Australia have always been the team to beat, and they are the most successful team in the history of ODI cricket. The Aussies have won the ICC World Cup a record 5 times, and no other country has won more than 2 World Cups. This is due to the fact that Australian bowling over the years has been strong and has complemented their batting counterparts.
This is the reason that not many big scores have been made by the batters against Australia. In this article, we will look at the highest individual scores against Australia in ODIs.
Highest Individual ODI Scores vs Australia
| Player | Runs (Balls) | 4s/6s | Strike Rate | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma (IND) | 209 (158) | 12/16 | 132.27 | Bengaluru | 02 Nov 2013 |
| Jason Roy (ENG) | 180 (151) | 16/5 | 119.20 | Melbourne | 14 Jan 2018 |
| Quinton de Kock (SA) | 178 (113) | 16/11 | 157.52 | Centurion | 30 Sep 2016 |
| Herschelle Gibbs (SA) | 175 (111) | 21/7 | 157.65 | Johannesburg | 12 Mar 2006 |
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 175 (141) | 19/4 | 124.11 | Hyderabad | 5 Nov 2009 |
| Heinrich Klaasen (SA) | 174 (83) | 13/13 | 209.63 | Centurion | 15 Sep 2023 |
| Robin Smith (ENG) | 167* (163) | 17/3 | 102.45 | Birmingham | 21 May 1993 |
| Sir Vivian Richards (WI) | 153* (130) | 16/1 | 117.69 | Melbourne | 9 Dec 1979 |
| Desmond Haynes (WI) | 148 (136) | 16/2 | 108.82 | St. Jonhs’ | 22 Feb 1978 |
| Alex Hales (ENG) | 147 (92) | 16/5 | 159.78 | Nottingham | 19 Jun 2018 |
Key insights from the above stats
8: Number of instances in ODI cricket where a batsman has scored 150 or more against Australia in a single innings, and only 105 batters in the long history of the format have registered a score of 100 or more against them. This shows the class of the Australian attack over the years, as this figure shows their dominance as a unit.
1: Only 1 batsman has scored an ODI double-century thus far against the Aussies, and his name is Rohit Sharma.
209: The highest individual score ever made by a batsman against the 5-time World Cup champions in the ODI format. And the record holder is none other than Rohit Sharma, who scored a magnificent double-century in the 7-match series decider at Bengaluru way back in 2013. India won the game by 57 runs thanks to an incredible show by the Hitman, which included a whopping 16 sixes. This was his first double century, and the current skipper of India went on to make 2 more in the course of the previous decade against Sri Lanka.
102.45: The strike rate of England’s Robin Smith during his marathon knock of unbeaten 167 against Australia at Birmingham back in 1993. This was the slowest century in the top 10 list, and his incredible knock of 167* off 163 balls came in a losing cause as England could garner only 277 runs in their 55 overs and was ultimately chased down successfully by the Aussies.
159.78: On the other extreme, Alex Hales’s knock of 147 came at an astonishing strike rate of 159.78, and it helped England pile up a huge total of 481/6, the 2nd highest team total ever recorded in ODIs. Hales hammered 5 sixes during his masterclass show at Trent Bridge. England progressed to win the game by a massive margin of 242 runs.
175: Two scores of 175 have been recorded against Australia in ODI cricket. One was from the bat of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, and another was by Herschelle Gibbs during that epic 438-run chase of South Africa at Johannesburg. He made those runs in just 111 balls, which included a whopping 7 sixes.
The other score of 175 was by the legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar, whose 141-ball knock almost won India the game at Hyderabad in 2009. The home team was chasing a daunting 351 to win, and Sachin’s efforts took them closer to the total but fell agonisingly short in the end by just 3 runs.
Up next will be the West Indies duo of Desmond Haynes and Sir Vivian Richards, who both make it to the list thanks to their superlative big knocks against the Aussies during their time.
148: Haynes’ knock of 148 in 1978 at St.John’s, Antigua, was a show of dominance as it helped the West Indies score 313 in their 50 overs, a total that was considered huge at that time. It came from only 136 balls, and the West Indies won the game comprehensively by 44 runs through the DLS method.
153: Viv Richards was known for his exuberant batting, and this knock of 153* at Melbourne showcased his power game. Richards’ efforts helped the West Indies rack up 271 runs in 48 overs, and it proved to be enough as Australia managed only 191 in response.
178: Quinton de Kock has been a rock-solid batsman at the top of the order for the Proteas in the ODI format, and he proved his worth once again in this wonderful knock of 178 at Centurion in 2016. Australia posted a strong total of 294 on the board and gave themselves a competitive total to defend against the home team. But de Kock had other plans, as his monumental display of batsmanship took the Proteas home in the 37th over. His stay eventually ended at 178, and it included 11 massive sixes.
180: Jason Roy’s score in the first ODI of the 2018 series, and this is also the England opener’s best-ever ODI score till now. This came at the iconic MCG when England had a stiff target of 305 to win the tour opener. And it was left up to England’s Joe Root and Roy as the rest of the batting failed like nine pins. Roy departed, but not before hammering a 151-ball 180 to give the visitors a 5-wicket win with more than an over to spare.
