Australia's ODI lower-order legends

Without doubt, Marcus Stoinis’ epic century against the Black Caps in yesterday’s Eden Park epic will go down as one of the greatest ODI innings ever played for Australia.

Stoinis played with patience, poise and a truckload of power as he rampaged his way to within one lusty blow of levelling the scores in what would have been one of the most memorable comebacks in ODI history.

It wasn’t to be, but Stoinis’ masterful knock will long live in the memory of the 27,911 in attendance and the thousands, perhaps millions, who saw the vision of his savage stroke play. 

In the wake of his stunning display, the question was raised as to where Stoinis’ knock ranks in the best ODI innings of all time. 

While that debate could rage on for days, even weeks, we’ve narrowed it down to the best lower-order centuries by Australians (from No.6 and lower), a list of eight that features some of the greatest names ever to play 50-over cricket in the green and gold.

8. Shaun Marsh

Image Id: EDD93408ACA14C0489E2DC7450653726 Image Caption: Marsh with his partner in crime, Doug Bollinger // Getty

The numbers: 110 from 114 balls, 8x4, 2x6 v England in Hobart, 2011

The scenario: Batting first, Marsh entered at No.6 with Australia in the mire at 4-33 in the 13th over with Watson, Haddin, Clarke and David Hussey in the sheds.

The knock: Having been sent in by England skipper Andrew Strauss, Australia were in all sorts when Marsh strode to the crease. The left-hander was in the side as Mike Hussey’s replacement and went about salvaging the innings just like Mr Cricket would do. He first formed a vital 103-run partnership with Cameron White before teaming up with Doug Bollinger – not known for his batting prowess – to put on 88 for the ninth wicket. Marsh was dropped on 61 by fast bowler Ajmal Shahzad and made the most of it by clocking 17 runs off spinner Michael Yardy in the 45th over to reach his second ODI century with a mighty six. Marsh’s knock of 110 lifted the hosts to 230, a score that proved too great for England, who were bowled out for 184. 

7. Mike Hussey

Image Id: D95E1C19BE774E1984C7353BE06E63FC Image Caption: Hussey tons up on captaincy debut // Getty

The numbers: 109no from 90 balls, 10x4, 3x6 against West Indies in Kuala Lumpur, 2006

The scenario: In his first match as captain, Hussey won the toss and elected to bat. He then had to watch on as his top order fell apart, reduced to 4-64 in the 18th over as he walked to the crease. 

The knock: In what would be become the first of many rescue missions for his country, Hussey teamed up with wicketkeeper Brad Haddin to put on 165 for the sixth wicket. In typical fashion, Hussey picked gaps, worked angles, rotated the strike and employed a full range of strokes, from the conventional to the unorthodox, to restore respectability to the scoreboard. He brought up his maiden ODI century in the 49th over with a consecutive fours off speedster Jerome Taylor, then launched the quick for a six over deep backward square leg three balls later. Hussey and Haddin pushed the total to a competitive 6-272, but a Brian Lara blitz delivered the Windies a three-wicket win.

6. Mitch Marsh

Image Id: 17B885B29E1F4AA78BC15A01E68CF217 Image Caption: Pressure relieved // Getty

The numbers: 102no from 84 balls, 9x4, 2x6 against India in Sydney, 2016

The scenario: Marsh passed his older brother Shaun on the way to the middle of the SCG with the score at 4-117 in the 22nd over having been sent in by India skipper MS Dhoni.

The knock: The pressure to break the shackles and score a century had been weighing on Mitchell Marsh ever since he made his international debut in 2011. With Australia against the ropes on what was a road at the SCG, Marsh finally delivered that triple-figure score. Before he could raise his bat in celebration, Marsh watched David Warner perform his signature century leap as the pair put on 118 for the fifth wicket. When Warner fell in the 39th over, Marsh and Matthew Wade scorched 85 from 52 balls to push the total beyond 300. With Marsh ensconced in the nervous 90s, Wade fell, leaving John Hastings to guide the allrounder to triple figures. After facing three dot balls on 99, Marsh whipped Ishant Sharma to the leg side for two to reach his maiden ODI century. Australia finished on 7-330, but it wasn’t enough as Manish Pandey stole the show and India reached the target with two balls to spare.

5. Matthew Wade

Image Id: 56424F0133B747EF92FD242AE08E3787

The numbers: 100no from 100 balls, 7x4, 2x6 against Pakistan in Brisbane, 2017

The scenario: After they were whitewashed in the preceding Test series, Pakistan burst out of the gates in the ODI format, reducing Australia to 5-78 in the 17th over when Wade was called upon to bat.

The knock: Brought back into the Test outfit on the back of his batting prowess, Wade had struggled to produce the score in the whites that would silence his doubters. But in the green and gold uniform of Australia’s ODI side, the Victorian played with cautious freedom to string together partnerships and navigate the hosts to a match-winning total. First, Wade and Glenn Maxwell put on 82 for the sixth wicket before the left-hander batted with the tail for partnerships worth 42, 23 and an unbeaten 33 for the last wicket. With one over to go, Wade was on 93 and on strike. From the second ball he hit Hasan Ali through cover for four. Two dot balls followed, building the tension at the Gabba before a pull shot from the penultimate delivery garnered two more runs, the second run full of risk but well worth the reward. With one ball left and one run needed, a leading edge brought about his 100th and most elusive run, which sparked delight from the crowd as well as a triumphant roar and release of emotion from the batsman. What’s more, Wade’s unbeaten century lifted Australia to 9-268, a score Pakistan fell 92 runs short of matching.

4. James Faulkner

The numbers: 116 from 73 balls, 11x4, 6x6 against India in Bangalore, 2013

The scenario: Chasing an improbable 383, Faulkner entered the fray at 5-132 in the 22nd over, with Australia needing 252 runs from 238 balls.

The knock: After feeling the wrath of Rohit Sharma’s extraordinary 209 - conceding 383 in total - and with half the side back in the pavilion, James Faulkner had a lot going against him. The Tasmanian had two lives before he reached 30 and promptly made India pay. In one Ravindra Jadeja over he clobbered 15 runs and brought up his half-century from 35 balls. It was from there that Faulkner exploded, taking three more boundaries from Jadeja’s next over before punishing paceman Vinay Kumar for three fours and a six to motor from 78 to 99 in one brutal over. A single to cover was all he needed to reach his maiden ODI hundred, arriving at the milestone in 57 balls, which was then the fastest ever by an Australian. However, at that point the tourists needed 90 from 71 balls with only two wickets in hand. Faulkner and Clint McKay put on an Australian record 115 for the ninth wicket, but the challenge was too great, with the allrounder the last man out still 57 runs short. At the time, Faulkner’s knock was the third-highest score by a No.7 batsman in ODI cricket and the highest by an Australian, but that record now belongs to someone else (see below).

3. Marcus Stoinis

Image Id: 51ABD08357B140E49950A04BCC236529 Image Caption: Stoinis celebrates a stunning century // Getty

The numbers: 146no from 117 balls, 9x4, 11x6 against New Zealand in Auckland, 2017

The scenario: Australia were on track for a heavy defeat when Stoinis walked to the centre with the score on 5-54 after 13 overs, chasing New Zealand’s 9-286.

The knock: After entering at 5-54, matters got worse for Stoinis and Australia when debutant Sam Heazlett departed for four to leave the visitors on the doorstep of defeat at 6-67 in the 19th over. That’s when Melbourne Stars teammates Stoinis and Faulkner came together, devised a plan and set about a salvage job. Stoinis contributed 50 of the 81-run partnership with Faulkner before the latter was dismissed in the 35th over at 7-148. Pat Cummins played a cameo of 36 from 28 balls to take the pressure off Stoinis, but once the paceman went it was time for the Victorian to explode. His first 73 runs came from 84 balls, his next 73 from just 33. The last two wickets put on 76, with Stoinis contributing all but three of them. Sixty-six of those runs came in boundaries as he hogged the strike, choosing to blast sixes and take a single from the final ball to shield No.11 Josh Hazlewood, with the plan working to the point that the last pair put on 54 without Hazlewood facing a single delivery. The allrounder hit 11 sixes in total – the second most by an Australian in ODI cricket – with one of those maximums bringing up his maiden ODI century from 96 balls. But just as Stoinis was set to pull off one of the greatest comebacks ever seen, Hazlewood was run out backing up too far to end Australia’s innings seven runs short of victory. While he didn’t get the result, Stoinis’ knock will not be forgotten for a long, long time.

2. Michael Bevan

Image Id: E73AF3E9A3534B6EB3072111DD792D5B Image Caption: Another Bevan masterclass // Getty

The numbers: 102no from 95 balls, 7x4 against New Zealand in Melbourne, 2002

The scenario: Chasing 246 to win, Australia’s powerful batting line-up was reduced to 4-53 in the 14th over by Shane Bond and co. Enter Michael Bevan.

The knock: By 2002, if there was one thing Australian fans, players and their opponents knew for certain it was that no run chase was impossible with Michael Bevan at the crease. At the MCG one January evening, Australia were in trouble after restricting the in-form Black Caps to a respectable 8-245. At their lowest point, Australia slumped to 6-82 when Ian Harvey was caught behind off the bowling of Bond, leaving only Bevan and the tail in pursuit of the distant target. Bevan – a human run-chase calculator – didn’t panic in the face of such adversity. Instead, he set about building partnerships; firstly one worth 61 runs with Shane Warne, then a further 81 with the underrated lower-order batsman Brett Lee, which brought Australia within 22 runs of victory. Andy Bichel would be Bevan’s last partner and he was made to run, with the senior batsman peeling off five consecutive twos in the penultimate over, with the fourth double bring the left-hander his century. Bichel, like Lee, was more than handy with the bat, and iced the game in the final over by hitting two boundaries to win by two wickets with three balls to spare. Once again, Bevan proved why he was the master of the one-day run chase.  

1. Andrew Symonds

Image Id: 820E8312DD6644108D57BBE050C76376 Image Caption: Symonds was none to pleased with Waqar // Getty

The numbers: 143no from 125 balls, 18x4, 2x6 against Pakistan in Johannesburg, 2003

The scenario: Sent in to bat by Pakistan, Australia’s top order was destroyed by a rampant Wasim Akram to be 4-86 at the 16th over.

The knock: Australia had been rocked in the lead-up to their opening match of the 2003 World Cup by the suspensions of Shane Warne and Darren Lehmann and injury to Michael Bevan. Symonds, who was the last player chosen in the 15-man squad at the request of captain Ricky Ponting, found himself in the deep end immediately facing the star-studded attack of Wasim, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar. But this was a different Symonds from the man who had averaged just 23 with the bat to that point in his stop-start career. Gone was the bashing and thrashing from ball one, instead patience and control took over and he slowly edged Australia out of trouble. He found allies in Ponting, Brad Hogg and Ian Harvey as he then went berserk as the overs dwindled down. His maiden century came in 98 minutes at the crease from 92 balls and included 15 boundaries. Amidst the carnage – Australia plundered 87 from the final 10 overs – Waqar Younis was taken out of the attack for bowling two dangerous waist-high full-tosses, the second whizzing past Symonds’ head much to the displeasure of the batsman, who made his feelings well known to both bowler and umpire. From 4-86, Australia finished their 50 overs on 8-310. Symonds was duly award man-of-the-match honours for his incredible innings, which kick-started a brilliant run in all forms of the game for his country.