ODI cricket, the second-oldest format, has had an interesting history. The ICC has been experimenting with white-ball cricket, and players and methods have changed. Many experts thought ODI cricket was fading at the start of the century. T20 cricket revitalized ODI cricket. Scores soared as the game accelerated.
Not long ago, a 250-run target was good enough. However, a T20-inspired aggressive approach, improved technology, and bigger bats have enabled teams to score more runs, even 300. Let’s look at the top ODI match aggregates, most of which have occurred in the recent two decades:
| Team | Score | Date | Venue |
| Australia (434–4) v South Africa (438–9) | 872–13 (99.5 overs) | 12 March 2006 | Johannesburg |
| India (414–7) v Sri Lanka (411–8) | 825–15 (100 overs) | 15 December 2009 | Rajko |
| England (418–6) v West Indies (389) | 807–16 (98.0 overs) | 27 February 2019 | St George’s |
| New Zealand (398–5) v England (365–9) | 763–14 (96.0 overs) | 12 June 2015 | The Oval |
South Africa vs. Australia, 872 runs (2006)
With a total of 872 runs, the ODI between South Africa and Australia in Johannesburg in 2006 is the highest aggregated ODI match ever. That’s the best aggregate match in the annals of List A, too. Australia batted first in the deciding match of the series and scored 434/4, which was a record at the time for One-Day Internationals. Ricky Ponting, their captain, scored 164 runs off 105 deliveries, including as many as 22 fours.
Captain Graeme Smith scored 90 off of 55 balls, while Herschelle Gibbs made 175 off of 111, leading South Africa to 279 for 2 in 30 overs. With regularity, Proteas wickets fell, and it took Mark Boucher’s unbeaten fifty to get them across the finish line with one delivery and one wicket remaining. The 435 runs that South Africa needed to win remain the highest ever scored in an ODI and the second highest ever scored in international cricket.
India vs. Sri Lanka, 825 runs (2009)
Virender Sehwag’s 146 off 102 balls propelled India to a massive 414-7 in the first ODI in a five-game series between India and Sri Lanka in 2009. By the end of the 35th over, India had reached 308/1 and appeared poised for an even larger score. After batting back, Sri Lanka were already ahead of the required rate because of Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 160 from 124 balls.
With six wickets remaining, Sri Lanka just required 72 runs from the final ten overs thanks to Kumar Sangakkara’s explosive knock of 90 off of 43 balls against the spinners. After losing a wicket and scoring 40 runs in the next five overs, they went four overs without a boundary. Sri Lanka needed 11 runs in the final over but could only manage one, ultimately losing by three. There were 825 runs scored while 15 wickets fell during the match.
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West Indies vs England, 807 runs (2019)
The last match with 800+ runs. West Indies and England participated in Georgetown’s first quarter 2019 match. Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler added 204 for the fourth wicket in 20.2 overs after Buttler hit 150 off 77 balls with 25 boundaries (103 off 88). They helped England score 418 for six wickets.
Chris Gayle’s 97-ball 162 included 14 maximums and 11 fours. He was dismissed at 294/5 in the 35th over after reducing the necessary total to 125 runs. Carlos Brathwaite struck 50 off 36 balls as West Indies were 30 runs away from a win in 17 balls with four wickets in hand. England won by 29 runs when Adil Rashid’s 48th over bowled the West Indies out for 389 in five balls.
India vs. England, 747 runs (2017)
India’s 381 in 50 overs came after a brilliant MS Dhoni-Yuvraj Singh partnership helped the squad overcome early concerns. Each batsman scored a century as they accumulated 256 runs for the fourth wicket.
The duo complemented each other throughout the game, establishing a good foundation for the team. Dhoni scored 134, while Yuvraj reached 150.
In response, Eoin Morgan scored 102 from 81 balls. That and Moeen Ali’s late heroics nearly gave England an improbable win. In a game with 747 runs, England fell 15 runs short.
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