The first One-Day International (ODI) cricket match was played on January 5, 1971, between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Since then, the format has changed a lot, including the number of overs played, the number of balls per over, and the ball color changing from red to white.
The World Cup, which started in 1975 and is held every four years, keeps the format important. ODI cricket is often caught between the long, traditional Test cricket and the exciting T20 cricket. However, winning a 50-over World Cup is still a big dream for all cricketers. For example, the famous Sachin Tendulkar waited 22 years to achieve his dream.
We will look at the players who have performed the best on the most occasions in ODI cricket.
10. Brian Lara-30
Known affectionately as “The Prince,” Brian Lara is often considered the best batsman from the West Indies. The left-handed player scored a total of 22,358 runs in his 17-year career, with 10,405 runs in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 11,953 in Test matches.
In 299 ODI matches, Lara won the Man of the Match award 30 times. He competed with other top players of his time, like Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting. He scored 19 centuries in ODIs and 34 in Test matches.
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9. Kumar Sangakkara-31
Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has many records in ODI cricket. He is the top run-scorer for his country, with 13,975 runs in 397 matches, averaging 41.96 runs per match. He scored 25 centuries and 90 fifties in these matches.
Sangakkara was named Man of the Match 31 times in ODIs, playing 404 matches for Sri Lanka, Asia XI, and ICC World XI. He also holds the record for the most consecutive ODI centuries, with four during the 2015 World Cup in Australia.
8. Sourav Ganguly-31
Former India captain and current BCCI president, Sourav Ganguly, won 31 Man of the Match awards in his 311-match ODI career from 1992 to 2007. Although he changed his batting position often and played different roles, he mainly opened the batting with Tendulkar.
Nicknamed ‘Dada,’ Ganguly scored 11,363 ODI runs with an average of 41.02 and led India bravely both at home and abroad. He also shares the record for the most consecutive Man of the Match awards (4) with Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan.
7. Sir Viv Richards-31
Sir Viv Richards was unique during his time. In the 1970s and 1980s, his strike rate of 90.20 in ODIs was impressive to other players. He scored 6721 runs at an average of 47.00 in 187 ODIs, and he was named Man of the Match 31 times.
6. Shahid Afridi-32
Shahid Afridi was one of the most unpredictable players in cricket. He could either do really well or very poorly. He has the second-highest number of times getting out without scoring (30 times) in One Day Internationals (ODIs), but he also hit the most sixes (351) in ODIs.
Afridi was one of the best all-rounders in the world. In his 398 ODI matches, he won 32 Player of the Match awards. He scored 8,064 runs with a high strike rate of 117.00 and took 395 wickets.
5. Ricky Ponting-32
Ricky Ponting played 375 One Day International (ODI) cricket matches and scored 13,704 runs. He won the Man of the Match award 32 times, including in the 2003 World Cup final against India. He is the third-highest run-scorer in ODIs, behind Sangakkara and Tendulkar.
Ponting was one of the most successful captains, leading Australia to victory in the 2003 and 2007 50-over World Cups.
4. Jacques Kallis-32
Jacques Kallis, who many consider the best all-round cricket player, was named Man of the Match 32 times in One Day Internationals (ODIs). He scored over 11,000 runs and took 273 wickets in ODIs. In Test matches, he scored more than 13,000 runs and took 292 wickets.
3. Virat Kohli-36
Virat Kohli, a modern-day cricket legend and great batsman, still has years left in his career. People are already calling him the greatest ODI batsman of all time. Known for his skill in chasing runs, he is close to breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI centuries. Although Kohli hasn’t scored a century recently, he only needs 6 more to match Tendulkar’s record.
So far, in his 254 ODIs, Kohli has scored 12,169 runs at an average of 59.07 and has won the Man of the Match award 36 times. He also has 9 Man of the Series awards in ODIs, the third most in history.
2. Sanath Jayasuriya-48
Sanath Jayasuriya helped Sri Lanka win the 1996 World Cup by batting fast at the beginning of matches. He is the second-highest run scorer for Sri Lanka in one-day international matches, scoring 13430 runs in 445 games. He was named Man of the Match 48 times. Jayasuriya was known for being a powerful left-handed batsman and won 11 Man of the Series awards in ODIs, which is the second-highest number ever.
1. Sachin Tendulkar-62
Sachin Tendulkar stands out in cricket history with 62 Man of the Match awards, far ahead of any other cricketer. His career as a batsman speaks for itself, overshadowing comparisons with other players. Tendulkar’s achievements include 15 Man of the Series awards in ODIs, 18,426 runs in 463 matches at an average of 44.83, and 49 centuries—100 centuries in total across international cricket. He was the first to score a double hundred in ODIs and holds the record for the most international runs in both ODIs and Tests. His list of batting records is extensive, earning him the title “God of Cricket.”
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