Largest Margins of Victory in ODI (by runs)
ODI cricket is one of the most loved formats in cricket. In the last two decades, ODI cricket has seen quite a transition. The approach of playing the game is vastly different compared to the one implemented in the early days.
No more the batsmen wait to get set and attack the bowlers. The advent of T20 cricket has played a big role in how batsmen go about their game in ODI cricket. Today, you would see the batsmen going after the bowler right from the onset.
Targets of anything between 250 and 300 are no more considered as winning totals. Notching 300-plus totals have been a regular thing. Teams have often gone onto to score more than 400 runs in a single innings in ODI inning. The pressure of chasing such a huge total often leads to low scores in the second inning. As a result, teams have won the game with heavy margins of runs.
In this article, we look at 5 largest margins of victory in ODI cricket (by runs):
#5 India vs Bermuda (257 Runs)
India endured a forgetful ICC 2007 World Cup. They were knocked from the tournament in the league stage itself. However, Men in Blue started the tournament on a wonderful note, notching a mammoth 413-run total in their first match against Bermuda. After Robin Uthappa got out on 3, Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag put on a stellar 202-run partnership for the second wicket.
Sourav Ganguly scored 89 runs off 114 balls, while Virender Sehwag notched 114 runs off just 87 balls. Yuvraj Singh and Sachin Tendulkar also made significant contributions with 83 (46) and 57 (29) respectively. In the second innings, Bermuda got bundled out for just 156 runs, thereby handing a massive 257-run victory to India.
India holds the record for the fifth-largest margin of victory by runs in ODI cricket.
#4 South Africa vs Sri Lanka (258 Runs)
The 1st ODI of South Africa’s ODI series against Sri Lanka in 2012 saw a spectacle of all-round performance from South Africa at Paarl. Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis set the foundation for a great total in the first innings. Amla scored a stellar 128-ball 112, while Jacques Kallis notched 72 runs off 80 balls. The duo helped South Africa reach 301 runs in the first innings.
What followed was a heart-warming bowling performance from the Proteas. Morne Morkel claimed 4 wickets, while Lonwabo Tsotsobe picked three as South Africa folded Sri Lanka for just 43 runs in the second innings.
South Africa won that game by a huge margin of 258 runs.
#3 South Africa vs Zimbabwe (272 Runs)
South Africa also holds the record for recording the third-largest victory margin in ODI cricket. South Africa posted 399 runs in the first innings, a courtesy couple of sensational knocks from JP Duminy and AB de Villiers. Duminy scored129 runs off 117 balls, while AB de Villiers notched 109 runs off 99 balls.
In reply, Zimbabwe got bundled out of just 127 runs. Rusty Theron picked 3 wickets, while Wayne Parnell and Morkel picked two wickets apiece. South Africa won the game by 272 runs.
#2 Australia vs Afghanistan (275 Runs)
The pool A game between Australia and Afghanistan saw the former notching a mammoth 417-run total in the first innings. David Warner played a sensational knock of 178 runs off just 133 balls. His knock propelled Australia to post a daunting total on the board.
Steve Smith and Glen Maxwell too made valuable contributions with 95 and 88 respectively. Afghanistan, in the second innings, could only manage to score 142 runs, handing a massive 275-run victory to Australia.
#1 New Zealand vs Ireland (290 Runs)
New Zealand holds the record for the highest margin of victory in ODIs. The Blackcaps recorded the feat against Ireland in 2008. Both the teams were squaring up in the first ODI Of the Associate Tri-Series in Scotland. New Zealand started off with a match-winning 274-run partnership for the opening wicket.
Openers in Brendon McCullum and J Marshall scored 161 and 164 runs respectively as New Zealand posted a massive 402-run total in the first innings.
Ireland produced no fight in the second innings and was all out for just 112 runs in the second inning. Tim Southee and J Mason were the two standouts in the bowling departments, having picked 3 wickets apiece.
