ODI Records: Most runs in a career without a century

Many batters are judged on their ability to hit centuries. There are many knocks of 90s and 80s which go under the radar just because the batter could not reach the triple-figure mark. In ODIs, there have been many batters who have scored a lot of runs in their career but have failed to score a century. These players include the likes of Misbah-ul-Haq, Ravindra Jadeja, Ian Botham, Michael Vaughan, Dinesh Karthik and more. In this article, we will look at the top 10 players with the most runs in a career without a century.

Most runs in a career without a century

Player	Matches	Innings	Not-outs	Runs	High score	Average	Strike Rate
Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan)	162	149	31	5122	96*	43.40	73.75
Wasim Akram (Pakistan)	356	280	55	3717	86	16.52	88.33
Moin Khan (Pakistan)	219	183	41	3266	72*	23.00	81.30
Heath Streak (Zimbabwe)	189	159	55	2943	79*	28.29	73.42
Andrew Jones (New Zealand)	87	87	9	2784	93	35.69	57.86
Guy Whittall (Zimbabwe)	147	142	22	2705	83	22.54	67.43
Mudassar Nazar (Pakistan)	122	115	10	2653	95	25.26	51.71
Ravindra Jadeja (India)	187	127	45	2636*	87	32.14	84.43
Chamu Chibhabha (Zimbabwe)	109	109	2	2474	99	23.12	63.22
Graham Thorpe (England)	82	77	13	2380	89	37.18	71.17

Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah-ul-Haq holds the record for scoring the most runs in ODIs without scoring a century. The former Pakistani middle-order batter scored 5,122 runs in ODIs but never scored a century. He came very close to scoring a century in a Champions Trophy match in 2013 against the West Indies. As he often did for the ‘Men in Green’, Misbah in that match rescued the Paksitani innings and scored 96*. He ran out of batting partners at the other end as Pakistan was bowled out for just 170 runs. Misbah in his ODI career made 42 fifties.

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram is probably one of the best bowlers in the history of sport. He has numerous bowling records to his name. You’ll be surprised he is not a stranger to batting records as well. His 257* in test cricket is the highest score for a batter batting at number 8. In ODIs, he has scored 3717 runs but he does not have a century. In 1990, he scored 86 runs against Australia which is his highest score in the format. He has six half-centuries to his name.

Moin Khan

Another Pakistani player to feature in this list is Moin Khan. The wicketkeeper batter scored 3266 runs in ODIs. He scored 72* against New Zealand in 2004. He batted lower down the order at numbers 6 and 7 which made it tough for him to score a century. He has scored 12 half-centuries in the format.

Heath Streak

Heath Streak from Zimbabwe was one the best bowling all-rounder of his time. In 189 matches he played for Zimbabwe, he scored 2943 runs with his highest score being 79* against New Zealand in a winning cause. He was awarded the player of the match for his performance with both bat and ball. Just like Moin, Heath too played lower down the order which made it difficult for him to score a century. He has 13 half-centuries to his name.

Andrew Jones

Andrew Jones from New Zealand was a late bloomer. He was 28 when he received his first cap for New Zealand. The top-order batter played 87 ODIs and scored 2784 runs without scoring a century. His highest score in the format is 93 runs. He scored 25 half-centuries in the format.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the pursuit of centuries in cricket often overshadows the consistent contributions of players who consistently scored in the 80s and 90s. This article shed light on the top 10 ODI cricketers who amassed significant career runs without ever reaching the coveted century mark. Misbah-ul-Haq, the former Pakistani stalwart, leads this list with 5,122 runs, tantalizingly close to a century but never quite there. Wasim Akram, renowned as one of the greatest bowlers in cricket history, also showcased his batting prowess with 3,717 runs but never a hundred.

Moin Khan, Heath Streak and Andrew Jones, although not household names, were valuable assets to their respective teams, consistently contributing with the bat even without reaching three figures. This article serves as a reminder that cricket is not just about centuries, but also about the collective effort of individuals who played pivotal roles in their teams’ success despite missing that elusive three-digit milestone.