Fakhar Zaman Equals Virat Kohli, Ricky Ponting And Sachin Tendulkar In Men’s ODI Century Record

Pakistan opening batter Fakhar Zaman has equaled former India captain Virat Kohli, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting and Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar in the list of most ODI centuries scored against an opponent in a calendar year.

In the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Match 35 in Bengaluru, Zaman scored his fourth ODI century against New Zealand in 2023. With New Zealand visiting Pakistan twice for multi-format tours in the first half of this year, readers must note that the left-handed batter had scored a century in Karachi in January only to follow it with two 100+ individual scores in Rawalpindi three months later.

Zaman, whose most number of ODI appearances have come against the Kiwis, has understandably scored his most runs and centuries against them in this format. However, a rain-curtailed contest didn’t allow him to complete 1,000 runs against the same opposition today.

Fakhar Zaman Equals Virat Kohli, Ricky Ponting And Sachin Tendulkar

It is noteworthy that Zaman has become the first cricketer in the last decade to score four ODI centuries against one team in a calendar year. Last batter to do so, Kohli had achieved it against Sri Lanka in 2012.

In what started with a career-changing ton in Hobart, Kohli smashed an Asia Cup 2012 century in Mirpur within a couple of weeks. Four months later, Kohli brought up two more centuries during India’s tour of Sri Lanka 2012, infamously known for India captain Rohit Sharma averaging 2.6 across five innings.

Much like Zaman, even Ponting had scored four ODI hundreds against New Zealand in 2007. Other than the opposition, another similarity between Zaman and Ponting is New Zealand touring their country twice in the same year. Post participating in Commonwealth Bank Series 2006/07, the Black Caps had again traveled down under for a multi-format tour.

It isn’t surprising at all that Tendulkar had achieved this milestone against Australia in 1998. Having first scored a 13th ODI century in Kanpur during a triangular series also involving Zimbabwe, the legendary batter had followed it with his 14th and 15th tons in the format with only a one-day break in between during the iconic “Desert Storm” series. While all these special knocks had come in the month of April, Tendulkar put on display another memorable innings in the quarter-final of Wills International Cup six months later.

It is worth of a mention that former West Indies great Desmond Haynes was the first cricketer to have scored four hundreds against one team in one year. Haynes, in fact, had scored four ODI centuries against Australia in just over 14 weeks in 1984. Having begun during Benson & Hedges World Series Cup in Sydney in January, the right-handed batter had also touched the three-figure mark in a bilateral ODI in Albion the following month and twice during Australia’s tour of West Indies in April.