Five sides have scored more than 400 runs in 50 overs at the tournament, but what is the highest innings total by a team at the ODI World Cup? Here, we list the highest ever scores as well as the highest totals by losing sides
The rise of T20 cricket has led to the IPL and many other lucrative franchise leagues as well as an international 20-over world championship.
Despite the ever-growing global popularity of the shortest format, though, it is the ODI World Cup trophy which remains the most sought-after limited-overs prize in the sport in the eyes of many fans.
Perhaps that is because the 50-over World Cup tournament is played less frequently than the T20 World Cup, which has an edition every two years.
Or the long history and tradition of the ODI World Cup – played every four years since its first edition in 1975 – may have helped it to maintain its prestige as a crucial part of the international cricket calendar.
England won the Cricket World Cup on home soil in 2019, while with five titles it is Australia who are the most successful team in tournament history.
But what is the highest innings total by a team at the ODI World Cup? Opta Analyst has reviewed the biggest totals ever scored in cricket’s most prestigious 50-over competition.
1. South Africa: 428/5 vs Sri Lanka, 2023 World Cup
The 2023 World Cup was only in its infancy, but it didn’t take long for South Africa to shatter the ODI World Cup record.
Put in to bat by Sri Lanka, South Africa went berserk with three of their players scoring centuries: Quinton de Kock (100 off 84), Rassie van der Dussen (108 off 110) and Aiden Markram (106 off 54). The trio helped South Africa rack up the highest ever World Cup team total of 428/5.
In the process, Aiden Markram hit the fastest hundred in the event’s history, beating Kevin O’Brien’s 51-ball ton against England in 2011.
In response, Sri Lanka managed a credible 326 from their 50 overs, but it was never going to be enough, as South Africa waltzed to a 102-run victory.
2. Australia: 417/6 vs Afghanistan, 2015 World Cup
Australia racked up an incredible 417/6 in their match with Afghanistan at the 2015 tournament.
Australia had already beaten England and lost to their co-hosts New Zealand in the group stage before this emphatic performance at the WACA in Perth gave them the highest run total in competition history.
Afghanistan won the toss and elected to field, with Australia instantly making them regret that decision.
After Aaron Finch was dismissed in the third over, Australia stormed from 14/1 to 274/1 courtesy of David Warner and Steve Smith.
Player of the match Warner smashed 178 runs from 133 balls with 19 fours and five sixes, while Smith supported him with 95 from 98 deliveries.
When Warner and Smith departed towards the end of the innings, their huge partnership of 260 allowed Glenn Maxwell full freedom to produce a destructive knock.
Maxwell raced to 88 runs from 39 balls at a strike rate of 225.64, smashing seven sixes, while a quickfire 20 from Brad Haddin ensured the Aussies piled on the punishment right up until the end of the innings.
It was a miserable day at the ODI World Cup for the Afghanistan bowlers, with Dawlat Zadran returning figures of 2/101 from his 10 overs and Shapoor Zadran (2/89) on the receiving end of five maximums off his bowling.
In reply, Afghanistan were bowled out for 142 in just 37.3 overs, giving the home side a winning margin of 275 runs. The result kickstarted a streak of six straight victories.
Australia rallied to finish second in Pool B and ultimately won the tournament after beating New Zealand by seven wickets in the final, having seen off Pakistan and India in the knockout stages. Aus bowler Mitchell Starc led the tournament with 22 wickets at an average of just 10.18.
3. India: 413/5 vs Bermuda, 2007 World Cup
Prior to Australia’s innings in 2015, it was India who held the record for the highest innings total by a team at the ODI World Cup.
India made light work of Bermuda in Trinidad and many of their big-name batsmen flourished against their below-par opponents.
Opener Sourav Ganguly scored 89, while Virender Sehwag came in at number three to expertly compile 114 from 87 balls.
MS Dhoni added a brisk 29 and Yuvraj Singh showcased some trademark power shots as he charged to 83 from just 46 deliveries in an innings that contained seven sixes.
And Sachin Tendulkar made his mark too, firing 57 not out from 29 balls to see the Indian innings to a close along with skipper Rahul Dravid (7no).
Bermuda’s chase did not go well, as they were bowled out for 156 after 43.1 overs. However, that was a better batting effort than they managed against Sri Lanka (78 all out) and Bangladesh (94/9) in their other pool matches.
Despite India having a star-studded batting lineup, it was an otherwise tough tournament for them too.
India lost to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to crash out in the group stage, missing out on the Super 8, but at least this huge innings gave them one fond memory from the 2007 tournament.
4. South Africa: 411/4 vs Ireland, 2015 World Cup
As well as Australia’s huge score against Afghanistan, there were two other massive innings totals posted by a team at the 2015 edition – both by semi-finalists South Africa.
The Proteas were under pressure in Pool B after losing to India but responded with one day international innings scores of 408 and 411 against West Indies and Ireland respectively.
Ireland were put to the sword after the West Indies match and the big total was achieved despite two of South Africa’s star players, Quinton de Kock (1) and captain AB de Villiers (24), not posting big individual scores.
The damage on this occasion was done by Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis, who each scored centuries, before David Miller and Rilee Rossouw provided an explosive finish to the innings.
Opener Amla racked up 159 runs from 128 balls, finding the boundary 20 times including four maximums. This ended up being the highest ODI score of his illustrious career. Du Plessis scored 109 and by the time those two were dismissed, South Africa were just short of the 300 mark and the stage was set for Miller and Rossouw.
Both batted until the end of the innings, with Miller smashing 46 from 23 and Rossouw hitting 61 from 30 with three sixes.
It was tough going for the Ireland bowlers in Canberra and the scorecard made for grim reading. Kevin O’Brien had figures of 1/95 from seven overs at an economy rate of 13.57 and Max Sorensen was 0/76 from six overs, as South Africa comprehensively won by 201 runs.
5. India: 410/4 vs Netherlands, 2023 World Cup
The relentless hosts of the 2023 tournament put on a show in their final group game against the Netherlands, with each of their first five batsmen scoring at least a half century, the first instance of five or more batters getting to fifty-plus scores in an innings at the men’s ODI World Cup.
Rohit Sharma (61), Shubman Gill (51) and Virat Kohli (51) all set the table before Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul did the rest.
Their 208-run partnership put the game beyond the Dutch before they’d even had a chance to bat, with Shreyas hitting 128 not out from 94 balls, while Rahul managed 102 from 64 deliveries, with 15 boundaries each. Rahul took just 62 balls to reach his century, the fastest ever by an Indian batsman at an ODI World Cup.
It was India’s eighth 350+ total in ODIs in 2023, the most for any team in a calendar year in the format, surpassing England’s seven in 2019. They would add even more before the World Cup was over.
Netherlands never looked like reaching the target, eventually bowled out for 250 as the hosts completed an undefeated run to the knockout stage.
6. South Africa: 408/5 vs West Indies, 2015 World Cup
While South Africa ended up losing to New Zealand in the semi-finals, it is clear they enjoyed the Cricket World Cup in 2015, and both of their 400+ run innings were memorable.
Their huge 257-run winning margin over West Indies in Sydney was powered by an astonishing innings from De Villiers. The Proteas skipper fired 162 runs from only 66 balls with 17 fours and eight sixes, giving him a huge 245.45 strike rate.
There were also notable contributions from Amla (65), Du Plessis (62), Rossouw (61), but they were very much the supporting act this time around.
Jason Holder was given a tough time by the South Africa batters, hit for 104 runs from his 10 overs. Six of the Proteas’ maximums came off his bowling.
De Villiers ended his stunning tournament with 482 runs at an average of 96.40 and a strike rate of 144.31. One of the best limited-overs batters to play the game had one century and three fifties, racking up 21 sixes.
7. New Zealand: 401/6 vs Pakistan, 2023 World Cup
New Zealand’s 401/6 against Pakistan at the 2023 World Cup is just the sixth instance of a side scoring over 400 runs in the competition. And, remarkably, what is unique about this entry is that New Zealand actually lost this game.
Rachin Ravindra 108 (94) and Kane Williamson 95 (79) top scored for the Kiwis, as their 180-run partnership off just 142 balls set the Black Caps up for a seemingly insurmountable score.
But Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman had other ideas. Chasing New Zealand’s 402, the opener smashed an unbeaten ton to keep up with the DLS asking rate in rain-hit game. And when the rain did arrive, with Pakistan on 200/1 off 25 overs, they were comfortably ahead of the rate they needed to win the contest.
=8. South Africa: 399/7 vs England, 2023 World Cup
This is South Africa’s fourth entry on this list and second from the 2023 World Cup alone.
Heinrich Klaasen top scored with a brutal 109 off 67 balls as he and Marco Jansen bludgeoned a remarkable 150 sixth-wicket partnership from just 76 deliveries to set up a huge total of 399/7.
Jansen finished 75 not out from 42 balls as South Africa piled on the runs in the first innings against England in the searing Mumbai heat.
Both sides came into this game on the back of shock losses with South Africa beaten by non-Test nation the Netherlands and reigning champions England defeated by Afghanistan.
England put up a meek reply in response to the target of 400, only making 170 runs.
=8. Australia: 399/8 vs Netherlands, 2023 World Cup
Just four days after South Africa smashed 399 against England, Australia managed the same score against the Netherlands. David Warner set the tone with a century (104 off 93), his second century in as many games after hitting 163 against Pakistan in Australia’s game prior to this.
But it was Glenn Maxwell who was the star of the show. Coming in at number six, Maxwell smashed 106 off just 44 balls, registering the fastest ODI hundred in men’s Cricket World Cup history, and the fourth fastest overall in men’s ODIs. He brought up his ton off just 40 deliveries.
It was a day to forget for Bas de Leede who conceded 115 off his 10 overs, the most by any bowler in a single game in the history of the men’s ODI format.
9. Sri Lanka: 398/5 vs Kenya, 1996 World Cup
Before those five 400+ innings in 2007 or later, Sri Lanka had been the long-time record holders at the Cricket World Cup for the biggest team total.
Sri Lanka won all their pool matches in the 1996 tournament before beating England, Australia and India to claim the trophy. The victory at the event they co-hosted along with India and Pakistan remains their only triumph.
Aravinda de Silva top scored with 145 from 115 balls against Kenya, though the biggest hitting came from skipper Arjuna Ranatunga, whose 75 from 40 included five sixes and ensured the innings finished with a flourish.
Sanath Jayasuriya (44), Romesh Kaluwitharana (33) and Asanka Gurusinha (84) had earlier set a big platform.
Kenya tried everything to slow them down, using eight bowlers in the innings, but none of them were able to stop the flow of runs in Kandy.
At the time this score was set, the Sri Lanka innings was also the highest total across all ODI cricket and that was a record that stood for a decade.
=10. England: 397/6 vs Afghanistan, 2019 World Cup
A joyous summer for England saw them win the Cricket World Cup on home soil in 2019. Their best total in that campaign is also the sixth highest in competition history, as they racked up 397 runs against an Afghanistan team who lost all nine of their matches in the group stage.
While England did not quite reach Australia’s record – also set against Afghanistan – they didn’t fall far short.
Three of England’s biggest names, captain Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root were the players who inflicted the most damage.
Bairstow (90) and Root (88) fell just short of centuries but Morgan was able to rapidly make it to three figures and then kick on. By the time he was dismissed in the 47th over, Morgan had racked up 148 runs from only 71 balls.
Despite coming into the match with a back injury, Morgan produced an incredible 17 sixes, the most maximums ever scored in an ODI innings, enthralling the Old Trafford crowd with some elaborate shots mixed in with a constant barrage of huge strikes.
Morgan only arrived at the crease in the 30th over, but his enormous knock helped his side to an emphatic 150-run win and a fantastic total of 397/6, England’s highest in a World Cup match.
“I didn’t think at any stage it was going to be my day,” Morgan said afterwards. “Getting quite old, running around with a bad back, I never thought in my wildest dreams I’d produce an innings like that.”
Moeen Ali only batted for nine balls, but he more than made his mark in that limited chance to shine. He smashed four of those deliveries for six and finished on 31 not out.
=10. India: 397/4 vs New Zealand, 2023 World Cup
Another entry from 2023, and it was hosts India who put up a big first innings total against New Zealand in their semi-final. It was the highest ever total recorded by a team in a knock-out match of the men’s Cricket World Cup game, overtaking New Zealand’s own score of 393/6 vs West Indies in the 2015 quarter-finals.
Virat Kohli was the star of the show as his 117 from 113 balls was not just the highest individual score of the innings, but it also brought the great man his 50th ODI century, becoming the first player ever to reach the landmark and overtaking fellow countryman Sachin Tendulkar’s 49.
The 163-run partnership between Kohli and Shreyas Iyer was the highest partnership ever by an Indian pair in a knockout game of the men’s World Cup, overtaking the 122 stand between Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina against Bangladesh in the 2015 quarter-final.
The innings also included 47 from captain Rohit, while Shubman Gill had put on 79 before retiring hurt. He would later return at the end of the innings to partner KL Rahul (39 not out).
Rohit added four more sixes to his overall total of 51 in World Cups, overtaking Chris Gayle’s 49, while it took him to 28 for the 2023 tournament alone, also overtaking Gayle’s previous record of 26.
Shreyas’ 105 from 70 balls helped India to a mammoth total that put New Zealand up against it in their quest to reach the final.
Highest Innings Total by a Losing Team
As mentioned above, New Zealand‘s 401/6 is the highest innings total by a losing team in Cricket World Cup history. Chasing 402, Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman set about compiling a phenomenal 62-ball hundred to take his side to 200/1 off just 25 overs. When steady rains began to fall, Pakistan were ahead on DLS, 21 runs clear of where they needed to be. And on a wet evening, they would never get back on,
Second on that list, is England in 2019. Just two days before Morgan’s heroics against Afghanistan, England scored 334/9 but that was not enough to beat Pakistan, who recorded an upset victory over the hosts.
Led by Mohammad Hafeez (84 from 62), Pakistan scored 348/8 at Trent Bridge, leaving England a target that would have been a Cricket World Cup record chase for them had they reached it.
And Morgan’s men came close in Nottingham, as Root scored 107 and Jos Buttler added 103. They ultimately lost by 14 runs, but the match proved good preparation for some thrilling contests that would follow, not least when the hosts won the final in a dramatic super over against New Zealand.
However, the highest innings totals by a team that did not win a match is jointly held by England and India in a match they tied.
The two teams played out a thrilling game in Bengaluru during the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
Tendulkar scored 120 as India posted what looked like an unbeatable total of 338.
But a huge innings from Andrew Strauss (158) took England close to the big target. England were eight wickets down by the time they needed 14 runs from the final over to win and could only manage 13, so the spoils were shared in a classic contest.
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