KEY POINTS
- England posted a total of 400/8 against West Indies without any player scoring a century — a world-first record
- The previous highest team score without a hundred was South Africa’s 392/6 against Pakistan in 2007
ISLAMABAD: England marked the start of a new era under Harry Brook’s full-time captaincy with a unique record-breaking batting display, becoming the first team in men’s ODI history to have all of their top seven batters score 30 or more in a single innings.
The historic feat came in the opening match of the ODI series against the West Indies at Edgbaston on Thursday.
Despite no batter reaching a century, England posted a formidable total of 400/8 — the highest-ever team score without an individual hundred.
Jacob Bethell led the scoring with a composed 82 from No.6, supported by half-centuries from Joe Root (57), Brook himself (58), and Ben Duckett (60).
Jamie Smith (37), Jos Buttler (37), and Will Jacks (39) all contributed valuable runs to complete the unique milestone.
The previous best total without a century was South Africa’s 392/6 against Pakistan in 2007. England’s innings surpassed that and also echoed the beginning of their white-ball revival in 2015, which started at the same venue with a 408-9 against New Zealand.
Coming off a disappointing Champions Trophy campaign and a lacklustre World Cup defence in 2023, England’s new-look squad showcased depth and consistency, silencing recent criticism about their tendency to squander good starts.
Whether Brook’s leadership can emulate the success of the Eoin Morgan era remains to be seen, but Thursday’s performance offered a promising glimpse of England’s intent to rebuild with collective strength rather than individual brilliance.
West Indies are currently in the midst of a six-match tour, featuring three ODIs and three T20Is, with the opening ODI underway. At the time of filing this report, the visitors were struggling at 70 for 4 after 12 overs.
