The No. 4 batting position in ODI Cricket is very crucial. Batters at No. 4 can completely change the momentum of the game.
It’s an art to master this batting position. An ODI No.4 doesn’t get the same limelight as the top-order batsman or finisher.
If the top order has given a good start, the No.4 batsman is responsible for carrying forward the momentum and increasing the scoring rate. They need to start hitting boundaries right from the starting of innings. On the other hand, if the top order fails, the No.4 batsman is responsible for stopping the collapse and forming a big partnership to take the team out of trouble.
The No.4 batsman has to do work of both top order and finisher depending upon the team’s situation. It’s not an easy task to master this batting position. Very few batsmen can handle the pressure of the No.4 batting position. Indian team even lost the ODI WC 2019 because they couldn’t find a proper No.4 settled batter.
This article will look at the top 10 highest scores at the No.4 batting position in ODIs.
Highest Score by a No. 4 Batsman in ODI
BATSMEN | RUNS (BALLS) | 4S/6S | OPPOSITION | VENUE | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Viv Richards (WI) | 189* (170) | 21/5 | England | Manchester | 1984 |
Ben Stokes (ENG) | 182 (124) | 15/9 | New Zealand | The Oval | 2023 |
Ross Taylor (NZ) | 181* (147) | 17/6 | England | Dunedin | 2018 |
Viv Richards (WI) | 181 (125) | 16/7 | Sri Lanka | Karachi | 1987 |
AB de Villiers (SA) | 176 (104) | 15/7 | Bangladesh | Paarl | 2017 |
Aiden Markram (SA) | 175 (126) | 17/7 | Netherlands | Johannesburg | 2023 |
Dinesh Ramdin (WI) | 169 (121) | 8/11 | Bangladesh | Basseterre | 2014 |
Jos Buttler (ENG) | 162* (70) | 7/14 | Netherlands | Amstelveen | 2022 |
Xavier Marshall (WI) | 157* (118) | 11/12 | Canada | King City | 2008 |
Brian Lara (WI) | 156 (138) | 12/5 | Pakistan | Adelaide | 2005 |
Stats Insights
Sir Vivian Richards holds the highest individual score (189) at No.4 in ODIs. He played this amazing knock against England in 1994 in Manchester. It was a line warrior knock from Viv Richards. He hit 21 fours and 5 sixes in 170 balls in this knock.
Viv Richards found his name twice on this list in the top 5. This record of Viv Richards is one such example why he is one of the greatest ODI batsmen at his times. The most astonishing thing about this knock is that it came in a non-T20 era.
The third-placed NZ batsman Ross Taylor has scored the most runs (7690) at the No.4 batting position in ODIs.
AB De Villiers has the highest ODI batting average and strike rate at the No.4 batting position in ODIs among all these batsmen on the list. He is also one of the two players to average more than 50 in both Tests and ODIs.
This list is dominated by 4 West Indies batsmen, i.e. Viv Richards, Brian Lara, Dinesh Ramdin and XM Marshall. England (Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler) and South Africa (AB de Villiers and Aiden Markram) have two names, whereas Ross Taylor is the lone kiwi batsman on the list.
AB De Villiers has the highest strike rate among the knocks on the list.
Viv Richards and Yuvraj Singh have hit the most fours (21) in a single innings while batting at No.4, whereas Eoin Morgan has hit the most sixes (17) in a single innings at No.4 in ODIs.
Related: Which batsman has hit the most sixes in a single ODI innings?