Over the years, the game of cricket has seen many changes. One of the biggest changes that one can observe is that players are not shy about taking risks. That is why a batter scoring a double century in ODI cricket has become a common sight now. On ten occasions, a batter has scored an ODI double century.
Seven times by an Indian batter, and one time each by a player from the West Indies, New Zealand, and Pakistan. However, out of these ten times, only thrice has it become possible for a batter to score a hundred in an ODI World Cup. And we are going to discuss the topic of a double century in the ODI World Cup.
So far, the world has witnessed a total of 12 World Cup editions, which started in 1975. A number of batters made their presence felt on the biggest stage. But only twice did a batter register a double ton in the World Cup. Both of those occasions were recorded in the 2015 ODI World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
List of Double Century in ODI World Cup
| Batter | Score | 4 | 6 | Vs | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Gayle (WI) | 215 (147) | 10 | 16 | Zimbabwe | Canberra | 24 Feb 2015 |
| Martin Guptill (NZ) | 237* (163) | 24 | 11 | West Indies | Wellington | 21 Mar 2015 |
| Glenn Maxwell (AUS) | 201* (128) | 21 | 10 | Afghanistan | Mumbai | 7 Nov 2023 |
1. Chris Gayle (215 runs) vs Zimbabwe in 2015 World Cup
The first instance of a batter scoring a double century in a World Cup event was recorded in 2015. It happened in the 15th game of the tournament between the West Indies and Zimbabwe in Canberra. The game started with the Caribbean team winning the toss and electing to bat first. They lost Dwayne Smith for a two-ball duck, but after that, the world saw the highest ODI partnership of 372 runs between Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels.
Both batters scored a century each. Samuels remained not out on 133 off 156 balls, including 11 fours and three sixes. But on the other end, it was complete carnage from Gayle, who smashed his maiden ODI double century off just 138 balls. Gayle scored 215 off 147 balls, with 16 maximums and 10 fours, and got out on the last ball of the inning. His knock helped the West Indies post a huge total of 372/2 in the first inning. In response, Zimbabwe also showed some fight but managed a 289 all-out. As a result, the West Indies won that game by 73 runs (DLS method).
2. Martin Guptill (237 not out) vs West Indies in 2015 World Cup
The second World Cup double century came just a few days after Gayle scored one against Zimbabwe. This time, it came from the blade of Kiwi opener Martin Guptill. Interestingly, he made it against the West Indies in the fourth Quarterfinal of the 2015 ODI World Cup in Wellington. New Zealand won the toss and decided to bat first. Guptill started the attack from the very beginning and kept collecting boundaries. He scored a 65-ball fifty and then took 111 deliveries for his century.
Eventually, Guptill reached a double ton off 152 balls and carried his bat through the inning. He remained unbeaten on 237 off 163 balls, with 24 boundaries and 11 sixes. Guptill became the first Kiwi batter to score an ODI double century and registered the second highest individual score in ODIs. New Zealand ended up at 393/6. Chasing the target, the West Indies didn’t have a big knock from any of their batters. They were bowled out for 250 runs in 30.3 overs and lost the game by 143 runs.
3. Glenn Maxwell (201*) vs Afghanistan in 2023 World Cup
Glenn Maxwell single handedly won this match against Afghanistan in 2023 cricket world cup. At one time Australia were 91/7 while chasing a target of 292. Everyone thought Australia have lost this match but Pat Cummins and Glenn Maxwell added 202 runs together (a double century partnership) for 8th wicket partnership which changed the game completely. Glenn Maxwell became first batsman to score a double century in second innings while chasing a target.