In-form Rassie van der Dussen headlines list for best batting average in ODI cricket

South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen owns the record for the best batting average in ODI cricket.

The talismanic batter has maintained a batting of 74.95 in ODIs while aggregating 1,499 runs in 30 innings. In the process, van der Dussen has hit three centuries and 11 fifties.

In fact, Rassie van der Dussen is the only ODI batter to register a batting average over 70. Following a career-best score of 134 in 117 balls against England in July 2022, the Proteas star took his average within touching distance of 75.

Rassie van der Dussen’s batting average of 74.95 in 36 ODI matches is significantly greater than Ryan ten Doeschate, who is second on the list at 67.00.

The now-retired Dutchman Ryan ten Doeschate is arguably one of the greatest players to have played cricket from an Associate nation, as he amassed 1,541 runs in 33 ODI matches.

The South Africa-born all-rounder batted in all but one of his 50-over matches for the Netherlands, with the 2007 ODI match against Scotland washed out and his team not getting a chance to bat.

Ryan ten Doeschate’s best performance with the bat came against England during the 2011 Cricket World Cup. He slammed a 110-ball 119 as the Netherlands were chasing a target of 297. His knock, however, ended in a losing cause as the Three Lions won the fixture by six wickets.

Ten Doeschate retired in 2021 as the Netherlands’ leading run-getter in ODIs, with five centuries and nine fifties. He is the only non-active player on the top five list for best batting average in ODI cricket.

Babar Azam, the current top-ranked batter on the ICC Men’s ODI rankings, is the third batter with the best batting average in ODI cricket.

The Pakistan captain has amassed 4,442 runs in 89 matches while registering a batting average of 59.22 and a strike rate of 90.24.

Azam is one of the finest batters Pakistan has ever had, and he continues to climb up the run charts. His highest individual ODI knock was 158 off 139 deliveries against England in 2021.

Former India captain Virat Kohli is next on the list. He is currently the highest-active ODI run-scorer with 12,344 runs in 262 games, and has registered a batting average of 57.68.

Kohli is among the greatest modern-day stalwarts across all forms of cricket. But in ODI cricket alone, the top-order batter is seen as someone who could break Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI hundreds, given he has scored 43 centuries in 50-overs cricket.

Best batting average in ODI cricket

Author: William Paul

Featured photo: AFP / OLI SCARFF