Scoring a duck is never a pleasant sight for any batter, be it a specialist batsman or a bowler. Even bowlers get pride in themselves when they contribute with the bat.
Cricket is a funny game, and there are various ways to dismiss a batter. Though cricket is regarded as a batter’s game, a batsman gets only one chance per innings, and one who gets out for a duck will definitely get hard done by.
In this article, we will learn about the top 10 players who have not bagged a duck in their ODI careers, despite playing a considerable number of innings in the format.
1. Kepler Wessels: South Africa and Australia (105 Innings | 1982-1994)
Kepler Wessels is one of the few cricketers who has played international cricket for 2 different countries. He made his debut for the Australian cricket team in 1982, for whom he featured in 54 ODIs, scoring 1740 runs and 1761 more Test runs while representing the Aussies in 24 Tests in the same period.
After a semi-retirement, Wessels returned to play cricket for the country of his birth, South Africa, in 1991, when they returned from an imposed ban. He played 54 ODI knocks for the Proteas, finishing his ODI career with 3365 runs in 105 innings.
Though his ODI average was just 34.26 with a solitary century against India in 1984, Wessles is the proud owner of this particular record. He hasn’t been ever dismissed for a duck in his ODI career, which is quite an achievement.
2. Shreyas Iyer: India (42 Innings | 2017-2023)
One of the few players on the list who is still actively playing international cricket and may go up further in the tally, given his rich vein of consistency in the format, is India’s Shreyas Iyer.
The Indian batter, who is the team’s integral part, has played 42 innings in his ODI career without getting out for a duck, scoring 1801 runs with 3 centuries and 14 half-centuries along the way since his debut in 2017. However, Iyer has gotten out without opening his account in the other formats combined 6 times.
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3. Yashpal Sharma: India (40 Innings | 1978-1985)
The next player on the list is India’s Yashpal Sharma, who was famously part of the 1983 Indian World Cup-winning squad, where he played a significant role. Coming in the middle order, Yashpal scored 240 runs in India’s campaign, including match-winning knocks in the opening group stage game against the West Indies and another one against England in the semi-finals, both at Old Trafford.
Apart from this, he is famous for playing the joint second-most number of ODI innings without scoring a single duck. The former India star batter played 40 knocks for India, scoring 883 runs at an average of just under 29 with 4 half-centuries.
4. Peter Kirsten: South Africa (40 Innings | 1991-1994)
Peter Kirsten, the elder brother of Gary Kirsten, has played all of his 40 ODI innings without scoring a duck. He made 1293 runs in the period between 1991 and 1994 at a decent average of 38.03 with 9 half-centuries.
However, he didn’t convert any of those half-tons into a century, and notably, Peter Kirsten could only play for 3 years for South Africa following their re-admission. Nevertheless, the right-hander was a prolific run-getter in the domestic circuit, and most of his prime years were lost due to South Africa’s absence in international cricket.
5. Jacques Rudolph: South Africa (39 Innings | 2003-2006)
Another South African batter who appears on this list is Jacques Rudolph. The former left-handed batsman has represented the Proteas in 48 Tests to go along with 45 ODI games between 2003 and 2012. He may be best known for scoring an unbeaten 222 on his Test debut against Bangladesh at Chattogram, but there is another record in his name that cannot be neglected.
He has played 39 ODI innings from his debut in 2003 until his sabbatical from international cricket in 2006, and Rudolph has managed to score at least a run in each of those knocks. The left-hander has scored 1174 runs at an average of 35.57, with 7 half-centuries to his name.
6. Nathan Hauritz: Australia (32 Innings | 2002-2011)
Former Australian spinner Nathan Hauritz finds a place in the sixth position having played 32 ODI innings without scoring a single duck. The batter, who usually played in the lower order for Australia, was a handy batsman in addition to his role as a lead spinner in the 58 matches he featured in Aussie colours in the ODI format.
Apart from the 63 wickets he has picked for Australia in the 50-over format of the game, Hauritz also scored 336 runs at an average of 22.40 and this includes a solitary half-century that he made against Pakistan at Perth.
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7. Gajanand Singh: USA (32 Innings | 2021-Present)
The only other player on this list who is actively playing international cricket for his country is Gajanand Singh of the USA. The left-hand batter of Guyanese descent has been impressive in his short international career thus far for the United States of America, for whom he has featured in 32 ODIs.
Gajanand, the 35-year-old batter, has scored 986 runs in the 32 innings he batted for the USA in this format, and it has come at an average of 37.92, which is great for a batter coming in the middle order. The highest point of his career has been the century he scored against the West Indies in the World Cup Qualifier game held in July 2023. To go along with that, Gajanand has smashed 7 centuries and is yet to get out on a duck.
8. Jack Russell: England (31 Innings | 1987-1998)
Jack Russell was one of the most well-known wicketkeepers in the history of English cricket, but most of his appearances for his country came in the Test format. He featured in as many as 54 matches for England in the longest format of the game and has a fantastic wicketkeeping record, affecting 165 dismissals behind the wickets in addition to the 1897 runs he collected at an average of just over 27 with 2 centuries.
When compared to Tests, Russell didn’t play many ODIs; in fact, he played only 40 ODIs for his country in the 10-year period, making 423 runs at a lowly average of 17 and hitting a solitary half-century. But in those 31 innings he played, never once did Jack Russell get out before getting off the mark.
9. Tom Cooper: Netherlands (31 Innings | 2010-Present)
Tom Cooper is one of the best and most notable batters the Netherlands has ever produced after Ryan ten Doeschate, and he has played cricket around the globe with some decent success. In the ODI format alone, Cooper has played 31 times for his country, scoring 1319 runs at an impressive average of 45.48. This includes 12 half-centuries and a single century he scored against Afghanistan way back in 2010.
Though he hasn’t retired from international cricket yet, Cooper’s Netherlands representation has been sporadic, and there is a chance that he might have played the last of his 31 ODIs earlier this year. Cooper has yet to register a duck in the format.
10. Somachandra De Silva: Sri Lanka (29 Innings | 1975-1985)
Probably would have been the first to come to this list, as Somachandra de Silva of Sri Lanka finished his career way earlier than the others. Primarily a leg-spinner, de Silva was a useful batter down the order for the earliest Sri Lankan team.
He played 29 innings as a batsman in his 41-match ODI career and amazingly never got out for a duck, despite playing lower down the order.
