5 batsmen who scored most ODI runs before their first century

We are fast-approaching the golden jubilee mark since the first One Day International (ODI) was played between England and Australia in 1971 with the format undergoing a number of changes over the years.

From the 60-over format and eight-ball overs, the ODI format is 11 World Cups old and though it may be struggling to remain in contention in comparison to the frenzy of T20 cricket and serenity of Test cricket, it still has plenty of cricket fans rooting for it.

As is any other format, the spectators love to see runs being scored with the batsmen getting most of the adulation from the cricketing faithful. Unfair yes, but that's how the game is.

Getting an ODI century is no mean feat with very little time to settle down and get going, especially if your team is chasing a big target.

Still, the legendary Sachin Tendulkar managed to bag 49 of them by the time he retired from the sport but it was by no means an easy start for the Indian Master Blaster.

It took 78 matches for Tendulkar to score his 1st ODI hundred and break the shackles that were perhaps holding him back mentally from reaching the three-figure mark.

There were many other players who took much longer than Tendulkar to score their maiden ODI hundred with former South African all-rounder Shaun Pollock playing the most innings - 189 to be precise - before reaching the landmark figure.

But when it comes to the most number of runs scored before scoring their maiden ODI century, neither of the above two players feature in the Top 5, with the countdown beginning with another South African batsman who made it an innings to remember when he finally managed to breach the 100-run mark.

#5 Mark Boucher

Matches - 219; Innings - 159; Runs - 3183; Average - 26.52; HS - 76

The former wicketkeeper-batsman Mark Boucher was an ever-present in the Proteas line-up since making his debut in 1998 and was brilliant behind the stumps as his 425 career dismissals in the ODI format suggest.

Boucher was also a useful batsman lower down the order who had the ability to accelerate the scoring in the slog overs.

Usually coming in to bat at the No 6 or No 7 spot, Boucher found little time to play a big knock and that explains why he took as many 220 ODIs to score his maiden century in the format - 8 years since making his debut.

Batting for the 159th time in his ODI career, Boucher tore apart the Zimbabwean bowling attack to bring up his century off just 44 balls. He ultimately remained unbeaten on 147 off just 68 balls as South Africa piled up 418 runs and won the match by 151 runs.

This happened to be Boucher's one and only century in his ODI career as he finished with a run tally of 4686 runs from 295 ODIs at an average of 28.57.

#4 Angelo Mathews

Constant injuries have meant that Angelo Mathews is placing more focus on his batting

Matches - 137; Innings - 115; Runs - 3213; Average - 39.18; HS - 82

Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews has been shouldering the responsibility of the side in all formats of the game as the seniormost player in the side since the retirement of the likes of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.

Injuries have restricted his time on the field, especially with the ball, as he has turned his focus on batting in the middle order after initially starting out much lower down the order.

Mathews made his ODI debut in 2008 and played 115 innings before scoring his maiden century against India at the JSCA International Stadium in 2014.

He remained unbeaten on 139 off 116 balls but it was not enough in the end as the hosts chased down the target of 287 to clinch the match and the series 5-0.

#3 Elton Chigumbura

Chigumbura waited for 173 ODIs to score his first ODI ton while his second one came in the very next one

Matches - 173; Innings - 160; Runs - 3468; Average - 24.94; HS - 90

The most capped ODI player in the current Zimbabwean squad with more than 200 matches to his name, Elton Chigumbura made his international debut in 2004 and also served as skipper of the ODI and T20 side for nearly 18 months.

The 31-year-old is not prolific with the bat by any means - as his average in the mid-20s suggests - but he adds value to the side with his experience and all-around abilities.

However, he still has 2 ODI centuries in his name, which came off consecutive matches, but he had to wait a long time for his first ton. It was only after playing 173 ODIs in which he had scored 3468 runs that Chigumbura finally managed to reach the three-figure in a single ODI inning.

The opponents on the day were Pakistan as Chigumbura and the Zimbabwean fought bravely at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to chase down the target of 376, but the African nation fell short by a margin of 41 runs.

Having scored 117 off just 95 balls that day, Chigumbura scored his second ODI century in his very next match when India toured Zimbabwe in July 2015.

#2 Steve Waugh

Steve Waugh scored only 3 ODI centuries in comparison to his Test tally of 32 tons

Matches - 186; Innings - 166; Runs - 3863; Average - 30.41; HS - 86

For someone with 32 Test tons to his name, it is a little surprising that Steve Waugh managed just 3 centuries in the 50-over format. But as a member of a side that had very good batsmen at the top of the order, it is more a case of getting very little time to build an innings as he loved to do in Test cricket.

One of the greatest captains in the history of the game, Waugh was by no means an aggressive batsman but knew how to play according to the situation of the game as his many match-winning knocks in the 50-over format prove.

Waugh stands second in terms of both the most innings taken and most runs scored before scoring their maiden ODI century - a feat he achieved after batting 166 times in which he scored 3863 runs.

The venue for the historic knock was the iconic MCG as Waugh scored an unbeaten 102 against Sri Lanka in early 1996.

He scored two more ODI centuries - both of them against South Africa - including the match-winning knock of 120 during the Super Six stage of the 1999 World Cup that helped his side stay in the tournament en route to winning the big prize by defeating Pakistan in the final.

#1 Arjuna Ranatunga

Ranatunga led Sri Lanka to ODI World Cup triumph in 1996

Matches - 152; Innings - 144; Runs - 4100; Average - 34.74; HS - 98

The former Sri Lankan skipper Arjuna Ranatunga tops the list for scoring most runs before scoring his first ODI century as the middle-order batsman had to wait 12 years since making his debut in 1982 - a period which saw him play 152 matches in which he scored 4100 runs - before reaching the landmark figure.

The 1996-ODI World Cup winning skipper formed the backbone of the Sri Lankan middle order along with Aravinda de Silva and unselfishly took the backseat as the latter took much of the plaudits when the team did so well during the late 90s.

His first ODI century came against Pakistan at Kingsmead, Durban in December 1994 when he scored an unbeaten 101 which unfortunately was not enough to help his side avoid defeat against the opposition on the day.

Ranatunga scored 3 more ODI centuries before retiring from the sport but such was his leadership that he will forever be heralded more for his captaincy than his abilities as a batsman.