The ODI format is considered a mix of both Test and T20I cricket. A batsman has enough time to settle down initially, but then he also needs to make the most of it, just like in T20Is. However, since the evolution of the T20 format, the approach towards batting has also changed. Batters tend to take more risks, and they never shy away from going after the bowling from the very first ball.
That is the reason, nowadays, we are watching big centuries in ODI cricket as well. Prior to T20 cricket, a batter scoring 150 runs in ODIs was considered significant. But now we are watching even 200+ scores by the batter in cricket. However, the most successful team in cricket, Australia, doesn’t have a double centurion yet, but there are still some batters with big ODI hundreds.
List of Highest Individual ODI Score for Australia
| Player | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Watson | 185* | 96 | 15 | 15 | Bangladesh | Mirpur | 11 Apr 2011 |
| Mathew Hayden | 181* | 166 | 11 | 10 | New Zealand | Hamilton | 20 Feb 2007 |
| David Warner | 179 | 128 | 19 | 5 | Pakistan | Adelaide | 26 Jan 2017 |
| David Warner | 178 | 133 | 19 | 5 | Afghanistan | Perth | 4 Mar 2015 |
| Mark Waugh | 173 | 148 | 16 | 3 | West Indies | Melbourne | 9 Feb 2001 |
| David Warner | 173 | 136 | 24 | 0 | South Africa | Cape Town | 12 Oct 2016 |
| Adam Gilchrist | 172 | 126 | 13 | 3 | Zimbabwe | Hobart | 16 Jan 2004 |
| David Warner | 166 | 147 | 14 | 5 | Bangladesh | Nottingham | 20 Jun 2019 |
| Ricky Ponting | 164 | 105 | 13 | 9 | South Africa | Johannesburg | 12 Mar 2006 |
| Steve Smith | 164 | 157 | 14 | 4 | New Zealand | Sydney | 4 Dec 2016 |
3. David Warner (179 runs) against Pakistan at Adelaide
David Warner is one of the best openers across formats in the modern era. He has six 150+ scores in ODI cricket. However, his highest score came against Pakistan in Adelaide. It was the fifth game of the five-match series, and Australia won the toss and decided to bat first. They had an excellent start to their innings, with both openers scoring centuries each. Both added a massive partnership of 284 runs for the first wicket in 41.3 overs.
Travis Head made 128 runs, while Warner went on to hit the third highest individual score for his country. He made 179 runs off 128 balls with 19 fours and five sixes. Australia made a big total of 369/7 in their 50 overs. In reply, Pakistan also tried hard and crossed the 300-run mark. But they got all out for 312 with a century from Babar Azam (100).
2. Mathew Hayden (181* runs) against New Zealand at Hamilton
Mathew Hayden held the highest score for Australia for almost four years. In the third match of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand at Hamilton, he scored a big century. It was Australia that won the toss and chose to bat first. They had two big partnerships, and Hayden went on to score a big century. He made an unbeaten 181 runs off 166 balls with 11 fours and 10 sixes. As a result, Australia scored 346/5 in their 50 overs.
Shane Watson also scored 68 in that innings. However, his big score came in a losing game. Chasing this big score, New Zealand had a bad start, losing their first five batters for 116 runs. But then, 165-run partnerships for the 6th wicket between Craig McMillan (117) and Brendon McCullum (86) helped them to chase down the target in 49.3 overs. The Black Caps made 350/9 and won the match by just one wicket.
1. Shane Watson (185* runs) against Bangladesh (Highest for Australia in ODI)
The highest score for Australia is registered under the name of former all-rounder Shane Watson. It was the second game of the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh at Mirpur. Bangladesh won the toss and batted first. They had a horrible start, losing the first five wickets for just 88 runs. But a couple of half-centuries from Shahriar Nafees (56) and Mushfiqur Rahim (81*) helped the team to reach 229/7 in their 50 overs.
It was never enough against the strong Australian batting. That is what happened, and Australia chased it down, losing only one wicket in just 26 overs. It was because of the carnage from Shane Watson. Out of 232 runs, he alone scored 185* runs off just 96 balls to break all the records. He also hit 15 fours and 15 sixes to register the highest individual score for an Australian in ODI cricket.