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Most Ducks By Active Players In International Cricket

Most ducks by active players in international cricket [Source: PTI]Most ducks by active players in international cricket [Source: PTI]

Scoring match-winning runs, irrespective of the format, is the ultimate goal for any batter in international cricket. However, falling for a duck represents the nadir of a batter’s performance, as it symbolizes a moment they would like to forget. Despite their immense talent, even the best of players can face such unfortunate dismissals.

Here we take a detailed look at five active cricketers who have accumulated the highest number of ducks across all three forms of the game.

5. Rohit Sharma – 33 ducks

Rohit Sharma has accrued 33 unwanted ducks in 513 international innings spanning 485 matches. In T20Is alone, the dashing Indian opener was dismissed without adding a run on 12 occasions before his retirement at the 2024 T20 World Cup. As of now, he is jointly-ranked second on the list among players with the highest number of ducks in T20I cricket.

Sharma has also been dismissed for ducks a total of 16 times in his illustrious ODI career. Having played just 62 Tests till October 2024 since his format debut in 2013, the modern-day batting legend has failed to score a run five times in red-ball cricket.

4. Tamim Iqbal – 36 ducks

Prolific Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal announced his retirement from international cricket in 2023, only to reverse his decision the following day upon being persuaded to do so by some top Bangladeshi officials. While his future with the Bangladesh team continues to remain uncertain at the moment, Iqbal has recorded 36 ducks across all his international appearances since 2007. He registered 19 of those ducks in ODIs alone from 240 innings, to account for more than half of his overall scoreless innings in international cricket.

3. Virat Kohli – 38 ducks

Among all active international cricketers, no other specialist batter has recorded more ducks than Indian batting behemoth and modern-day legend Virat Kohli. The iconic Indian cricketer has suffered 38 ducks across all three formats of the game. To be more specific, he has bagged an unwanted haul of 15 and 16 ducks in Tests and ODIs respectively, and the remaining seven ducks in 117 T20I innings.

Virat Kohli registered the 38th of those ducks during India’s series-opening first Test match against New Zealand at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in October 2024.

2. Tim Southee – 38

Apart from Virat Kohli, New Zealand paceman Tim Southee has also recorded 38 ducks in international cricket, albeit in fewer innings (293 in comparison to Kohli’s 595). A fast bowler by designation, Southee has been dismissed without a run to his name 19 times in Tests, 13 times in ODIs and on six occasions in T20I matches.

Notably, the New Zealand tailender holds an astonishing strike-rate of 82.48 in Test matches, and has registered six fifty-plus scores in the format so far in his 100-plus appearances.

1. Ishant Sharma – 40

With 40 dismissals without making a run, Indian tailender Ishant Sharma holds the highest number of international ducks among all active players. Even though the senior Indian fast bowler played his previous international match back in November 2021, he is yet to announce his retirement and is still in contention of a potential return to Team India before hanging up his boots.

The lanky paceman accrued 34 of those ducks in Test matches alone, and currently holds an unwanted record of acquiring fifth most scoreless innings in the game’s purest and oldest format.