Shai Hope becomes first player to hit six consecutive fifty-plus scores against one nation in ODIs

West Indian wicket-keeper batsman Shai Hope has become the first man in history to hit six consecutive fifty-plus scores against one nation in the history of One Day Cricket. All his fifty-plus scores in the last six games have come against Sri Lanka, albeit the duration between the first and last three is more than one year. 

This rare feat was achieved by Hope while batting in the last of the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, being held at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound Antigua. Hope, who scored a match-winning century (110 of 133) in the first game, followed it up with a half-century (84) in the second one and 64 in the last. The only player to have hit more than six consecutive 50 plus score is Javed Miandad of Pakistan. He has nine consecutive fifty-plus scores to his name. With this sixth consecutive fifty-plus score, Hope also joins the West Indian club of legendary openers Sir Gordon Greenidge and Chris Gayle.

Prior to this series, the last series that the Bajan played was against Sri Lanka only, in February, just before the global Lockdown due to Pandemic. Hope, 27, missed the only other ODI series of West Indies, which was against Bangladesh. 

In the last series, Hope hit one century and two fifties as well, although all of them came in a losing cause. In his 81 matches old ODI career, Hope has been one of the best batsmen that the world has seen, scoring 3547 runs at an average of more than 53 and a strike rate of more than 74. The right-hander has so far hit 10 centuries and 19 fifties in his career. 

West Indies, chasing a target of 275, were 149-3 at the end of 32 overs at the time of writing this piece. The last game is inconsequential in the sense that having won the first two matches, the Men in maroon have already acquired an unassailable lead of 2-0.