Zimbabwe have been on the cricketing map for a while now, and one way to describe them is inconsistent. Though not possessing a world-beating team, Zimbabwe has at times produced some competitive sides, and their matches, especially close to the turn of the century, proved to be effective.
They also had some of their best batters in that era, and with a decent bowling attack to complement it, Zimbabwe matches were highly competitive compared to the eras that followed. This is also a reason why most of the big scores against Zimbabwe in ODIs have come in the last 2 decades, but not much before that.
We will go through the top 10 highest individual scores by batters against Zimbabwe in ODI cricket.
Highest Individual Scores vs Zimbabwe in ODI
Player | Runs (Balls) | 4s/6s | Venue | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Chris Gayle (WI) | 215 (147) | 10/16 | Canberra | 24 Feb 2015 |
Fakhar Zaman (PAK) | 210* (156) | 24/5 | Bulawayo | 20 Jul 2018 |
Liton Das (BAN) | 176 (143) | 16/8 | Sylhet | 6 Mar 2020 |
Kapil Dev (IND) | 175* (138) | 16/6 | Tunbridge Wells | 18 Jun 1983 |
Adam Gilchrist (AUS) | 172 (126) | 13/3 | Hobart | 16 Jan 2004 |
Lou Vincent (NZ) | 172 (120) | 16/9 | Bulawayo | 24 Aug 2005 |
Imran Nazir (PAK) | 160 (121) | 14/8 | Kingston | 21 Mar 2007 |
Dinesh Mongia (IND) | 159* (147) | 17/1 | Guwahati | 19 Mar 2002 |
Tamim Iqbal (BAN) | 158 (136) | 20/3 | Sylhet | 3 Mar 2020 |
Tamim Iqbal (BAN) | 154 (138) | 7/6 | Bulawayo | 16 Aug 2009 |
Key insights and stats from the above table
2: There have been 2 scores of 200 or more against Zimbabwe in One Day International cricket, and 11 times we have witnessed a batter score more than 150 in an ODI innings. The other player to have scored 150+ vs. Zimbabwe was former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, who made an unbeaten 153 at Cuttack back in 1998.
215: The highest-ever score made by a batter in ODIs against Zimbabwe, and the owner of this record is West Indies legend Chris Gayle. Universe Boss, as he is fondly called, played one of his more dominant innings for the Windies in ODIs, and that too at the World Cup stage. He slammed a brilliant 215 in a group stage game at Canberra, and it came off just 147 deliveries. This knock resulted in a massive victory for the Windies and is currently the 2nd highest score by a batter in World Cups.
210: The other double centurion against a Zimbabwe bowling attack is Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman, and the left-hander showed his penchant for big runs in a bilateral game between the countries at Bulawayo in 2018. This stupendous knock came in just 156 balls and included 24 fours and 5 sixes. Zaman’s 210 remains the highest-ever ODI score by a Pakistani batsman and also the only double-century score from the country in this format.
176: Liton Das registered his best-ever ODI score against Zimbabwe, and it came in an ODI game played at Sylhet in 2020. This remains the highest ODI score by a Bangladeshi batter till now, and it may take something special from another player from the nation to overhaul this figure. Liton’s 176 was a complete massacre of Zimbabwe’s bowling, as he helped the hosts rout the visiting Zimbabwe team by 123 runs after posting a massive 322/3 in 43 overs.
2: Number of times Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal features in this list. The left-handed premier opening batsman of Bangladesh has scored 150 or more in ODIs twice, and both of them came against Zimbabwe. One of his scores, 154, came in the same game as Charles Coventry’s then-record-equalling knock of 194 and was Bangladesh’s highest score in ODIs for many years. Tamim then broke his own record when he slammed 158 at Syihet, just days before Liton Das’ made his famous 176 at the same venue.
175: Arguably the best knock of the 1983 World Cup and one that can go down in history as the best ODI World Cup innings of all time. Kapil Dev stole the show with his tournament-changing inning of 175 at Tunbridge Wells, England, in India’s World Cup league stage game against Zimbabwe. The African nation used to be a good side back then and India had their back after a poor start (17/5 at one stage). But Kapil’s stunning knock proved to be a great difference in India’s successful campaign that year.
1: The other Indian in the fray is former batter Dinesh Mongia, who scored his first and only ODI century against Zimbabwe at Guwahati almost 21 years ago. Mongia, the left-hander, may have been highly inconsistent all through his international career, but this knock resulted in a huge win for India.