5 highest scoring ODI series of all time

Cricket is mostly known to be a batsman’s game and it is more so ever since the inception of limited overs cricket, first the ODIs and most recently T20Is. ODI cricket over the years has been witness to numerous occasions in which teams have scored heavily in a match with scores in excess of 300 and even 400 being chased down.There have also been instances when an entire series has been extremely high scoring with average scores in an innings almost touching or even crossing the 300-run mark at times.Here we focus on 5 of the highest scoring ODI series of all-time:Note: All completed innings are taken into account, even if the match is abandoned. Also, only an ODI series of 3 or more matches are considered.

#5 Sri Lanka in England ODI Series, 2006

Tharanga was the top-scorer in the series

Matches played – 5

Average runs per innings – 286

Result – Sri Lanka won 5-0

Back in the year 2006, Sri Lanka and England were involved in a high scoring series where Sri Lanka whitewashed the hosts 5-0. The series saw an average of 286 runs being scored in each innings with quite a few 300 plus scores.

The final ODI of the series was the one which produced the most runs with Sri Lanka eclipsing England’s total of 321. Apart from this, there were two other occasions during the series on which the Lankans put on more than 300 runs on board.

Upul Tharanga of Sri Lanka was the highest run scorer of the series with 347 runs under his belt from 5 matches.

#4 South Africa in India ODI Series, 2010

The series is best remembered for Sachin’s double hundred

Matches played – 3

Average runs per innings – 314

Result – India won 2-1

This series is mostly remembered for Sachin Tendulkar’s double century, which was the first ever in ODIs. However, it was also one of the most high scoring ones in terms of average runs per innings as it was a staggering 314 in the 6 innings completed by both teams.

The match in which Sachin got his double ton produced the highest match aggregate in the series with 649 runs being scored. India’s 401 in the same ODI was the top score by a team during the series, while the lowest was the 248 that the Proteas got in their chase.

The 350-run barrier was broken twice, both teams doing it one time each, including one score in excess of 400 runs.

AB de Villiers scored 241 runs in 3 matches and ended up being the top scorer in the series.

#3 New Zealand in England ODI Series, 2015

Williamson scored almost 400 runs in a five-match ODI series

Matches played – 5

Average runs per innings – 315.1

Result – England won 3-2

Earlier this year, England and New Zealand played out one of the most high scoring ODI series of all time. The series was an extermely high scoring affair with the average score in each innings being above 315. It was a closely contested series and went down to the wire, with England winning 3-2.

The hosts set the tone for the series by scoring 408 in the first game which turned out to be the highest score in the series. The highest match aggregate for the series was 763 which came during the 2nd ODI at the Oval where New Zealand got 398 for 5 batting first while England ended up with 365 for 9 in a reduced chase of 379.

There were seven scores above 300 in the series, which included three 350 plus scores and one 400 plus score.

New Zealand’s Kane Williamson was the highest scorer of the series with 396 runs in 5 innings.

#2 Sri Lanka in India ODI Series, 2009

Dilshan scored two centuries and averaged over 70 in the ODI series

Matches played – 5*

Average runs per innings – 317.75

Result – India won 3-1

The India-Sri Lanka ODI series in 2009 saw some great performances with the bat as a result of which the average score per innings was 291.66. Although India won the series with relative ease, the batting was good from both the teams.

The series kickstarted with a riveting encounter where 825 runs were scored making it the 2nd highest match aggregate ever in an ODI. The rest of the series saw two matches where the team batting second chased down a 300 plus total.

The highest score by a team was 414 which India got while batting first in the 1st ODI, while the lowest was Sri Lanka’s 239 in the 3rd match.

Sri Lankan batsman Tilakaratne Dilshan got the most runs in the series with a tally of 353.

*The 5-match series saw the final match being declared as no result before Sri Lanka could complete their innings. due to dangerous pitch.

#1 Australia in India ODI Series, 2013

Rohit scored 491 runs at an average of 122.75 and strike rate of 108.62

Matches played – 6*

Average runs per innings – 324.45

Result – India won 3-2

The table-topper in the list of most high scoring ODI series of all time is the one played between India and Australia in 2013, which saw an average of 324.45 runs being scored per innings. What was supposed to be a 7-match series ended up with just 5 completed ODIs, with one being abandoned and another washed out due to rain in the 2nd innings.

The bilateral series witnessed scores in excess of 300 galore, with 9 of them in 11 completed innings for both teams. The highest was India’s 383 in the final ODI at Bangalore, while the lowest was the 232 scored by India in the 1st ODI.

There were as many as 3 matches which had an aggregate of more than 700 runs, the highest being 721 in the 2nd ODI at Jaipur.

With 491 runs which included an ODI double hundred, Rohit Sharma of India was the highest run scorer of the series.

*The 7-match series saw one match being abandoned and another which did not produce a result due to rain during the 2nd innings.