Top ten debut innings in ODIs

One day cricket is all about scoring runs at a quick rate, and consolidating in the middle overs. It was originally dubbed a slightly quicker version of Test cricket, and with good reason too – matches were played for 60 overs a side and white flannels were still the order of the day.

It took the 1992 World Cup for coloured uniforms to make their official appearance in limited overs cricket, while the advent of Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket saw white balls being used for the first time. The number of overs was also reduced to 50 in order to make games more interesting; in modern times, they still bring about a dash of excitement to spectators.

When a player does well on his or her first match in international cricket, he/she is elated when the side scores a brilliant victory. Much like Test cricket, only a classy player is worthy of an ODI cap; even if he/she does not do well on debut, the talent does not fade.

Here is a list of ten cricketers who announced their arrival on the ODI stage in style:

10. Shaun Marsh (Australia – 81 vs West Indies, Kingstown, June 2008)

Shaun Marsh of Australia

Hailing from a cricketing background – father Geoff Marsh was one of Australia’s finest openers in his time – it was only natural for Shaun to take up the mantle. He did so with considerable aplomb, and scored 81 runs in his first appearance for his country against the West Indies in June 2008.

Fresh from his exploits in the Indian Premier League’s inaugural season, where he helped steer the Kings XI Punjab to the semi-finals, the Western Australia left-hander hammered 7 fours and a six in his 97-ball innings, as Australia posted 273 in their 50 overs.

Left-arm seamer Nathan Bracken’s four-wicket haul saw the Windies crash to 189 all out, but the debutant Marsh was awarded Man of the Match for his superb innings.

9. Robin Uthappa (India – 86 vs England, Indore, April 2006)

Robin Uthappa of India

During the seventh ODI of a bilateral series between India and England, the Karnataka wicket-keeper batsman made his senior debut in excellent style. First, he took a lovely catch to dismiss a rampaging Kevin Pietersen off Yuvraj’s bowling.

Despite that, England managed a fairly competitive total of 288 for India to chase, and with no MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag or Sachin Tendulkar in the line-up, Uthappa stepped up to the plate with a powerful innings of 86 – blasting 12 fours and a massive six- as he combined with skipper Rahul Dravid to add 166 for the first wicket.

He was run-out soon after, but India coasted to victory courtesy of Yuvraj’s unbeaten 69 and Raina’s half-century, and pacer Sreesanth’s six-wicket haul. Though the ‘Walking Assassin‘ missed out on a debut hundred, his 86 still remains the highest individual score in ODIs by an Indian debutant.

8. Stephen Fleming (New Zealand – 90 vs India, Napier, March 1994)

Stephen Fleming of New Zealand

The Kiwi left-hander came up with a magnificent innings after coming in when his side was reeling at 60/3 in the face of excellent bowling from Indian pacers Javagal Srinath and Salil Ankola.

He added 144 runs with Shane Thomson, who made 83, and fell ten runs short of a deserving hundred when he was run out. Nevertheless, his innings ensured that New Zealand ended up on the winning side as India collapsed to 212 all out.

Fleming would go on to lead the Black Caps after the 1996 World Cup, and he would achieve much success in that role.

7. Phil Jaques (Australia – 94 vs South Africa, Melbourne, January 2006)

Phil Jaques of Australia

At a time when the Supersub rule was in place in ODI cricket, the left-handed Phil Jaques made a record-breaking entry into the shorter format of the game against South Africa at Melbourne.

Opening the innings with Damien Martyn, Jaques proceeded to play a controlled innings, helping Australia to overcome the early jitters as they lost three quick wickets before the total reached 100. In the company of Michael Clarke, the southpaw raised 87 runs for the fourth wicket, hitting 14 fours in his 112-ball knock before Proteas’ Supersub Johan van der Wath had him caught behind by Mark Boucher for a classy 94.

A Brett Lee-inspired fightback saw the South Africans shut out for 186 despite a valiant cameo of 46 from Shaun Pollock. Jaques’s sublime performance helped him become the highest scorer for Australia on debut, bettering Kepler Wessels’s 23-year-old record.

Sadly, three operations on a troublesome back led to the cancellation of his central contract in 2009, and with the emergence of players such as Phil Hughes (incidentally, another southpaw), the NSW batsman hasn’t turned out for his country since.

6. Saleem Elahi (Pakistan – 102* vs Sri Lanka, Gujranwala, September 1995)

Saleem Elahi of Pakistan

Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga scored a magnificent century and with Asanka Gurusinha chipping in with 57, the Emerald Islanders made 233/5 in their full quota of 50 overs against Pakistan.

They did not reckon a young right-handed batsman, who was making his international debut without having played a single game in first-class cricket, and was made to chase leather right from the word go.

The batsman, Saleem Elahi, went on a scoring spree as he took his side over the finish line with a scintillating, unbeaten 102 – the same score that Ranatunga had made in the first innings – with the help of 7 fours and a huge six. He shared a 156-run stand with left-handed opener Aamer Sohail (77), before completing the victory in the company of Rameez Raja, who scored a breezy 37-ball 44.

Elahi would go on to make more telling contributions in ODIs, but a Test berth has proved elusive since he was dropped from that side in 2003.

5. Rob Nicol (New Zealand – 108* vs Zimbabwe, Harare, October 2011)

Rob Nicol of New Zealand

Kiwi batting all-rounder Rob Nicol became the second player from New Zealand to score a century on ODI debut when he hammered an unbeaten 108 against Zimbabwe in the first of a three-match series at Harare.

After rival captain Brendan Taylor smashed a belligerent unbeaten 128 to lift his side’s total to 231, along with admirable support from Forster Mutizwa (69), Nicol took centre-stage with an exhibition of pure class and powerful timing as he hit back hard, adding 153 runs for the first wicket with Martin Guptill (74), and secured the win with Brendon McCullum at the other end.

In the process, Nicol went past Stephen Fleming’s 90 as the previous best score by a Kiwi batsman on debut in ODIs.

4. Phillip Hughes (Australia – 112 vs Sri Lanka, Melbourne, January 2013)

Phillip Hughes of Australia

Facing the likes of Malinga and ‘mystery spinner’ Ajantha Mendis in your first ever international game is enough to give anyone nightmares. Phillip Hughes didn’t think so.

The diminutive left-hander toyed with the Sri Lankan bowling, showing no sign of nervousness or fear, as he progressed to his maiden ODI century with 14 well-struck boundaries. With skipper George Bailey and the ice-cool David Hussey also joining the fun, Hughes’ three-figure knock enabled Australia to reach 305, and they skittled out the Lankans for 198 without a fuss.

Incidentally, Hughes broke fellow left-hander Phil Jaques’ record for the highest individual score on debut by an Australia – both batsmen hit the same number of boundaries.

Later in the year, he traveled to England for the Ashes, and after a lacklustre performance, he was dropped, despite a valiant 81 in the first Test.

3. Andy Flower (Zimbabwe – 115* vs Sri Lanka, New Plymouth, February 1992)

Andy Flower of Zimbabwe

When one scores a hundred in his first game at the international level, he is excited. The excitement, however, reaches a fever pitch when the occasion is a World Cup game.

Left-handed wicket-keeper batsman Andy Flower did exactly that against Sri Lanka in the 1992 World Cup. He made a sublime, unbeaten 115 while opening the innings, scoring eight boundaries and a six against the likes of Ramanayake and Pramodya Wickramasinghe. Quick-fire half centuries from Kevin Arnott and Andy Waller enabled the Zimbabweans to reach 312, but Sri Lanka overhauled the target with four balls to spare.

It was an indication of great things to come for Flower – who would later captain the side before retiring in 2003. He is now the current coach of the England cricket team.

2. Colin Ingram (South Africa – 124 vs Zimbabwe, Bloemfontein, October 2010)

Colin Ingram of South Africa

His side got a massive scare during the run chase when Brendan Taylor went hammer and tongs after the bowling, but left-hander Colin Ingram still ended up on the winning side, with the Player of the Match award to boot, after posting a remarkable century in his first international outing for the senior team.

The 25-year-old partnered with the stylish Hashim Amla – who also made a hundred – as he put the Zimbabwean bowling to the sword, hammering eight boundaries and two sixes in an innings described by those who watched from the sidelines as chanceless.

Ingram entered the record books by becoming the first South African to register a century on ODI debut, and he completely nullified the excitement caused by veteran Zimbabwe batsman Grant Flower’s brief comeback into international cricket after a six-year hiatus.

1. Desmond Haynes (West Indies – 148 vs Australia, St John’s, Antigua, February 1978)

Desmond Haynes of West Indies

West Indies owed their victory in this game to newcomer Desmond Haynes, whose brilliant innings of 148 steered them to a mammoth 313/9 against the visiting Australians.

With regular skipper Clive Lloyd absent, wicket-keeper Deryck Murray captained the side and gave admirable support to the young Haynes as he punished the Aussie bowlers – mostly targeting the wayward Jeff Thomson, who sent down a lot of no-balls. Through their combined efforts, West Indies went past the 300-run mark with Thomson picking up four wickets for the opponents.

Australia never looked like reaching the target, which was revised to 226 from 36 overs due to fading light. Only Gary Cosier stood tall with a stylish 84, but the rest collapsed against Joel Garner and Colin Croft’s pace, and the home team won by 44 runs.

Fittingly, Haynes was awarded Man of the Match, and would go on to establish himself as a world-class opener, forging a successful partnership with Gordon Greenidge. His 148 still remains the highest score made by any ODI debutant.