The ODI History of Australia
We can’t talk about One Day International cricket without referencing Australia. This is the most successful team in the history of the Cricket World Cup, with the team from Down Under regularly regarded as betting favourites to be champions due to the strength that they have had in reserve with bat and ball.
Australia played their first ever ODI match when clashing with England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 5 January 1971, with the team having been crowned champions on five separate occasions. The first of these successes came in 1987, while they doubled their tally in 1999 and have since kicked on to secure back-to-back triumphs in 2003 and 2007.
In 2015, Australia added a fifth title and they were successful against fellow co-host New Zealand in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. On that occasion, the Aussies won by seven wickets and the champions were able to get the job done after just 33 overs and scoring the requisite 186 runs.
The maiden success in 1987 occurred when India and Pakistan co-hosted the Cricket World Cup, with Australia and England playing out an exciting final where the former was able to record a seven-run victory at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
However, the purple patch came between 1999 and 2007 where this sport-mad nation were able to dominate the landscape. It came at a time when a rich crop of players came through and the first of these successes came when Australia completely dominated a Lord’s final where Pakistan were handsomely beaten.
In 2003, it was South Africa’s turn to host the Cricket World Cup and it was once again a case of Australia rising to the challenge in the final. Once again, this was a one-sided affair where India were beaten by an enormous margin and the latter just couldn’t get close to their opponents.
The 2007 success was achieved through the Duckworth-Lewis method when the Aussies lined up at Kensington Oval at Bridgetown where Sri Lanka were toppled in the final. Then came the 2015 triumph.
Who Holds the ODI Records for Australia?
There are some impressive statistics when it comes to One Day International cricket in Australia, with Ricky Ponting someone who thrived in this format for their country. Ponting stood down after hitting over 13,500 runs during 364 innings which were accrued during 374 matches.
Ponting continues to be the only player who has managed over 10,000 runs, with Adam Gilchrist having not only been a great wicket keeper but also someone who is second in the pecking order. 9,595 runs means that he is second in the order, while Mark Waugh is next in the standings and he racked up 8,500 runs in 244 matches.
Bowling-wise, Glenn McGrath has managed 381 wickets and that is a serious number that was achieved between 1993-2007, while Brett Lee sits just one wicket behind him and there is also a place for the legendary late Shane Warne. The spinner managed a remarkable 291 wickets between 1993-2003.
