Australia’s greatest ODI player: Round 1

With the 11th edition of the men’s World Cup to get underway later this month, we want to know – who is Australia’s greatest ever one-day player?

Australia are the most successful one-day side in history, winning more than 60 per cent of their 932 matches and lifting the World Cup trophy a record five times, including three consecutive wins between 1999 and 2007.

Of the 228 men to have played ODI cricket for Australia, we’ve narrowed it down to the best-ever 16 to help decide the greatest of them all. Such is Australia’s long history of one-day talent, star players like Allan Border, David Warner and Michael Clarke haven’t made the cut in our top 16, leaving only the best of the best to fight it out for the title of Australia’s ODI GOAT.

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Players have been rated on their performances across their one-day careers, with performances on the biggest stage of a World Cup weighted more heavily.

Fans can have their say in a series of head-to-head polls over the next week, with votes to be tallied across cricket.com.au, the CA Live app as well as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Match 7: Michael Bevan v Matthew Hayden

VOTING IS NOW CLOSED. Matthew Hayden won 67% of the vote compared to 33% for Michael Bevan, meaning Hayden has progressed to Round 2

Michael Bevan

ODI record

M: 232 | Runs: 6912 | Ave: 53.58 | SR: 74.16 | 100s: 6 | 50s: 46 | HS: 108*

World Cup record

M: 26 | Runs: 537 | Ave: 44.75 | SR: 64.38 | 100s: 0 | 50s: 5 | HS: 74*

World Cup titles won: 2

The original finisher in ODI cricket, Bevan became known as the Pyjama Picasso for his ability to ice a game for his country and lead them to impossible victories. A true pioneer of the one-day game in the 1990s and early 2000s, Bevan’s ability to execute a successful run chase was unlike any other player in his era and he provided the blueprint for his contemporaries to follow. He played handy roles in Australia’s World Cup wins in 1999 and 2003 and will be best remembered for a memorable run chase against the West Indies on New Year’s Day in 1996.

Matthew Hayden

ODI record

M: 161 | Runs: 6133 | Ave: 43.80 | SR: 78.96 | 100s: 10 | 50s: 36 | HS: 181*

World Cup record

M: 22 | Runs: 987 | Ave: 51.94 | SR: 92.93 | 100s: 3 | 50s: 2 | HS: 158

World Cup titles won: 2

Half of one of the most destructive opening pairings in ODI history, Hayden’s one-day career peaked with an extraordinary performance in Australia’s unbeaten run at the 2007 World Cup. The left-hander hammered centuries against South Africa, the West Indies and New Zealand on Australia’s march to the title before playing second fiddle to Adam Gilchrist in the tournament decider. A powerhouse who made a habit of calmly advancing at the best quicks in the world and launching them straight down the ground, Hayden was intimidation personified.

Match 9: Glenn McGrath v Andrew Symonds

VOTING IS NOW CLOSED. Glenn McGrath won 70% of the vote compared to 30% for Andrew Symonds, meaning Symonds has progressed to Round 2

Glenn McGrath

ODI record

M: 250 | Wkts: 381 | Ave: 22.02 | SR: 34.0 | Econ: 3.88 | BBI: 7-15 | 5WI: 7

World Cup record

M: 39 | Wkts: 71 | Ave: 18.19 | SR: 27.5 | Econ: 3.96 | BBI: 7-15 | 5WI: 2

World Cup titles won: 3

The most prolific wicket-taker in World Cup history, McGrath tasted defeat just four times in 39 matches at the tournament, lifting the trophy on three occasions. Like his Test career, McGrath’s greatest strength was sheer consistency; he took at least three wickets in six of Australia’s 11 matches at the 2007 World Cup, steering Australia to the title with relentless pressure throughout rather than one-off displays of dominance. A career economy rate of 3.88, the fifth best among all bowlers to have taken more than 200 wickets, is highly impressive given he played during the high-scoring revolution at the turn of the century.

Andrew Symonds

ODI record

M: 198 | Runs: 5088 | Ave: 39.75 | SR: 92.44 | 100s: 6 | 50s: 30 | HS: 156 | Wkts: 133 | Ave: 37.25 | SR: 44.6 | Econ: 5.00 | BBI: 5-18

World Cup record

M: 18 | Runs: 515 | Ave: 103.00 | SR: 93.29 | 100s: 1 | 50s: 3 | HS: 143* | Wkts: 5 | Ave: 51.60 | SR: 59.2 | Econ: 5.22 | BBI: 2-7

World Cup titles won: 2

Four-and-a-half years after it began, the ODI career of Andrew Symonds finally took off in spectacular style at the 2003 World Cup, a memorable 143 against Pakistan the realisation of an undisputed natural talent who had struggled to find his groove at the top level. And Symonds barely looked back from that point, devastating opponents with destructive batting, canny bowling and a supreme fielding ability that has arguably been unmatched in the history of the game. He took longer than expected to fire on the international stage, but he was certainly worth the wait.