ODI run-chases are trickier than T20Is because in this format, the batters have 50 overs to chase the target. The powerplay lasts for the first 10 overs, where only two fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle. After that, the field is spread, and it becomes tougher for the batters to score boundaries. It is that time that the skill of running between the wickets and six-hitting comes into play.
For almost 20-25 overs, the batting team aims to build partnerships in the middle overs phase before pressing the accelerator button in the final 10-15 overs. A batter should have multiple skills and better temperament to achieve success during the run-chases in ODIs.
Players like Virat Kohli, Michael Bevan and Shai Hope have an average of more than 85 whenever their team won a match while batting second. Here’s a list of the two players with the best average in successful run-chases in the 50-over format.
1. Best average in successful ODI run-chases – Sikandar Raza
It may surprise a few fans but the new holder of the record for the highest average when a team won a match while batting second belongs to Zimbabwean all-rounder Sikandar Raza. The Pakistan-born player has emerged as a match-winner for the Zimbabwe cricket team, especially in the ODI format.
Raza currently has an average of 103.8 when his team won an ODI match while chasing a target. The right-handed batter recently smacked the fastest ton by a Zimbabwe batter in ODI cricket history.
2. MS Dhoni
Former Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni held the record for the highest average in successful run-chases for a long time. Dhoni, who played his last ODI match in 2019, has a batting average of 102.71. He is the only Indian to have a 100+ batting average in successful run-chases. It is quite ironical that his career ended with an unsuccessful run-chase in 2019 Cricket World Cup semifinals.
