Top 5 ODI centuries for a losing cause

4. Matthew Hayden 181* vs New Zealand (Chappell-Hadlee trophy, Hamilton, 2007)

This was as brutal an innings as you will ever see. With 11 fours and 10 thwacks of the bat that went for six, Hayden murdered the New Zealand bowlers, staying at the crease for the full duration of the innings and scoring the highest individual score by an Aussie.

The Aussies put up a promising 346 on the board, and would have thought the game was theirs when half the Kiwis were back in the hut with score reading only a 116. What caused the upset was the 165 run-stand between Craig McMillan (117 off 96) and Brendon McCullum (86 off 91) that followed, and the subsequent partnerships that McCullum managed to string together with the tail to get his team over the line with just 3 balls and a wicket remaining.

Hayden scored more than 100 of his runs on the on-side, with some special treatment for Jeetan Patel, who he hit for 5 towering hits between long-off and long-on.

He had to take a runner in the middle of his innings due to a toe injury, but that did not hamper his scoring as he chose to stand in his crease and dispatch the ball to the boundary.

Hayden was clearly playing to show the selectors, who had just given him a place in the squad. But his efforts were in vain at the end as New Zealand were able to get past the target to clinch the series 3-0. Hayden was man of the match.