Whenever a cricketer or a batsman plays for his country, his first aim is to win the match for his team and the second one is to score a century. Scoring a century is always special and if it is at the Home of cricket then it is even more special. The Lord’s Cricket Stadium in England is considered the home of cricket. It is not only a great place to play cricket, but also to watch cricket.
The great thing about the Lord’s ground, which is also the Home of Cricket is that if a player scores a century or takes a five-wicket haul on that ground, then the player’s name will feature on the honours board. While many grounds have this ritual, it is extra special at the Home of Cricket. So let us have a look at the six Australians who scored an ODI century at Home of Cricket Lord’s and managed to get their name on the honours board.
6. Graeme Wood – 114* vs England in 1985
Graeme Wood was the first Australian batsman to score an ODI century at Lord’s. He managed to score a century in 1985 against the hosts England. England won the toss and opted to bowl in that game and Wood who opened the innings scored 114* off 165 balls with his team managing to score 254-5 in their 55 overs.
England chased down the score pretty easily, as Graham Gooch and David Gower scored centuries while batting second. Even though Wood got his name on the honours board, his team couldn’t win the game.
5. Geoff Marsh – 111* vs England, 1989
Four years after Wood got his name on the honours board, Geoff Marsh, who is the father of Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh, was the second Australian to score an ODI century at Lord’s. In this game, England batted first and managed to score 278-7 with Graham Gooch scoring a century.
While chasing, Geoff Marsh opened the innings and scored 111* off 162 balls, with seven fours and one six. He stayed till the end as Australia chased down the score with just 3 balls to spare. Marsh not only got his name on the honours board but also took his team to victory.
4. Mark Waugh – 104 vs Zimbabwe, 1999
Mark Waugh was the first Australian to score an ODI century at Lord’s in a World Cup game. Australia was up against Zimbabwe in a league match, and they were put in to bat by Zimbabwe.
Opening the innings, Waugh scored 104 off just 120 balls with 13 fours as Australia managed to score 303-4 in their 50 overs. Australia won the game easily, as Zimbabwe fell short of the target by 44 runs.
3. Andrew Symonds – 104* vs Pakistan, 2004
Australia and Pakistan were in England for a one-off ODI at the Lord’s. Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl. Batting first, Australia was in some trouble at 30-2 when Andrew Symonds walked into bat. He was brilliant as he scored 104* off 103 balls with nine fours and one six.
Chasing 270, Pakistan fell short of the target by just 10 runs. Australia won the match and Andrew Symonds got his name on the honours board as he scored a brilliant ODI century at Lord’s.
2. Ricky Ponting – 111 vs England, 2005
Ricky Ponting, who is one of Australia’s most successful captains has managed to score an ODI century at Lord’s in 2005. Before the famous 2005 Ashes, there was a three-match ODI series between these two teams.
In the 2nd ODI, England batted first and scored 223-8 in their 50 overs. Chasing 224, Ponting scored 111 off 115 balls with 14 fours and one six. Australia chased down the score easily, and Ponting got his name on the honours board.
1. Aaron Finch – 116 vs England, 2019
Aaron Finch, who is the current captain of the Australian white-ball teams, is the latest Australian to score an ODI century at Lords. During the 2019 World Cup, Australia and England played their league game at Lord’s.
England won the toss and opted to bowl first. Opening the batting, Aaron Finch was brilliant as he scored 100 off 116 balls with 11 fours and two sixes. Australia scored 285-7 in their fifty overs and won the match by 64 runs. Aaron Finch got the desired result and his name on the honours board.
