5 most selfish acts in the history of ODI cricket

Sachin Tendulkar's 100th international century came at an astonishingly slow pace.

It is a rare occurrence but occasionally cricketers or teams come down with a bout of selfishness, and when it happens, it is generally rather ugly. Protecting self-interest is perhaps natural. As much as cricket is a team game, an individual is always desperate to make their own case, whether it is to preserve their place in the side or to achieve personal goals.

Sometimes it's harmless but there are examples where a player's actions scuppered their team's chances of winning for his own personal gain. Here are the five most selfish acts in the history of one-day international (ODI) cricket.

5. David Warner 100 from 140 in 2012 CB Series Final

David Warner

Think David Warner in coloured clothing and a ton at less than a three-figure strike-rate would be a slight surprise, so a showing of 100 from 140 balls comes across as very out of character. But it happened, and in a final too.

Against Sri Lanka in the second match of the 2012 Commonwealth Bank Series Final, the belligerent left-hander, fresh off a 163 in the game before, trundled along mediocrely unable to find the fence with any regularity – he hit just four boundaries and a six.

A dodgy pitch, maybe? Well, on the evidence of Michael Clarke and the Sri Lankan response that theory seems unlikely. Australia’s captain carried the innings on his way to 117 from 91 balls to drag his side to 271-6 – a total that at least gave his bowlers something to work with.

A hundred from Tillakaratne Dilshan and half-centuries from Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara quickly put paid to that as the Sri Lankans cruised to an eight-wicket win with more than five overs to spare. The Aussies were plenty short and given Warner exited in the 46th over with just three wickets down, his knock probably cost the Aussies the match.

4. Sachin Tendulkar's 100th international hundred

Sachin Tendulkar

No one would have begrudged Sachin Tendulkar his 100th international hundred – especially after a tormenting year-long wait – but it is undeniable that his actions in the ODI where he achieved the feat put India at a disadvantage and contributed to their defeat to Bangladesh.

It was in the 2012 Asia Cup when the moment came, but the manner of Tendulkar’s ton was detrimental to his team’s chances. The right-hander toiled to 114 from 147 deliveries – just under half of India’s innings – leaving the rest to try and boost the side to a winning score. Ultimately, despite late boundaries at the death, the 289 runs made proved not enough as the Tigers made it home to win by five wickets.

Tendulkar’s failure to knock off the final century to complete the milestone had become the topic of conversation every time he came out to bat and it is perhaps unsurprising that when he did get there, it was courtesy of a grinding ordeal rather than a fitting flourish.

It also added further weight to the comment that whenever Tendulkar hit a hundred, India would find a way to lose. This beating, however, was of the Little Master’s own doing.

3. Michael Vandort 48 from 117 in 2006 VB Series

Michael Vandort

Michael Vandort only ever played one ODI and it’s no shock that he was never picked again. The Sri Lankan batsman was selected for the 2006 VB Series in Australia and was given his opportunity in the very first match.

A strong batting performance by the hosts took them to a towering 318-5 from their 50 overs, meaning the tourists would have to crack on at more than a run-a-ball to take the victory at Docklands Stadium in Melbourne.

Vandort, however, had other ideas and proceeded to play one of the most selfish and strange innings in ODI cricket. He nudged and nurdled to 48, hitting a mere three fours, and when he was finally run out after 35 overs at the crease he had chewed up 117 balls scoring at less than half the required rate.

Sri Lanka could well have been beaten anyway but thanks to Vandort they lost by a huge 116 runs. They did recover as the series wore on, edging out South Africa to make the tri-series final, where they were beaten once more by Australia.

2. Jacques Kallis 48 from 63 against Australia in 2007 World Cup

Jacques Kallis

Few teams were coming close to Australia in the 2007 World Cup as the southern hemisphere outfit continued to reign over ODI cricket – recording their third successive triumph in the competition – but they received a helping hand from South African Jacques Kallis in one of their group games that year.

A brutal Matthew Hayden hundred powered the team to a formidable 377, but openers Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers were cutting the target down to size, and when the latter fell after 20 overs, the Proteas had already racked up 160 runs.

Instead of driving on the assault, Kallis adopted a cautious approach, one that was unwanted considering South Africa’s target. The all-rounder meandered to 48 from 63 balls with his team requiring over seven an over, alllowing Australia to turn the screw.

When Kallis was finally dismissed with just 41 deliveries remaining, the asking rate had doubled. All of the early momentum had been lost and South Africa ended up falling 84 runs short of victory. Had Kallis pushed on, they may have won, or at the worst got very close.

1. Sunil Gavaskar's 36 not out from 174 balls in 1975 World Cup

Sunil Gavaskar

More than forty years on, Sunil Gavaskar’s actions in the first ever World Cup remain mystifying and his most bizarre innings in his glittering international career. What was supposed to be the dawn of a new cricketing era descended into farce as the opener decided to defend until his heart was content.

England were taking on India at Lord’s in June 1975 in a 60-over ODI and the hosts racked up a towering 334-4 – a quite remarkable effort considering such a scoring rate would have been notable one decade ago, never mind four.

Gavaskar made no attempt to track down the target, cautiously making his way to an unbeaten 36 off 174 balls, hitting just one boundary. India lost just three wickets but amassed only 132 runs, resulting in a mighty 202-run win for England.

Reasons for the go-slow have never been totally clear, however, there are a couple of theories. His apparent excuse afterwards to India manager GS Ramchand was that “the wicket was too slow to play shots”, but Gavaskar has since admitted it was his worst ever innings.