For batters in cricket, getting dismissed for a duck without scoring a run is the stuff of nightmares. It’s significantly more embarrassing to get out on the first ball you face without troubling the scorers with a golden duck.
When a bowler dismisses a batter from an inning of cricket without allowing them to score even one run, this is known as a duck. A “golden duck” occurs when a batter is out on the first ball of their inning without scoring a run.
No one wants to be the player with the most golden ducks in ODIs. Former Sri Lanka speedster Lasith Malinga, on the other hand, owns the record for most golden ducks in ODIs. He was dismissed for 13 golden ducks while representing Sri Lanka in ODIs.
So in this article, let’s take a look at the top 10 batters with the most golden ducks in ODIs.
Most Golden Ducks in ODI
| Player | Innings | Golden Ducks |
|---|---|---|
| Lasith Malinga (SL) | 119 | 13 |
| Shahid Afridi (PAK) | 369 | 12 |
| Wasim Akram (PAK) | 280 | 10 |
| Moin Khan (PAK) | 183 | 10 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) | 433 | 9 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) | 162 | 9 |
| Javagal Srinath (IND) | 121 | 8 |
| Chaminda Vaas (SL) | 220 | 8 |
| Waqar Younis (PAK) | 139 | 7 |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 365 | 7 |
(You can check out the players who have the most ducks across formats here.)
Key Insights
13: Former Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga holds the infamous record for most first-ball ducks, or simply golden ducks, in the ODI format. In Malinga’s ODI career, 13 of the 26 ducks were golden ducks.
3: India’s 360-degree batter Suryakumar Yadav became the first Indian player to have 3 consecutive golden ducks in ODI cricket after he failed to make it past the opening delivery in each of his three innings against Australia during a 3-match ODI series in March 2023. In 1994, the legendary Sachin Tendulkar was also removed for 3 straight ducks, although not on the first delivery.
10: More than 10 batters have been dismissed for golden ducks in 3 consecutive ODIs. Apart from Suryakumar, a few renowned players like Shane Watson, Alec Stewart, Andrew Symonds, and Brett Lee have this unwanted record against their names.
20: More than 20 players have been dismissed 7 or more first-ball ducks in the 50-over format.
