Ben Duckett scripts history, breaks Viv Richardss 47-year-old Lord’s ODI record

In a dazzling display of aggressive batting, England opener Ben Duckett etched his name into the record books after playing a sensational knock of 141 runs against India in the series-deciding third ODI, shattering Sir Viv Richards’ legendary 47-year-old record for the highest individual ODI score at Lord’s.  

For nearly five decades, Sir Viv Richards’ iconic, unbeaten 138 against England in the 1979 World Cup final stood as the gold standard of one-day batting at Lord’s. Many have tried, and many have failed to touch it.  

Duckett not only eclipsed that figure but did so with the kind of fluent, modern-day strokeplay that has become his trademark. The left-handed opener displayed pristine timing and clinical aggression from the word go.

Sweeping, pulling, and driving with supreme confidence, Duckett brought up his fourth ODI century with a ferocious pull shot off Gurnoor Brar. He didn’t stop there, marching past Richards’ historic milestone to finish on 141 off 135 balls, a knock laced with 18 boundaries and a six.  

By the time he was finally caught-and-bowled by India’s young bowler Prince Yadav in the 44th over, the Lord’s crowd rose in unison to grant him a thunderous standing ovation.  

Highest Individual Men’s ODI Scores At Lord’s

Player                         Score        Opposition    Year

Ben Duckett (ENG)     141          India              2026

Viv Richards (WI)       138*          England        1979

Denis Amiss (ENG)     137          India               1975

Marcus Trescothick (ENG) 137   Pakistan         2001

Graham Gooch (ENG)  136         Australia         1989

Duckett’s historic day wasn’t just a solo act; it was a record-breaking blitz that completely dismantled the Indian bowling attack.

The Opening Carnival: Alongside young prodigy Jacob Bethell (who scored a brilliant 91 off 93 balls), Duckett stitched together a monumental 192-run opening stand. This now stands as the highest first-wicket partnership ever recorded in an ODI at Lord’s, as well as England’s highest opening stand against India in ODI history.  

The Dual-Format Honors Club: With this knock, Duckett became only the sixth opener in cricket history to score centuries in both Test matches and ODIs at Lord’s, joining an elite group featuring Alastair Cook, Graham Gooch, and Marcus Trescothick.  

Following the platform laid by the openers, Joe Root ensured India felt no respite. The former skipper cruised to an unbeaten 74 off just 48 balls, while captain Jos Buttler provided the final fireworks with a blistering 41* off 13 deliveries to push England to their record-shattering total of 387.  

While India will have to pull off a monumental chase to take the series, the day undeniably belongs to Ben Duckett, whose name is now permanently etched into the folklore of the Home of Cricket.

India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, and Prasidh Krishna

England: Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook (captain), Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, and Josh Tongue.