10 Savage One-Day International Batting Displays for England
The one-day international arena has sometimes not been kind to England, but every so often, one of their batsmen shines with an aggressive and impressive innings.
They are often laden with boundaries, and while these individuals sometimes cannot spark England to a win, their efforts are remembered for all time.
On the anniversary of Robin Smith’s brutal 167 not out against Australia in 1993, let’s take a look at 10 such displays of batting.
1. David Gower (vs. New Zealand, 15 January 1983) 158
We commence this list with the elegant David Gower, who smote 158 against New Zealand in 1983 off just 118 balls.
With a strike rate of 133.89, Gower dominated the Black Caps’ attack from No. 3 in the batting order, to help his side win by 54 runs.
2. Andrew Strauss (vs. India, 27 February 2011) 158
Former England captain Andrew Strauss makes his first entry into this list with 158 runs of his own off 145 balls against India in the 2011 World Cup.
Strauss helped his side tie the game against India in a real example of leading from the front in the face of a target of 339 to win.
3. Moeen Ali (vs. Scotland, 23 February 2015) 128
Earlier this year in the Cricket World Cup, Moeen Ali hit 128 from 107 balls against Scotland in their group-stage fixture.
It was an aggressive innings that helped England take victory by a massive 119 runs in an unsuccessful World Cup campaign.
4. Andrew Strauss (vs. Bangladesh, 12 July 2010) 154
Andrew Strauss makes another appearance in this list after making 154 against Bangladesh in 2010 in a dominant performance.
His runs came off just 140 deliveries against a beleaguered bowling attack and helped his side win by 144 runs.
5. Marcus Trescothick (vs. Pakistan, 12 June 2001) 137
It came in a losing effort, but Marcus Trescothick’s 137 against Pakistan in 2001 was a brilliant effort from the opening batsman.
His knock was more than double the next highest score, as he almost single-handedly took England to a win but failed.
6. Andrew Strauss (vs. Bangladesh, 21 June 2005) 152
Andrew Strauss makes his final appearance here for another knock against Bangladesh, this time in 2005 as he made 152 from 128 deliveries.
It was part of another massive victory for England, as they racked up 391 and had little trouble defending such a large total.
7. Ian Bell (vs. Australia, 23 January 2015) 141
Another entry from this year follows, as Ian Bell made a very impressive 141 as an opening batsman from just 125 deliveries.
It was not enough to prevent England slipping to defeat, although it showed Bell at his elegant and destructive best.
8. Eoin Morgan (vs. Ireland, 3 September 2013) 124*
Against his former international side, Eoin Morgan looked mightily impressive for England as he hit Ireland for an unbeaten 124.
His innings came in just 106 balls as England cantered to victory and was a tantalising reminder for Irish fans of their former star.
9. Graham Gooch (vs. West Indies, 4 March 1986) 129*
In the West Indies, opener Graham Gooch took his opponents’ brilliant bowling attack apart with an unbeaten 129 from 118 balls.
It helped England win by five wickets off the last ball and showed that Gooch was more than capable of handling such a potent set of bowlers.
10. Robin Smith (vs. Australia, 21 May 1993) 167*
Finally comes Robin Smith’s unbeaten 167 in 1993, which came from 163 balls but was unfortunately not enough to prevent an Australian victory.
It is still the highest score in England’s ODI history and shows Smith at his belligerent best even with very little run support from his fellow batsmen.