Australian opener David Warner scored 178 off 133 balls against Afghanistan. Photo / Brett Phibbs.
Australian opener David Warner scored 178 off 133 balls against Afghanistan. Photo / Brett Phibbs.
Australian captain Michael Clarke believes it is just a matter of time before a batsman cracks a triple century in a one-day international.
Australia's opening batsman David Warner scored 178 off 133 balls in a World Cup match against Afghanistan in Perth yesterday and before he was dismissed in the38th over a score of 300 was a possibility.
Scroll below for Dylan Cleaver's take on the possibility of 300 in an ODI.
Rohit Sharma's 264 for India is the highest ODI score, but three of the top 10 individual World Cup scores of all time have come during this tournament.
"Someone like Davey, or Chris Gayle or AB de Villiers - on a smaller ground they possibly could," said Clarke.
"In this game, at the moment who knows? We are seeing so many different shots, different deliveries, so much power.
Highest ODI scores 264 - Rohit Sharma, India v Sri Lanka, Nov 2014 219 - Virender Sehwag, India v West Indies, Dec 2011 215 - Chris Gayle, West Indies v Zimbabwe, Feb 2015 209 - Rohit Sharma, India v Australia, Nov 2013 200*- Sachin Tendulkar, India v South Africa, Feb 2010
"There is a handful of players round the world who probably could.
"You probably have to open the batting so you have the full 50 overs."
Gayle became the fifth player in history to make an ODI double century when he hit 215 for West Indies against Zimbabwe on 24 February.
South Africa captain De Villiers smashed 162 not out off only 66 balls in the win over West Indies three days later.
Warner struck 19 fours and five sixes in his 133-ball innings against Afghanistan, and there were more than 12.3 overs of the Australia innings remaining when he was dismissed.
Rohit, who made 264 off 173 balls against Sri Lanka at Kolkata in November, is the only batsman to score two ODI double centuries.
Dylan Cleaver on the possibility of a triple century in an ODI:
I remember Steve Waugh saying a double-century was possible after Adam Gilchrist had scored 128 off 98 balls against New Zealand in an ODI at Lancaster Park back in 2000.
The idea seemed a bit ridiculous, but 10 years later Sachin Tendulkar did it and since then there have been four other scores beyond 200.
But I have my doubts about 300. Everything would have to fall in your favour to carry that sort of sustained hitting for that long.
You'd have to be an opener, or No 3 at lowest, and bat first.
It would have to be a small ground against a weak attack and with the ICC looking to trim teams from further World Cups, it just doesn't seem feasible.
Rohit Sharma had everything working for him on the way to 264 against Sri Lanka, including some embarrassing fielding, and still fell 36 runs short. While AB de Villiers has the game for it, but he is batting at No 4 his opportunities will be limited.
I don't think it will happen, but then again, 15 years ago, I didn't think 200 was likely.
