Throwback to Belinda Clark's magical 229* - The first-ever double-hundred in ODIs

The mainstream narrative suggests that Sachin Tendulkar was the first-ever double-centurion in the history of the ODIs.

Sachin was, in fact, the first batter in the men's ODIs to breach the 200-run mark in an ODI innings when he smashed 200* off 147 balls against South Africa at Gwalior in February 2010.

But 13 years before Sachin pulled off this superhuman feat, Aussie batter Belinda Clark had scored a double ton in the women’s ODIs.

It was on this day, 16th December, in 1997 in a World Cup match between Australia and Denmark. And for those who love parallels in cricket, Belinda Clark’s double century was scored in Mumbai, which is, of course, Sachin’s abode.

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Belinda Clark’s day out in Mumbai

Belinda Clark, who opened the batting for Australia, already had a reputation for scoring big hundreds in ODIs. She had scored 131 (vs Pakistan) and 142 (vs New Zealand) earlier that year.

She had also scored an unbeaten 93 against South Africa in Australia’s opening World Cup game. Belinda Clark was in excellent form and there were ominous signs when the Aussies decided to bat in their match against Denmark.

Denmark were making only their second World Cup appearance and looked hapless against the dominant Australian side, especially Belinda Clark.

Clark carried her bat as she scored 229 runs off just 155 balls. The knock included 22 hits to the boundary. She and her team both entered unchartered territory as Australia scored their first and only score of 400-plus in women’s ODIs.

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Records set by Belinda Clark’s 229-run knock

Belinda Clark's innings shattered and created many records that stood for more than a decade.

• Belinda Clark’s 229* was the highest score in all ODIs (men’s and women’s) for 17 years, until Rohit Sharma broke her record and scored 264* in 2014.
• The 22 fours she hit in the innings was a record for 18 years until Rachel Priest broke her record in 2015 when she hit 23 fours in her 157-run innings.
• She is the only Australian in ODIs to have scored a double century. The second-best is Shane Watson’s 185* vs Bangladesh.
• Her record in women’s cricket was intact for 21 years until New Zealand teenager Amelia Kerr scored an unbeaten 232 against Ireland in 2018.
• The 141 non-boundary runs that Belinda Clark scored is a record for most runs scored through ones, twos, and threes in an ODI.

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Belinda Clark’s pathbreaking innings played a big role in catapulting women’s cricket into the mainstream. She played a big role in the development of Australian women’s cricket. She was awarded the Wisden’s Australian Cricketer of the Year in 1998 – the first-ever recipient of the award and served as the CEO for Women’s Cricket Australia for a few years while she was still playing.

Her contribution to Australian cricket has been immortalized through the Belinda Clark Medal – which is awarded annually to the most outstanding Australian female cricketer of the season.

Belinda Clark - One of Australia's most influential Cricketers

Belinda Clark’s innings came at a time when 250 used to be a winning total in ODIs. T20Is were still close to a decade away and Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharna were redefining blazing opening partnerships in the men's ODIs in the mid 1990s.

Clark owned and dominated that approach in the women’s ODIs. She is a true trailblazer of the sport!