5 Players with the most ODI centuries in 2018

ODI cricket rose to newer heights in the year 2018. Teams like Afghanistan, Scotland and Bangladesh managed to upset some of the biggest teams of world cricket.

While Afghanistan reached the final four of the Asia Cup in September, the minnows Scotland managed to upset the world's No.1 ODI team England in June this year. Bangladesh too came very close to winning the Asia Cup apart from their stupendous performances in bilateral ODI series in 2018.

England and India emerged as the best ODI teams of 2018 as the batsmen of both the teams ruled the calendar year's run charts. Just as a 5-wicket haul is considered as a major milestone for a bowler, a century holds the same for a batsman.

So, with no more ODI matches scheduled to take place in 2018, let us have a look at the 5 players with the most centuries in 2018:

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#5 Aaron Finch (Australia)

No. of centuries - 3

Australia v England - Game 2

While a number of players scored 3 ODI centuries in 2018, Australian opener Aaron Finch took just 11 matches to score three centuries. Australia played a lot of T20 matches in 2018 and thus, Finch got lesser ODI matches to play in. Nevertheless, he made the most out of the 11 matches and scored 493 runs in them at an average of 44.81.

Finch started off the year with 2 centuries in the series against England. He scored 107 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground followed by a 106 runs innings at the Gabba. He scored another century versus England later in the year, when Australia toured England in the month of June.

ODI Centuries in 2018

1. 107 vs England, 14-1-18

2. 106 vs England, 18-1-18

3. 100 vs England, 21-6-18

#4 Shaun Marsh (Australia)

No. of centuries - 3

Australia v South Africa - 3rd ODI

The elegant southpaw from Australia, Shaun Marsh did not get enough opportunities to represent his nation in the limited overs format in 2018. However, Marsh was able to score 3 centuries in the 7 matches he played in the year. He scored 416 ODI runs at a mind-boggling average of 59.42 and had a highest score of 131.

He was not picked in Australia's ODI team when they hosted England, but the middle order batsman made it to the squad which toured the United Kingdom in June. He registered 2 tons to his name in the ODI series against England and followed it with a masterful innings of 106 runs against South Africa at the Bellerive Oval.

ODI Centuries in 2018

1. 131 vs England, 16-6-18

2. 101 vs England, 21-6-18

3. 106 vs South Africa, 11-11-18

#3 Jonny Bairstow (England)

No. of centuries - 4

England v Australia - 3rd Royal London ODI

The English wicket-keeper batsman, Jonny Bairstow was one of the main reasons behind England's success in ODI cricket this year. The right-handed batsman scored 1,025 ODI runs in the 22 ODI matches he played for England in 2018 and was just behind Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the list of the leading run-scorers of ODIs of 2018.

He scored a century against 3 different opponents in 2018. Bairstow commenced the year with 2 ODI 100s in New Zealand which included an innings of 138 runs at the University Oval in a losing cause.

His hundred against Scotland went in a losing cause too as the minnows won the match by a close margin. However, Bairstow played his best ODI innings of the year when he scored 139 against the Aussies at Trent Bridge.

ODI Centuries in 2018

1. 138 vs New Zealand, 6-3-18

2. 104 vs New Zealand, 10-3-18

3. 105 vs Scotland, 10-6-18

4. 139 vs Australia, 19-6-18

#2 Rohit Sharma (India)

No. of centuries - 5

England v India - 3rd ODI

Rohit Sharma, who had started the year 2018 after scoring a monumental 208* against Sri Lanka in late 2017, made sure that he continued his fine form with the bat in this year as well. He scored his first ever ODI century in South Africa when he played an innings of 115 against the hosts at St. George's Park.

The Mumbaikar scored his second hundred of 2018 against England at Trent Bridge and then registered his maiden ODI hundred versus Pakistan while captaining team India in the Asia Cup.

Rohit then ended the year with two daddy hundreds against a depleted Windies side as the home fans were thrilled by the Hitman's batting skills.

ODI Centuries in 2018

1. 115 vs South Africa, 13-2-18

2. 137* vs England, 12-7-18

3. 111* vs Pakistan, 23-9-18

4. 152* vs West Indies, 21-10-18

5. 162 vs West Indies, 29-10-18

#1 Virat Kohli (India)

No. of centuries - 6

3rd Momentum ODI: South Africa v India

The year 2018 belonged to India's captain, Virat Kohli. Despite not being a part of the team in the Asia Cup, Kohli managed to emerge as the leading run-getter in ODIs of 2018. The elegant right-hander scored 1202 runs in the 14 ODIs he played this year. His strike rate of 102.55 just shows the level to which King Kohli dominated his opponents.

He started off the year with a bang as he scored 3 centuries in the ODI series against South Africa, which helped India win the 6-match ODI series quite comfortably. He then scored 3 more centuries while leading the team against West Indies and had become the first Indian captain in the ODI history to score 3 consecutive hundreds.

ODI Centuries in 2018

1. 112 vs South Africa, 1-2-18

2. 160* vs South Africa, 7-2-18

3. 129* vs South Africa, 16-2-18

4. 140 vs West Indies, 21-10-18

5. 157* vs West Indies, 24-10-18

6. 107 vs West Indies, 29-10-18