The game of cricket has witnessed several instances of all-round brilliance in One Day Internationals over the years. These are the impactful performances that help sides win matches.
To score a century as well as pick a fifer in the same match remains a massive achievement for all-rounders.
Only five players in the long history of ODI cricket have managed to achieve this difficult feat. Let’s have a look at all four of them:
Vivian Richards
In one of the matches against New Zealand, West Indies legend Vivian Richards achieved the double of scoring a century and picking a fifer.West Indies toured New Zealand in 1987. During the first ODI at Dunedin, Richards helped West Indies post 237 single-handedly through his 119.With the ball, Richards turned out to be the most successful bowler for the Windies. With his spell of 5/41, he had a memorable outing. The visitors won the match by a handsome margin of 95 runs.
Paul Collingwood
The Natwest Series was already lit up by Bangladesh’s historic win over World Champions Australia. However, an unperturbed England side posted a monumental 392 in front of Bangladesh on the back of Andrew Strauss (152), Marcus Trescothick (85) and Paul Collingwood (112* off 86).
Mohammad Ashraful’s heroics, where he threatened to chase down England’s score with his 52-ball 94, fell short of Collingwood’s all-round feat where he picked up six wickets for 31 to complete the double in the match.
Rohan Mustafa
There was nothing hospitable about UAE’s Rohan Mustafa during Papua New Guinea’s tour in 2017. Mustafa smashed 109 batting first and came back to complete the double by picking up five wickets. UAE won the match by a massive margin of 103 runs.
Amelia Kerr
The talented all-rounder for the White Ferns, Amelia Kerr, holds the record for the highest individual score of 232* in Women’s ODIs.Kerr smashed the Irish bowlers to all parts of the ground in Dublin during New Zealand’s tour in 2018. She became the only player to score a double century in Women’s cricket.New Zealand scored the third-highest total in Women’s ODI cricket in the match with a score of 440 on the board. To add to the woes of the Irish team, Kerr clinched a fifer in the same game, conceding only 17 in seven overs bowled.
Bas de Leede
Netherlands all-rounder Bas de Leede has become only the fourth cricketer to score a century and pick a five-wicket haul in the history of Men’s ODIs. de Leede’s sensational all-round effort played a titular role in powering his team to become the 10th (and last) team to qualify for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
After clinching a 5-fer in the first innings, de Leede came in to bat at No. 4 in the 15th over of a 278-run chase, de Leede scored a hard-hitting 123 (92) including seven fours and five sixes. Run out in the 43rd over, it wasn’t much of an issue as only formalities were remaining post his dismissal.