The first time ever a player is called upon to play for the national team is the safest way for that player to feel proud of his or her decision. Besides, to score a lot in the first match is proof of the absolute power that the player has inside him or her.
In the whole entire history of cricket, many players have had the chance to play their first match in the ODI series. But only a few of them were lucky enough to be the talk of the town because of their extraordinary performances.
It’s somewhat of a burden to start in a spectacular manner. But the batters who could not get rid of that burden at least lived their batting experience to the maximum by making the highest scores.
This article will introduce you to the five best batters who scored the most runs hitting in their very first ODI match.
Players With Most Runs On ODI Debut
5. Colin Ingram (South Africa): 124 vs Zimbabwe 2010
The career of Colin Ingram might not have been all that great when it came to playing for South Africa. He played in around 30 ODIs for them. However, he probably won’t forget his ODI debut on October 15, 2010.
On that day, he opened the batting at number 3 against Zimbabwe and formed three very important partnerships. He first partnered with Hashim Amla for a 136-run stand, then he had a 40-run partnership with AB de Villiers and finally a 76-run collab with David Miller.
Ingram, meanwhile, was very skilful with his innings, reaching the fifty in 65 balls. In the next 45 balls, he reached his first ODI century and then got out after making 124 runs.
4. Mark Chapman (Hong Kong): 124* vs UAE 2015
Mark Chapman is a cricketer for New Zealand as of 2025. However, ten years back, he was playing his first match for Hong Kong, the country of his birth, in the ODI series.
On the day of November 16, 2015, Chapman was awarded his first ODI cap against the UAE. He came to bat at number four and assisted Hong Kong in scoring a total of 298 runs.
Chapman was going through a slow process in getting his half-century with 68 balls. He then stepped up his scoring by hitting boundaries quite often. On the 103rd ball, he reached his first-ever century and remained not out with a score of 124 from 116 balls.
Chapman spent a brief time with Hong Kong, playing one more ODI and 19 T20Is for them before switching to the New Zealand jersey in 2018.
3. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan): 127 vs Ireland 2021
Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been Afghanistan’s premier batter ever since he made his ODI debut on January 21, 2021. And, on that very day against Ireland, he gave a sneak peek of his immense potential.
Gurbaz, after deciding to bat first, formed a 120-run opening partnership with Javed Ahmadi. He, in the meantime, scored his fifty in 38 balls with the help of a six.
When Ahmadi went back to the dressing room, Afghanistan kept on losing wickets regularly. Still Gurbaz stood firm at one end and completed his first hundred off 115 balls.
He then added 27 more runs to his score before getting out on 127 off as many balls. The right-handed batsman hit 8 fours and 9 sixes, and in the end, his team triumphed by 16 runs.
2. Desmond Haynes (West Indies): 148 vs Australia | 1978
Desmond Haynes was once the leader of this list but now he is the runner-up. In 1978, he was the one who played a thunderous innings when the ODI format was in its infancy.
Indeed Haynes was the second batter to reach a century on ODI debut after England’s Dennis Amiss. He hit 148 off 136 balls while brilliantly carrying the burden of the opposition’s bowling.
Haynes’ innings comprised 16 fours and 2 sixes, while the strike rate was close to 109. That innings paved the way for Haynes to have a long successful career with the West Indies.
1. Matthew Breetzke (South Africa): 150 vs New Zealand 2025
In his not-very-memorable T20I and Test debuts, Matthew Breetzke managed to reverse the situation in ODIs. He was one of the four players to make his ODI debut against New Zealand on February 10, 2025.
And he also broke the record of Haynes that had stood for 47 years in his very first game. Given the situation of the side that was excluding the star players, Breetzke could not have been any quicker in making his presence felt.
The right-handed batsman started the innings in partnership with captain Temba Bavuma after the opposition had elected to bat first. He took a careful approach with his run accumulation, reaching fifty runs in 68 balls.
Then he tore the sky with a four and thus raised his maiden ODI century in 128 balls. The South African, after acquiring the landmark score, continued to hit the boundaries at a rapid rate to reach 150 runs in 147 balls.
As a result, Breetzke made a new ODI debut record of being the first batter ever to score 150 runs. Unfortunately, he was out on the next ball but New Zealand still won the match and his contribution was in vain.
