English Batsman Overtakes Ruturaj to Set New Record

Jake Libby has staged a brilliant turnaround after a slow start to the current edition of the One-Day Cup, England's List 'A' competition. After failing to make an impact in the first three matches, the English batsman hit exact scores of 109 in each of his next three innings—staying unbeaten in two of them. In doing so, the Worcestershire captain claimed a record of his own in this format.

Having batted in 53 List 'A' innings, Libby's average now stands at 61.4—the highest among all players with at least 50 innings in the format. India's Ruturaj Gaikwad previously held the record, with the right-handed batsman averaging 58.61 across 100 innings so far.

Another English batter, Sam Hain, sits third on the list with an average of 58.18 across 63 innings. Australian great Michael Bevan averages 57.86 over 384 innings, while India's Virat Kohli averages 57.80 across 337 innings.

The 33-year-old Libby managed scores of just 2, 25, and 12 in his first three games of this year's One-Day Cup. His resurgence began with an unbeaten 109 against Middlesex, where he struck two sixes and seven boundaries in a 114-ball knock to guide Worcestershire to a 4-wicket victory in a run chase.

Libby hit another century in his very next match, though he couldn't take his side over the line that time. The right-hander scored 109 against Essex, hitting two sixes and 13 fours.

On Friday against Sussex, Libby once again anchored a successful run chase of 334. This time, his 96-ball innings featured one six and seven boundaries.

This marks Libby's sixth century in 56 List 'A' matches. Alongside 18 half-centuries, his tally in the format now stands at 2,456 runs.