Scoring a duck is never a pleasant sight for any batter, be it a specialist batsman or a bowler. Even bowlers get pride in themselves when they contribute with the bat.
Cricket is a funny game, and there are various ways to dismiss a batter. Though cricket is regarded as a batter’s game, a batsman gets only one chance per innings, and one who gets out for a duck will definitely get hard done by.
In this article, we will learn about the top 10 players who have not bagged a duck in their ODI careers, despite playing a considerable number of innings in the format.
Batters with No Ducks in ODIs
| Player | Team | Innings without ‘0’ | Runs Scored | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kepler Wessels | Australia & South Africa | 105 | 3367 | 1983-1994 |
| Daryl Mitchell | New Zealand | 47 | 2041 | 2021-2025 |
| Yashpal Sharma | India | 40 | 883 | 1978-1985 |
| Peter Kirsten | South Africa | 40 | 1293 | 1991-1994 |
| Jacques Rudolph | South Africa | 39 | 1174 | 2003-2006 |
| Zane Green | Namibia | 39 | 890 | 2019-2025 |
| Curtis Campher | Ireland | 35 | 1113 | 2020-2025 |
| Nathan Hauritz | Australia | 32 | 336 | 2002-2011 |
| Gajanand Singh | USA | 32 | 986 | 2021-2023 |
| Jack Russell | England | 31 | 423 | 1987-1998 |
1. Kepler Wessels: South Africa and Australia (105 Innings | 1982-1994)
Kepler Wessels is one of the few cricketers who has played international cricket for 2 different countries. He made his debut for the Australian cricket team in 1982, for whom he featured in 54 ODIs, scoring 1740 runs and 1761 more Test runs while representing the Aussies in 24 Tests in the same period.
After a semi-retirement, Wessels returned to play cricket for the country of his birth, South Africa, in 1991, when they returned from an imposed ban. He played 54 ODI knocks for the Proteas, finishing his ODI career with 3365 runs in 105 innings.
Though his ODI average was just 34.26 with a solitary century against India in 1984, Wessles is the proud owner of this particular record. He hasn’t been ever dismissed for a duck in his ODI career, which is quite an achievement.
2. Shreyas Iyer: India (42 Innings | 2017-2023)
One of the few players on the list who is still actively playing international cricket and may go up further in the tally, given his rich vein of consistency in the format, is India’s Shreyas Iyer.
The Indian batter, who is the team’s integral part, has played 42 innings in his ODI career without getting out for a duck, scoring 1801 runs with 3 centuries and 14 half-centuries along the way since his debut in 2017. However, Iyer has gotten out without opening his in the other formats combined 6 times.
Also Read | Top 10: Most Ducks across All formats in Cricket
3. Yashpal Sharma: India (40 Innings | 1978-1985)
The next player on the list is India’s Yashpal Sharma, who was famously part of the 1983 Indian World Cup-winning squad, where he played a significant role. Coming in the middle order, Yashpal scored 240 runs in India’s campaign, including match-winning knocks in the opening group stage game against the West Indies and another one against England in the semi-finals, both at Old Trafford.
Apart from this, he is famous for playing the t second-most number of ODI innings without scoring a single duck. The former India star batter played 40 knocks for India, scoring 883 runs at an average of just under 29 with 4 half-centuries.
4. Peter Kirsten: South Africa (40 Innings | 1991-1994)
Peter Kirsten, the elder brother of Gary Kirsten, has played all of his 40 ODI innings without scoring a duck. He made 1293 runs in the period between 1991 and 1994 at a decent average of 38.03 with 9 half-centuries.
However, he didn’t convert any of those half-tons into a century, and notably, Peter Kirsten could only play for 3 years for South Africa following their re-ission. Nevertheless, the right-hander was a prolific run-getter in the domestic circuit, and most of his prime years were lost due to South Africa’s absence in international cricket.
5. Jacques Rudolph: South Africa (39 Innings | 2003-2006)
Another South African batter who appears on this list is Jacques Rudolph. The former left-handed batsman has represented the Proteas in 48 Tests to go along with 45 ODI games between 2003 and 2012. He may be best known for scoring an unbeaten 222 on his Test debut against Bangladesh at Chattogram, but there is another record in his name that cannot be neglected.
He has played 39 ODI innings from his debut in 2003 until his sabbatical from international cricket in 2006, and Rudolph has managed to score at least a run in each of those knocks. The left-hander has scored 1174 runs at an average of 35.57, with 7 half-centuries to his name.
6. Nathan Hauritz: Australia (32 Innings | 2002-2011)
Former Australian spinner Nathan Hauritz finds a place in the sixth position having played 32 ODI innings without scoring a single duck. The batter, who usually played in the lower order for Australia, was a handy batsman in addition to his role as a lead spinner in the 58 matches he featured in Aussie colours in the ODI format.
Apart from the 63 wickets he has picked for Australia in the 50-over format of the game, Hauritz also scored 336 runs at an average of 22.40 and this includes a solitary half-century that he made against Pakistan at Perth.
Also Read | List of King Pairs in Test Cricket
