The openers play a crucial role in the success of a particular team in ODI format as they are instrumental in providing a foundation on which the rest of the innings stands. It is generally noticed that if a team gets off to a good start, it goes on to post a gargantuan total whereas if a team loses early wickets, then they are not even able to get a par score on the board.
Furthermore, there are only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle in the first ten overs and it is the job of the ODI openers to make the most of the Powerplay conditions. In fact, both the batsmen must find the balance in scoring runs at the healthy strike rate and also making sure that they don’t lose wickets at the top of the order.
We, at Sportzwiki, take a look at five batsmen who have scored maximum runs in the first ten overs of the ODI format since 2002.
5. Hashim Amla
South Africa’s former talisman batsman Hashim Amla did a fine job for his team at the top of the order. In fact, Amla was thought of as a Test batsman in his formative years but he was able to prove his mettle as an ODI batsman. The right-hander played 181 ODI matches in his career in which he scored 8113 runs at an impressive average of 49.46. Out of these, Amla opened the innings in 176 innings in which he scored 8083 runs at an average of 49.89.
In the first ten overs, Amla scored 3427 runs in his illustrious career as an opener. The stylish batsman scored 27 ODI centuries and he was a consistent performer for the Rainbow Nation.
