No.10 Harry Brook 110* off 94 vs Australia, Chester-le-Street, September 24

Chasing 304, England were 11-2 when Brook, appointed captain for the series, arrived at the crease. Predictions of rain made the chase tricky. As Jacks took the attack to the Australian camp, Brook was comfortable in his dual role of keeping wickets in hand as well as finding the boundary: both were needed to keep the par score within England’s reach. Once Jacks fell, Liam Livingstone hit a couple of big hits. By the time the skies opened, England were well ahead. By then, Brook had become the youngest Englishman to hit a hundred in men’s ODIs.

No.9 Sherfane Rutherford 113 off 80 vs Bangladesh, Basseterre, December 8

The West Indies came into this game with 11 consecutive ODI defeats against Bangladesh. At 94-3 after 21.4 overs in pursuit of 295, a twelfth seemed inevitable. But Rutherford, with both experience and form to back him, made a mockery of the target with his maiden ODI ton. The first six took 33 balls to arrive, but there were seven more in the next 47 balls, of which the most spectacular was a violent swivel pull off Nahid Rana. The chase was completed inside 48 overs.

No.8 Saim Ayub 101 off 94 vs South Africa, Johannesburg, December 22

Having already won the three-match series, Pakistan had their eyes on a 3-0 sweep. For that, they needed a big total, and Ayub got them exactly that despite losing Abdullah Shafique early. He followed two dazzling drives off Kagiso Rabada in the seventh over with two brutal pulls off Marco Jansen in the ninth. Unaffected by some quality bowling by the home fast bowlers, Ayub continued in the company of Babar Azam and then Mohammad Rizwan. The hundred turned out to be decisive in the 37-run win and completed a spectacular ODI season for the youngster.

No.7 Evin Lewis 102 not out off 61 vs Sri Lanka, Pallekele, October 26

Three years and three months since he had last played an ODI, Lewis strode out against a target of 195 in 23 overs. He took his time, taking 16 balls for his first 19 runs, before going after the bowling without taking too many risks. As Rutherford upped the tempo, Lewis ensured the West Indies neither lost wickets nor fell behind on the asking rate. The six that brought up both the hundred and the win rounded off an excellent comeback.

No.6 Rahmanullah Gurbaz 105 off 110 vs South Africa, Sharjah, September 20

In the first ODI, the Afghan bowlers had pulled off their team’s first win against South Africa across formats. In the second, the batters rose to the occasion. Gurbaz – who boasts of unreal numbers while batting first – led the charge in characteristic style, hitting 10 fours and three sixes with characteristic panache. He began early, stepping out to clear long-off off Lungi Ngidi with a gorgeous shot, and pulling Nandre Burger with ridiculous ease. Despite losing some tempo as the ball got old, he kept it at just under a run a ball. Afghanistan posted 311-4. South Africa folded for only 134.

No.5 Amir Jangoo 104* off 83 vs Bangladesh, Basseterre, December 12

Up against a target of 322, the West Indies were 86-4 when Jangoo strode out. Few expected a debutant with a sub-70 List A strike rate to rise to the challenge, but Jangoo did. He added 132 with Keacy Carty and, after Bangladesh struck twice in quick succession, stayed put to see the hosts over the line. It was the kind of debut schoolchildren dream of.

No.4 Saim Ayub 109 off 113 vs South Africa, Paarl, December 17

Before Johannesburg, there was Paarl. Chasing 240 against Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ottneil Baartman, and Tabraiz Shamsi was not easy, especially after the tourists had slipped to 60-4. Ayub, scratchy to begin with, had made only 34 off the first 62 balls he had faced, but he did not throw it away. Having curbed his natural gameplay, Ayub assumed control. He would have finished higher had he seen the chase through instead of leaving it to Salman Ali Agha.

No.3 Liam Livingstone 124 off 85 vs West Indies, North Sound, November 2

England needed 329 here, 222 in 179 when Livingstone walked out at five. Jacob Bethell fell 53 runs later, while Adil Rashid was slotted at eight. But none of that mattered. Happy to rotate the strike as Sam Curran played his shots, Livingstone took 52 balls to reach his fifty. By then, he had reduced the target to 92 from 55 – a regulation T20 chase if England had wickets in hand. Then he stepped up a gear, got to his hundred in another 25 balls, and continued to hit until it was all over.

No.2 Pathum Nissanka 210 off 139 vs Afghanistan, Kandy, February 9

The only double hundred of the year was also Sri Lanka’s first ever in the format as well as the third-fastest double ton (136 balls) in men’s ODIs, making it a statistician’s delight. True, the Afghans have always thrived in Asia, but on this occasion they were without Rashid Khan against an assault that lasted the full 50 overs. Even then, the sheer volume of runs was enough for him to rank this high. As an aside, until this innings, Nissanka had hit nine sixes in 49 innings: he got eight here.

No.1 Travis Head 154 off 129 vs England, Nottingham, September 19

Yup, it is that man Travis Head at the top again – and not against India, for a change.

Eight years ago at the same venue, Head begun a blitz after England’s world record tally of 481-6. That innings had been nipped in the bud, but this one was not. True, Brydon Carse dropped him, but it was a near-impossible chance. A target of 316 might have seemed competitive when Australia were 30-1 in five overs, but Head just took the game away from England, meticulously bisecting fielders for fours and lofting the balls into the stands from time to time. So calculated was the innings that the asking rate did not go beyond 6.50 until the 33rd over. And in the 34th, Head put four balls away to the fence. The chase was dusted with sx iovers in hand.

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