
With a huge number of matches both in ODI and Tests, it is not an easy task to maintain the average above 50.
Still, Sachin has an average of 53.79 in Test Cricket. And has got an excellent ODI average of 44.83 in the 452 matches he batted for India.
Kane Williamson
Another close candidate for this list will be the New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.
Kane has got his test average above 50, but his ODI batting average reads at 46.88 in 121 Innings.
Again, with his consistency, he is expected to be back into this list in no time.
Viv Richards
Viv Richards is a legendary player, who is known for his bravery while batting.
Also known for his batting stats, his average stands at 50.24 in Tests and 47 in ODIs, thereby missing it.
Michael Hussey
Famously called as Mr.Cricket, Hussey ended with an average of 51.53 in Tests and 48.16 in ODIs.
For a player who bats relatively low, this average is something to be worth noting for.
To close
The fab-fours Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Steve Smith & Kane Williamson has a lot of cricket ahead of them. And it will be a challenging task for them to finish their career with the 50+ average in both Tests and ODI.
The batting averages has a habit of hitting back at the later stages of one’s cricket career. Hopefully, these players will end up reaching more heights than they are now.
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