5 ODI records that were broken in 2018

2018 has been another excellent year for cricket as teams competed excellently, giving ardent cricket fans many moments to cherish. From debutants showcasing their skills and veterans proving their worth, to associate nations and players announcing their arrival to the world of cricket, a lot took place in 2018.

In this year of excellence, the quality of ODIs improved a lot, as there were both close low-scoring games and one-sided high scoring chases. The teams, as well as individual players, went on to break many records and achieve new feats as well.

We pick for you the top 5 such ODI records:

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#5 England post highest ODI score in an innings

England's top 3 sees them in good stead

Englishmen were in prime form this year as they went on to defeat top teams without much fuss. England played Australia for a 5-match series at home. In the 3rd ODI, the batsmen made a mockery of the Australian bowling as England played a carnage of an innings that completely slaughtered the hopes of Australia, who were trailing the series by 2-0. Alex Hales and Jonny Bairstow scored 147 and 139 runs respectively that assisted England to pile up 481 runs on the board.

They broke their own record of 444/3 which they had made it against Pakistan in 2016. Australia, who were playing without their 2 stalwarts Steven Smith and David Warner, weren’t able to sustain to the England bowling as they were bowled out for just 239 runs giving England a 242-run victory.

Highest ODI scores in men’s cricket:

England 481/6 vs Australia 2018

England 444/3 vs Pakistan 2016

Srilanka 443/9 vs Netherlands 2006

#4 Virat Kohli’s record of 558 runs in a bilateral series

Kohli was on a roll to make a mockery of the numbers

I doubt if there would be an adjective that would precisely describe the current form Virat Kohli is in. It has been onwards and upwards for him and he has made the most out of it.

India played South Africa earlier this year for 6 ODIs, 3 Tests and 3 T20Is. After losing the series 2-1, India bounced back in ODIs, as they defeated the Proteas 5-1. Virat Kohli, who was captaining the side, was phenomenal with the bat, and the South African bowling attack was made to work hard to remove his wicket each time.

The scores of Kohli in 6 ODIs read 112, 46, 160, 75, 36 and 129 which exemplifies his dominance and excellence in batting. With 558 runs in the series, Kohli became the highest scorer in bilateral series which was previously held by his teammate Rohit Sharma.

Rohit Sharma had hit 491 runs in 6 games against Australia in 2013-14 series.

Most Runs in ODI bilateral series:

Virat Kohli - 558 runs vs South Africa (6-match series)

Rohit Sharma - 491 runs vs Australia (6-match series)

George Bailey - 478 runs vs India (6-match series)

#3 Rohit’s record of most 150+ scores in ODI cricket

Rohit Sharma adds another feather to his cap

India played a brief series against the Windies at home. As expected, India dominated the series completely, as Windies were outplayed in both the batting and bowling departments, except for very few occasions in the series.

In the first ODI between the teams, Windies put up a good show with the bat, as they posted 323 runs on the board. India lost Shikhar Dhawan in their chase but Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma put up a 246-partnership without breaking a sweat, ensuring that the Men in Blue crossed the line with ease.

Kohli and Rohit hit centuries in due course as Rohit remained not-out till the end. Rohit made 152 runs in the game, thus breaking the record of most 150+ scores, which was previously held by Sachin Tendulkar and David Warner. Rohit now has 6 150+ scores, thus proving why he remains integral to the team.

Most 150+ scores in ODI cricket:

Rohit Sharma - 6

Sachin Tendulkar and David Warner - 5

Sanath Jayasuriya and Hashim Amla - 4

#2 Rashid’s record of fastest to 100 ODI wickets

The young Afghan spinner has bamboozled batting lineups at will

2018 proved to be a year to remember for the associate nations as the teams and their players announced their arrival with some stunning performances and memorable victories. Rashid Khan who plays for Afghanistan made many heads turn in surprise as he constantly made headlines with some remarkable performances. Afghans played Windies in an ICC Qualifier match and as expected Rashid Khan spun his web around the Windies batters which baffled them completely.

He trapped Shai Hope leg-before which turned to be his 100th wicket in ODI cricket, and thus Rashid became the fastest to reach the milestone. It was just one of many occasions that happened this year as Rashid Khan was in fine form with the ball. In the 20 matches he played, Rashid scalped 48 wickets at an excellent economy of 3.90 and average 14.46.

With his extraordinary bowling, Rashid became the youngest and fastest to 100 wickets in ODI cricket. Rashid reached the milestone in just 44 matches while the previous best was in 52 matches held by Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc.

Fastest to 100 ODI wickets:

Rashid Khan - 44 matches

Mitchell Starc - 52 matches

Saqlain Mushtaq - 53 matches

Shane Bond - 54 matches

Brett Lee - 55 matches

#1 Kohli’s record of fastest to 10,000 runs

Skipper Kohli was in red-hot form in ODIs in 2018

We're running out of adjectives to describe Virat Kohli, who has been truly insane this year. He has piled up a huge number of records this year which is the reason why he appears the second time on this list. Virat Kohli became the fastest to 10,000 ODI runs in the second ODI between Indian and Windies which ended in a tie after a good contest between the teams.

Batting first, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan fell cheaply. Virat Kohli and Ambati Rayudu stitched a good partnership that ensured India post a good total on the board. India posted 321/6, in which the captain made a brilliant 157 to his name and remained not out till the end.

In the process, Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record of fastest to 10,000 runs. Sachin took 259 innings to achieve the feat while Kohli needed just 205 innings to reach the mark. In 2018, Kohli scored a humongous 1202 runs in just 14 matches at an insane average of 133.56 runs. He scored 6 hundreds and 3 fifties this year.

Fastest to 10k runs:

Virat Kohli - 205 innings

Sachin Tendulkar - 259 innings

Sourav Ganguly - 263 innings

Ricky Ponting - 266 innings

Jacques Kallis - 272 innings