ODI World Cup 2023: Top 5 best batting performances

The ICC World Cup 2023 concluded with the Australian side winning the title for the sixth time. On November 19, 2023, in the summit clash that took place in Ahmedabad, they interrupted the Indian team's magnificent run of winning all ten matches in the competition by defeating them in the final. Virat Kohli finished as the highest run-scorer with 765 runs, 3 hundreds, and 6 fifties. Rohit Sharma finished in second place with 597 runs to his name and was lauded for giving India flying starts with selfless batting. There were many amazing batting exhibitions in the ICC World Cup 2023 and though it was hard to select only a handful, here are the five best performances. Top 5 best batting performances of World Cup 2023: 5. Fakhar Zaman (PAK)- 126* v NZ Fakhar Zaman. (Photo Source: X(Twitter) Pakistan needed to win this match against New Zealand to stay in contention for the semi-finals. It was played on a batting beauty track in Bengaluru and Pakistan captain Babar Azam chose to bowl first after winning the toss, keeping in mind the possibility of rain later on. New Zealand went on to post a huge total of 401 runs on the board, their first such total over 400 in ODI cricket. When the chase began, everything depended on Fakhar Zaman, who had been benched for the better part of the World Cup initially. Despite losing Abdullah Shafique for 4, Zaman took the onus and went after the New Zealand bowlers, with Babar Azam giving company. Azam made 66 in 63 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes. But the knock of the match came from Zaman, who hammered 126* in just 81 balls with 11 huge sixes and 8 fours. This helped Pakistan make 200/1 in 25.3 overs, keeping them ahead of the DLS par score. With rain arriving soon, the match was called off, with Pakistan winning by 21 runs via DLS. 4. Rachin Ravindra (NZ)- 123* v ENG New Zealand and England played in the opening match of the ODI World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad. New Zealand was without their regular captain Kane Williamson due to his knee issue and instead, they brought in young Rachin Ravindra and in a surprising move, asked him to bat in the top order, at the no.3 spot. After being asked to bat first, England posted 282/9 with Joe Root top-scoring with 77. It was expected that the defending champions would give New Zealand a run for their money in the chase. But what transpired next was utter dominance. Opener Will Young got out on the first ball he faced, but after that, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra hammered the England bowlers. Conway made 152* with 19 fours and 3 sixes, while Ravindra impressed a lot. The young left-hander smashed 123* in just 96 balls with 11 fours and 5 sixes. He showcased the full array of his strokes and talent as well, showing the world he was more than just a spinner, and an excellent batter as well. 3. Travis Head (AUS)- 137 v IND Travis-Head. (Photo by MONEY SHARMA/AFP via Getty Images) The final of the ICC World Cup 2023 saw Australia dominating India in all three departments. After winning the toss, Pat Cummins asked India to bat first on a slowish surface in Ahmedabad. Despite brilliant knocks by Rohit Sharma (47), Virat Kohli (54) and KL Rahul (66), India struggled to hit boundaries from 11-50 overs. This meant that Team India only posted 240 runs in the final, which was well below par. In reply, Indian bowlers gave them an upper hand, reducing Australia to 47/3 in 7 overs. But then, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne got together and added 192 runs. Head took on both the pacers and nullified the Indian spinners in a brilliant counterattack, scoring 137 runs with 15 fours and 4 sixes. He was rightly named the Player of the Final for his World Cup-winning knock. Also see: ODI World Cup 2023 Batting Stats 2. Virat Kohli (IND)- 117 v NZ Virat Kohli Century. (Photo Source: Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via Getty Images) History was made in the ICC World Cup 2023 first semi-final which was played between India and New Zealand in Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium. India chose to bat first in a match that was considered to be the biggest test for them given their record against the Kiwis in ICC knockout matches. But it was the day of the Men in Blue as they hammered the Kiwi bowlers for 397/4 in 50 overs. Shubman Gill made 80 runs and Shreyas Iyer hammered 105 in just 70 balls with 8 sixes and 4 fours. But the innings of note came from Virat Kohli, who anchored one end. He scored 117 with 9 fours and 2 sixes. This knock was historic as Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record of 49 ODI centuries. This was Kohli’s 50th ODI ton, making him the first batter to reach the milestone and he did it in front of his idol, Tendulkar, who applauded from the stands. It was an amazing knock, which saw Kohli battling severe cramps and sapping heat. Also see: ODI World Cup 2023 Most Runs 1. Glenn Maxwell (AUS)- 201*v AFG Glenn-Maxwell. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) Australia and Afghanistan played an all-time classic ODI match in Mumbai during the ICC World Cup 2023. Afghanistan won the toss and batted first, scoring 291/5 in 50 overs, with Ibrahim Zadran (129*) scoring the first-ever ton in World Cups for his team. The task was a steep one for Australia, especially in front of Afghanistan spinners, but shockingly, it was the pacers who routed the Kangaroos’ top order. Naveen-Ul-Haq and co. had Australia reeling at 91/7 in 19 overs. Then Pat Cummins joined Glenn Maxwell, and the ‘big show’ went on to play one of the greatest, if not the greatest, ODI knocks of all time. He single-handedly smacked 10 sixes and 21 fours in his 128-ball 201* knock. This was the second-fastest double-ton in ODIs and the first by any Australian. He added 202 runs with Cummins, who scored 12* in 68 balls. Maxwell visibly batted on one leg and suffered from excruciating back spasms, exclusively hitting fours and sixes for fun.

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ODI World Cup 2023: Top 5 best batting performances

World Cup 2023: Top 5 best batting performances

3. Travis Head (AUS)- 137 v IND

Also see: ODI World Cup 2023 Batting Stats

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