5 Highest ODI Totals in 2018

ODI cricket has entered a phase where scores in the range of 300 and 350 are not anymore the totals that the chasing teams are frightened of or the defending teams are comfortable with.

Batsmen do not wait for the death overs to start slogging anymore and middle overs are no more the containing phase. The fast paced and high scoring ODI games have been the highlight for more than a couple of years now and 2018 was no different, with 38 scores of 300 or more in ODIs.

As we near the end of 2018, we look at the 5 highest ODI totals recorded in the year:

5. Sri Lanka (366/6) vs England

The Sri Lankan Cricket Team has had a forgettable 2018 in ODIs, winning less than 50% of their matches. The home series against England was no different, where the Lions lost the 5 match series 3-1. After the first game was washed out, England won three consecutive matches to clinch the series, but the fifth ODI saw England get a taste of their own medicine as Sri Lanka piled up a massive total of 366.

Taking advantage of a good batting track, for the first time since 1998, all of Sri Lanka's top four notched half centuries. The openers provided Sri Lanka their first century opening stand since July 2017, which was followed by Kusal Mendis scoring his first half century since June 2017 and Chandimal crossing the fifty run mark after 18 innings. Chandimal's 80 was also his highest score since August 2016.

This was also Sri Lanka's highest ever ODI total against England.

After posting the mammoth total, Sri Lanka had the visitors three down inside the first two overs in what turned out to be a rain curtailed affair. The hosts ultimately won the contest by a huge margin of 219 runs by D/L method, inflicting a forgettable loss on the Englishmen.

The innings also displayed the potential of the Lankan batters, who till then performed well below par in the series.

4. Scotland (371/5) vs England

Scotland v England - ODI

In what was expected to be a one sided contest with England dominating the Scots, the biggest upset of 2018 took place in a dramatic manner at Edinburgh.

Losing the toss turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Scotland as they posted the highest ODI total by an associate nation, which was also the fourth highest total conceded by England ever.

Calum MacLeod, who got the better of the top ranked ODI bowler, Rashid Khan, in the World Cup qualifiers and scored a match winning 157, led the batting with an unbeaten 140 off 94 balls which included 16 fours and 3 sixes.

With this, he also became the first Scotsman to score a hundred against England. Each of the Scotsman who came out to bat finished with double figures, including fifties from skipper Kyle Coetzer and George Munsey.

The total of 371 did not seem impossible for England, who have made a habit of chasing such totals over the past couple of years and after Bairstow's 54 ball hundred, which made him the first Englishman to score hundreds in three consecutive matches, the match seemed to tilt in England's favour.

But an inspired performance from Mark Watt and Alasdair Evans sparkled a collapse as England slipped from 220/2 in the 27th over to 276/7 in the 37th over. Some nerves of steel from the Scottish bowlers eventually won them the game by six runs as England got bowled out with seven balls to spare.

3. India (377/5) vs West Indies

Rohit Sharma

Coming off a shocking defeat against the gritty Windies, India needed to win the fourth ODI to stand a chance to win the series and after winning the toss, Virat Kohli opted to bat first and Rohit Sharma did what he does the best - score daddy hundreds.

His 162 was lamented by many as a missed double hundred, since three of his previous six 150 plus scores turned out to be double tons.

However, the biggest positive for India was the hundred by Ambati Rayudu, which to a large extent, settled the debate for the number four slot. The third wicket partnership between Rohit and Rayudu added a massive 211 runs, which had a boundary in every 5.4 balls.

The sublime hitting from Rohit finally came to an end when he edged a delivery from Ashley Nurse, but Rayudu kept on his the momentum to reach his third ODI century.

Quick-fire cameos from MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav ensured India finished on a high, with 116 coming off the last 10 overs. A total of 220 runs came from boundaries in India's innings while Windies bowler Keemo Paul registered the joint worst ODI figures for the Windies against India (1-88).

In the second innings, Khaleel Ahmed's swinging deliveries then proved too much for the Caribbean batsmen as they continued to bat in the way they were doing throughout the series.

Kuldeep Yadav ripped through the remaining batting as both of them finished with 3 wickets each. The visitors lost the game with a massive margin of 225 runs despite a gritty 54 from skipper Jason Holder.

2. Pakistan (399/1) vs Zimbabwe

Fakhar Zaman

In a series where the gap between the two sides grew wider with each passing game, it was the fourth match, where Pakistan scored the second highest total of the year, which was became the highest ever ODI total for them.

After winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Pakistan made a mockery of the Zimbabwe bowlers as Fakhar Zaman scored a merciless 210 off 156 balls.

Fakhar's innings included 24 fours and 5 sixes. He was very well supported by Imam-ul-Haq (113) and later by Asif Ali who hit a 22 ball 50.

Fakhar Zaman's unbeaten 210 eclipsed Saeed Anwar's 194 for the highest individual score in an ODI by a Pakistan batsman.

Zimbabwe seemed in no position to chase down the daunting total despite a little cameo by captain Hamilton Masakadza. Wickets fell in quick succession as Zimbabwe bundled out for a paltry 155, losing the game by 244 runs. Shadab Khan was the wrecker in chief for Pakistan with four scalps to his name.

1. England (481/6) vs Australia

England v Australia

In what turned out to be an incredible year for England, the top ranked ODI side bettered their own record of the highest ODI total, but this time against arch rivals Australia.

Coincidentally, it happened on the same ground where they held the previous record of 444 against Pakistan. In doing so, they also inflicted the heaviest ever defeat in terms of runs on Australia.

England became the first team to score 450 or more in ODI cricket, smashing 41 fours and 21 sixes in the innings. Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales were the major architects of the gigantic total as both of them scoring brisk hundreds.

The foundation laid by them was then perfectly cashed in by skipper Eoin Morgan, who recorded the fastest fifty by an Englishman in ODI cricket.

The innings, as well as the rest of the game, was one way traffic as after the merciless display of batting, it was time for the English bowlers to cash in on the opportunity and push the Aussies more into the hole.

Adil Rashid's four wicket haul ensured Australia not just lost the match, but faced their biggest ever defeat in terms of runs in their history.