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One Day International cricket has developed in recent years and is played at a much higher run rate. Here are the highest scores in the format.
What is the Highest Score in ODI by a Team?
The highest score in ODI cricket by a team is 498/4. This was made by England when they played the Netherlands at Amstelveen in June 2022.
The Dutch battled in reply but made only 266 as England won the game by 232 runs.
Highest Team Scores In ODI
England 498/4 vs Netherlands – 2022
As we now know, the record for the highest team total in ODI cricket is 498/4, made by England against the Netherlands in 2022.
There were three centuries in England’s innings from Phil Salt and Dawid Malan plus one from Jos Buttler who top scored with an unbeaten 162.
England 481/6 vs Australia – 2018
England’s score against the Dutch beat their own record which they had set four years earlier. Australia were the victims this time as Eoin Morgan’s men reached 481/6 at Trent Bridge.
Alex Hales and Jonny Bairstow both made centuries in this match and it was all too much for Australia who lost the game by 232 runs.
England 444/3 vs Pakistan – 2016
Trent Bridge is a fast scoring ground and England had previously set a record total here in 2016. Against Pakistan, the team would compile a winning score of 444 for the loss of just three wickets.
On his home ground, Alex Hales was Player of the Match once again for his 171, which was an individual record for English batters at the time. England would go on to win the game by 169 runs.
Sri Lanka 443/9 vs Netherlands – 2006
The ground at Amstelveen also features strongly in this round up. Against the Netherlands here in 2006, Sri Lanka made 443/9 with Sanath Jayasuriya top scoring with 157.
The Dutch made just 248 in reply to lose by 195 runs.
South Africa 439/2 vs West Indies – 2015
South Africa’s highest team total to date is the 439/2 made against the West Indies at Johannesburg in 2015. The top three batters all made centuries as Hashim Amla top scored with 153.
The Windies made 291/7 in reply to lose by 148 runs.
South Africa 438/9 vs Australia – 2006
This was an incredible game where both teams passed 400. South Africa’s total of 438/9 is the highest to win an ODI batting second and that’s a record that may never be beaten.
Herchelle Gibbs was the hero with 175 as the South Africans chased down Australia’s total with one ball to spare.
South Africa 438/4 vs India – 2015
South Africa made 438/4 in another high scoring game and it set up an emphatic, 214 run win over India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The total featured three centuries and the highest individual score was Faf Du Plessis’ 133.
Australia 434/4 vs South Africa – 2006
Australia’s total of 434/4 was a record at the time but it was broken immediately when South Africa successfully chased it down. This incredible game in Johannesburg saw the Aussies set a stiff target, thanks mainly to Ricky Ponting’s highest ODI score of 164.
South Africa 418/5 vs Zimbabwe – 2006
They’ve been one of the most prolific teams in modern day ODI cricket and here are South Africa again with another team total in excess of 400. In this game against Zimbabwe in Potchefstroom in 2006, Mark Boucher was the top scorer with an undefeated 147 as his team won by 171 runs.
India 418/5 vs West Indies – 2011
India’s highest ODI team total at the time of writing is the 418/5 made against West Indies in Indore in 2011. It was all based around Virender Sehwag’s 219 which was an individual world record at the time.
The Windies replied with 265 and India won by 153 runs.
Conclusion
It’s interesting to note that all of these scores are relatively recent. One Day International cricket has been played since 1971 but not one of these totals was made in the 20th century. That really underlines how the pace of One Day Internationals has changed and I think that the advent of the T20 format is responsible for that.
It also suggests to us that this may be quite a fluid list and there will be more additions in the months that follow. England’s world record score of 498/4 is also the most recent entry and that tells us to expect more high scores in the near future.
As for the individuals who have contributed, it’s interesting to note that there have been some real team efforts. In many of those scorecards, at least two batters from the winning team have scored centuries.
It’s an interesting list for sure but who will be the next team to break into that top ten?
