MS Dhoni and Michael Bevan – the not-out kings of ODI cricket

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Teams have batting orders for a reason. There are the openers who are good at seeing off the new ball, or at getting an innings off to a cracking start.

There are the stroke makers and improvisors of the middle order and the lusty hitters of the lower order. But mixed in there too, usually around number six or seven, are the designated finishers – the guys who are experts are seeing their teams over the line.

Sometimes those finishers go unrecognized: they don’t have the greatest averages or the opportunity to stack up huge volumes of runs. But the hallmark of a great finisher is the ability to be undefeated when the innings or the match comes to an end.

With that in mind, let’s look at the players who are able to boast the most not outs in ODI history.

7. Steve Waugh (Australia) – 58 not outs from 288 innings (20.14%)

Steve Waugh was a man who hated losing. One of the greatest captains of all time and one of cricket’s fiercest ever competitors, Waugh was never shy of stepping up to get a job done.

Waugh was never the flashiest batsman, but he was one of the wiliest. He could rotate the strike, he could play mind games, he could play his shots when he had to, and he was determined to never give away his wicket.

While Waugh is probably best remembered as an exceptional captain, he was also a remarkable finisher.

6. Chris Harris (New Zealand) – 62 not outs from 213 innings (29.11%)

Regarded by many as New Zealand’s Michael Bevan, Harris was one of the best finishers the game ever saw. Not a flashy batsman, Harris was all about the picking the gaps and getting the job done.

With 16 fifties a single century Harris ended his career with an average of 29. He is a classic example of an unseen hero, a completely reliable, unflashy player who bowled a shift and got his side over the line more often than not.

Harris’ finest moment as a finisher was probably in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy in 2000 – although he was dismissed his stand of 122 for the sixth wicket with Chris Cairns saw the Black Caps beat India by four wickets with two balls to spare. He was dismissed for 46, seven balls before the end of the game.

Also read: Most ODI wickets by a seamer in ODI cricket since 2023

5. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) – 63 not outs from 162 innings (38.88%)

Let’s be honest, Murali is on the list, not because he is a finisher, but because he batted last. His not out percentage is extraordinary, but sadly there is nothing there to back it up.

A highest score of 33 not out is probably a surprise to most people, but an average of 6.80 certainly won’t be.

4. Michael Bevan (Australia) – 67 not outs from 196 innings (34.18%)

Along with Michael Hussey (who is 27th on this list), Bevan is probably Australia’s best ever finisher. In many ways he was the man who defined the role during his prolific decade in the Baggy Green team.

They won the World Cup in 1999 and again in 2003 and Bevan was a key component in that mix. Many was the time when all seemed lost, only for Bevan to step up, stabilize things and then time his run chase to perfection.

Regarded as one of the greatest ODI players of all time, Bevan never really made it as a Test player, but an ODI batting average of 53.58 is exceptional. As good as the Australian team was at the time, Bevan was a key element that held it all together.

3. Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka) – 72 not outs from 220 innings (32.73%)

While he probably can’t be described as a classic finisher, Vaas was a whole lot more useful with the bat than his countryman Muttiah Muralitharan. It might be a stretch to describe Vaas as a fully-fledged allrounder, but he was also no mug with the bat as a highest score of 50* suggests.

While you could argue that players like Bevan and Harris were in their respective teams for their finishing ability, Vaas was there as a bowler. But he could do a job as his numbers suggest – a key element being his unwillingness to hit and hope. Vaas backed himself to stay at the crease and score runs and an average of 13.68 when batting at eight or nine is a very solid return.

2. Shaun Pollock (South Africa) – 72 not outs from 205 innings (35.12%)

A genuine bowling allrounder Pollock was also the Proteas captain for a long time. An ODI average of 26.45 is far from exceptional, but it is an indication that he could get the job done.

The biggest surprise about finding Pollock on this list is that he beats other potentially more recognized South African finishers to the not out win. He’s ahead of Lance Klusener and Mark Boucher, who were both great finishers, and indeed in more recent times, David Miller.

1. MS Dhoni (India) – 84 not outs from 297 innings (28.28%)

Top of the list and the undisputed king of finishers is Mahendra Singh Dhoni the prolific Indian icon. Dhoni is one of the greats of the ODI game and he could walk into most teams as a captain, or as a keeper, as a batsman or as a finisher.

Not out in 84 ODI innings is quite exceptional, as is an average of 50.57 and a high score of 183 not out. There are players with higher scores (17), and there are a handful with better averages (there are only four who have played more than 100 games who average better than Dhoni – AB De Villiers, Virat Kohli, Michael Bevan and Babar Azam).

His achievements are legendary and as was the case with Bevan, it is no surprise that India’s golden era of ODI cricket coincided with Dhoni’s time as their finisher.

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