First player to score an ODI century from each country

Over 1,700 ODI centuries have been scored since the first ever One Day International match was played between Australia and England at the MCG on January 5, 1971.

It was a 40 over match but each over consisted of 8 balls. In fact, initially, all ODIs were played with a red ball and in a white uniform.

The first World Cup - which was held in 1975 - had 60 six-ball overs matches. The format has changed since the years and now has 50 six-ball overs .

ODIs have slowly become the most loved form of the game, as they are highly competitive, not as long as the Tests, but also not too short like the T20s.

In this article, we will take a look at who were the first centurions from each country.

Note: We are including only the 12 Test-playing nations which also possess the full ODI status presently.

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#1 Leslie Amiss (England)

Dennis Leslie Amiss plays a drive

Dennis Leslie Amiss was the first centurion for The Three Lions. The Birmingham-born player had an excellent playing record and He amassed 3,612 runs in the 50 Test matches he played at an average of 46.30. The right-hand batsman also hit 11 centuries and 11 half centuries in his Test career.

The classy batsman is known to have scored the first ever ODI century in the history of cricket, scoring the century in a match against Australia in Manchester on August 24, 1972. It was only the 2nd ODI ever to be played. The Aussies had posted a total of 222 runs after they chose to bat first. Amiss' sublime 103 off 134 aided by a brilliant 60 off 76 by Keith Fletcher helped England to a successful run chase. The Three Lions eventually won the match by 6 wickets with 35 balls to spare.

Interestingly, it was also Amiss' debut match and he holds another unique record of being the first batsman to score a century on both his first and last match.

Overall, the former English cricketer amassed 859 runs in 18 ODIs he played at an averae of 47.72 and a strike rate of 72.49.

#2 Roy Clifton Fredericks (West Indies)

Roy Clifton Fredericks play a shot

Roy Fredericks was amongst the few batsmen who would not be afraid to counter-attack the speedsters of his time. The Blairmont-born player played 59 Tests for the Windies and amassed 4,334 runs at an average of 42.49.

The southpaw only played 12 ODIs as they had just been introduced back then but he managed to score a century and a half century. Fredericks scored the ODI century in the 2nd match of the Windies Tour of England in September 1973. The Three Lions had posted a score of 189 in their 55 overs after choosing to bat first.

The aggressive opener Fredericks hit a sublime 105 off 122 deliveries and smashed 10 fours and a six in his knock. Teammate Kallicharran also made a 50 and the West Indies chased down the total in 42.2 overs. Fredericks won the Player of the Match award for his knock.

His century also became the 3rd in the history of ODIs as the first two were hit by Leslie Amiss.

Freddo, as he was popularly known, was also famous for representing Guyana in table tennis and squash.

He won a number of individual honours - the most notable of them being the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1974.

#3 Ken Wadsworth (New Zealand)

Ken Wadsworth (Wicketkeeper)

Kenneth John Wadsworth was the first choice wicketkeeper-batsman for New Zealand during his time and played some memorable innings for the Black Caps.

The Nelson-born player amassed 1,010 runs in 33 Test matches he played for the country and also amassed 334 runs in 13 ODIs at an average of 25.62 and strike rate of 77.24.

His solitary (and the first by a Kiwi player) ODI century came in the match against Australia at Christchurch, on March 31, 1974.

The Aussies had posted a handsome total of 265 with half-centuries from Ian Chappell, Woodcock, and Greg Chappell. Even though Wadsworth hit a brilliant knock of 104 from 98, it came too late as he batted down the order and eventually New Zealand fell short of 31 runs.

Wadsworth died when he was just 29 year old, due to invasive melanoma.

#4 Majid Khan (Pakistan)

Majid Khan in action during a match

Majid Jahangir Khan is the first Pakistani player to score an ODI century. Khan initially began his career as a fast bowler but a back injury made him change to spin bowling.

Majid amassed 3,931 runs in 63 Test matches for Pakistan at an average of 38.92. He also played 23 ODIs and accumulated 786 runs at an average of 37.42. Besides hitting seven fifties in ODIs, Majid hit the famed century in the match against England at Nottingham on August 31, 1974.

The English team had set up a total of 244 with an exquisite century from David Lloyd and cameos from skipper Mike Denness and Chris Old. Majid had clinched the wicket of Old and also bowled 3 overs in this particular match. The right-handed batsman and Sadiq Mohammad opened the inning for Pakistan and gave them a brilliant start.

Majid hit 109 off 93 deliveries and Sadiq hit 41 off 52 balls. His innings included 16 fours and a six. The upcoming batsmen - Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, and Mushtaq Mohammad - also chipped in with a few runs and Pakistan won the match by seven wickets, chasing down the total in 42.5 overs.

#5 Alan Turner (Australia)

Alan Turner

Alan Turner had a decent first-class career but could never stick around at the highest level. The opening batsman played just 14 Tests and 6 ODIs for the national team. Nevertheless, Turner holds the record for scoring the first ODI century for Australia.

The century came in the match against Sri Lanka at the Prudential World Cup in London on June 11, 1975. The Aussies were put in to bat first in the 60-over game. Turner opened the innings along with Rick McCosker. The duo gave Australia a superb start as they established a partnership of 178 runs. McCosker played well for his 73 while Turner smashed 101 off 113 deliveries. In fact, this knock remains Turner's only big feat in ODIs as he did not even score a half-century in the 6 ODIs he played.

Overall, Australia set up a total of 328 in the match. In response, Sri Lanka could only put together 276 runs and Australia won the match by 52 runs.

#6 Roy Dias (Sri Lanka)

Roy Dias

There were many ODI centuries scored between the years 1974 and 1982 but they all came from either England, West Indies, Australian, Pakistani, or New Zealand batsmen.

Roy Dias finally broke this deadlock in 1982 when he scored a century against India. It was the 2nd ODI of the series and Sri Lanka were squaring off against India at Delhi on September 15, 1982. The Lions chose to bat first and the brilliant 102 from 114 deliveries from Dias as well as a well made 74 from Sidath Wettimuny helped Sri Lanka to a brilliant total of 277 in 50 overs.

However, the fearless Men in Blue were up to the task. Kris Srikkanth hit 95 off 66 balls and came close to scoring the first ever ODI century for India. Vengsarkar added 53 runs and Ashok Malhotra also made 44. Sandeep Patil also smacked 64 off 44 deliveries and eventually, India chased down the target comfortably in 40.5 Overs. With this win, India also claimed the three-match series.

However, the stylish Roy's innings is always cherished. The elegant batsmen went on to become one of Sri Lanka's finest batsmen. In fact, after his first century, Dias hit another century against India in the 3rd ODI of the tour. However, it was again in a losing cause.

#7 Kapil Dev (India)

Kapil Dev

The talismanic all-rounder Kapil Dev is also India's first-ever centurion in ODIs. The man who taught India how to play fearlessly scored the century against Zimbabwe on June 18, 1983. It came during the famous Prudential World Cup in 1983 which India would go on to win.

The Indians were in a fix in the group stage match against Zimbabwe. After electing to bat first, India's two openers - Gavaskar and Srikkanth returned to the pavilion for a duck. Amarnath, Patil, and Yashpal Sharma could also not trouble the scoreboard much and at one stage, India were 17 for 5. It seemed difficult that they would even manage to surpass 100 runs. That is when the skipper Kapil Dev decided to take the matter into his own hands.

The Haryana Hurricane, as Dev was known, smacked the ball to all sides of the ground. He hit a thumping 175 runs off just 138 deliveries. His knock included 16 fours and 6 sixes and at the time it became the highest individual score in ODIs. The emphatic knock changed the entire context of the game and helped India put up a total of 266 runs on board in the 60-over game.

Zimbabwe fought hard but were bowled out for 235 runs in 57 overs. Later, Kapil Dev and his troops would upset West Indies in the final of the World Cup to lift the trophy. Kapil's century remains one of the most historic knocks in Indian cricket.

Overall, Dev made 3,783 runs in 225 ODIs at a strike rate of 95.07. The Chandigarh-born player also clinched 253 wickets in those matches and had an economy rate of 3.71.

#8 David Houghton (Zimbabwe)

David Houghton

Zimbabwe used to be a competitive team back in the day and first player to score an ODI century for the team was David Laud Houghton.

The versatile batsman could play according to the situation and was also a brilliant player of spin. He hit the century against New Zealand during the 1987 World Cup.

It was the fourth match of the World Cup and Zimbabwe's first match of the campaign. The Kiwis had batted first and put up 242 runs in their 50 overs.

Houghton batted extremely well and blasted 142 runs in 137 deliveries. His knock included 13 fours and 6 sixes and almost helped Zimbabwe to a surprise win. In the end, New Zealand won the match by 3 runs as they bowled Zimbabwe out for 239 in 49.4 overs. It remains one of the most exciting games of a World Cup.

Overall, Houghton played 22 Tests and 63 ODIs for Zimbabwe. The 61-year-old got into coaching and became a commentator after his retirement in 1997.

#9 Andrew Hudson (South Africa)

Andrew Hudson (batting)

Andrew Hudson had a notable career for South Africa with the right-handed batsman particularly known for scoring a Test century on debut.

He played 35 Tests and 89 ODIs for the Proteas. His ODI average was 29.41 while his strike rate was 64.62.

The Natal-born player scored the famous century when India were on tour to South Africa in 1992. It was the 5th ODI of the 7 match series and India had posted a total of 207 in 50 overs. Hudson opened the inning along with captain Kepler Wessels.

The opener hit a well-timed 108 off 147 deliveries while the skipper departed after making 55 off 95. South Africa chased down the total in 47.2 overs and with the win, they clinched the 7-match series as well.

Hudson played his last ODI in 1997 while his last Test came against Pakistan in March 1998.

#10 Mehrab Hossain (Bangladesh)

Mehrab Hossain

Mehrab Hossain became the first Bangladeshi cricketer to hit a century in ODIs in a match against Zimbabwe on March 25, 1999. The Dhaka-born player hit 101 runs off 116 deliveries during the 6th match of the tri-nation tournament. Bangladesh put together a total of 257 runs in their 50 overs. However, Zimbabwe won the nail-biting encounter by 3 wickets as they chased down the total in 49.3 overs.

The right-hand batsman played 9 Tests and 18 ODIs for The Tigers.

Quite ironically, Mehrab's uncle - Azhar Hossain - was the first Bangladeshi player to score an ODI half-century for the nation. He last represented Bangladesh in 2003 - when he was just 24 - and could not make much of a mark in International cricket despite holding this record. This is reflected in his stats as his Test average was 13.38 while ODI average was 24.49.

#11 Jeremy Bray (Ireland)

Jeremy Bray

Jeremy Bray is the first player from Ireland to score a century in ODIs. The left-hand batsman achieved the feat in a match against Scotland on January 30, 2007.

Ireland batted first and Bray opened the innings. His 116 off 136 and Trent Johnston's quickfire 45 off 19 helped the Irish set up a total of 280 runs on board. Scotland chased down the total in exactly 50 overs. Neil McCallum hit a century while captain Craig Wright smashed 23 off 11. Majid Haq also hit a fifty with Colin Smith chipping in with 49 runs.

The New South Wales-born Jeremy had a brief international career and played just 15 ODIs for Ireland. In total, he amassed 401 runs in the 15 matches at an average of 28.64 and strike rate of 67.50. Jeremy also hit two centuries. Like many players after retirement, he also took up coaching.

#12 Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan)

Mohammad Shahzad

Mohammad Shahzad of Afghanistan scored a brilliant 110 off 111 deliveries when Afghanistan were on the tour of Netherlands in 2009. It was the 2nd ODI of the two-match series after the hosts had won the first encounter.

The Netherlands posted a total of 231 after electing to bat first and Afghanistan chased down the total in 46.4 overs. Mohammad Shahzad hit a ton while Asghar Afghan and Samiullah Shinwari chipped in with 30 and 39 runs, respectively.

The aggressive batsman remains an integral part of the Afghani team. The 31-year-old has played 65 T20Is and 76 ODIs for the national team. Shahzad is known to be a hard hitter and has a strike rate of 134.81 in T20Is and 88.74 in ODIs. He has also amassed a total of 2,508 runs in ODIs - hit 5 centuries and 13 fifties - and is the run-getter for Afghanistan overall.