5 Highest team totals in ODIs

With the change in regulations, increase in the size of the bats and grounds getting increasingly smaller, it seems as though it is only a matter of time before records that have existed for a very long time are broken. While bowlers may not be getting much help, the batsmen certainly seem to be enjoying it in both ODIs and T20Is.

To give you an idea of just how much the cards are stacked in the batsmen, let us take a look at the number of 400+ totals that have been scored. Until 2006, such a total had never been achieved. Since then it has been done 18 times.

Of the 18 occasions, seven have come since last January and it seems as though the totals will only get bigger and bigger. While it might not be too long to see the first 450 run total in ODIs, let us take a look at the highest team totals in ODIs.

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5) South Africa 438/4 vs India at Mumbai on 25th October 2015

In fifth place are South Africa who hold the record for the highest successful run chase in ODI history and just last year managed to breach the 400-barrier four times. The last of those four occasions came against India in October with the series on the line at 2-2 in the fifth and final ODI.

They got to 438/4 thanks to largely to centuries from not one, not two but three players. That feat has been achieved just twice in the history of ODIs. The first of those centurions was opener Quinton de Kock, who got to his century off 78 balls. Once he was dismissed along came a certain AB de Villiers at No.4 in the 27^th over the with the score at nearly 200 for the loss of just two wickets.

From then onwards it was the AB de Villiers show. Although Faf was batting for more than 20 overs by the time AB walked in, the South African nearly beat Faf to a century. Although du Plessis got there first, it was AB who was faster as he got his in 61 balls and eventually helped the Proteas post a huge total on the board and register their biggest win in India and clinch the ODI series.

4) South Africa 438/9 vs Australia at Johannesburg on 12th March 2006

Until 2006, no team had ever managed to score 400 in an ODI. So When Australia won the toss and elected to bat in the final ODI against South Africa at the Wanderers and became the first team to post a total in excess of 400 thanks to a century from Ricky Ponting and fifties from the three of the top four, they could have been forgiven for thinking that the series was done and dusted.

After all, no team had scored even 350 in the second innings. But what happened next will go down as probably the greatest game in the history of ODIs as South Africa pulled off the impossible by chasing down Australia’s target of 435 with a ball to spare.

They got there despite losing the first wicket in the second over and with four of the top seven not even crossing 20. However, Herschelle Gibbs’ 175 and a brilliant 90 from captain Graeme Smith set the platform for Mark Boucher to score a fifty and win the game with a ball to spare. By the time, the Proteas eventually got home, not only did they have the world record for the highest successful run chase in ODIs but also ensured Australia’s Mick Lewis finished the game with the most runs conceded in an ODI, a record that stands to this day.

3) South Africa 439/2 vs West Indies at Johannesburg on 18^th January 2015

For the second time on this list, Johannesburg makes an entry and it is surprise, surprise, South Africa, who make it in for the third time. And this was the game that started their ridiculously impressive 2015 which they finished with four totals in excess of 400 in ODIs.

When West Indies won the toss and elected to bat first at the Wanderers, even they couldn’t have foreseen what was going to happen next. Hashim Amla and Rilee Rossouw came out to open the innings for South Africa and went on to both score centuries and put on 247 for the opening wicket.

But that wasn’t even the best part of the game as AB de Villiers walked in at No.3 with 69 balls to go and score the fastest fifty and fastest century in the history of ODIs and eventually finished his scarcely believable assault on 149 from a mere 44 balls and helped South Africa finish on 439/2, which still remains their highest score in the history of One Day Internationals and the first and only time that the top three have all scored a century in an ODI.

2) Sri Lanka 443/9 vs Netherlands at Amstelveen on 4^th July 2006

For a decade, Sri Lanka held the record for the highest score in the history ODIs. Almost under the radar, just a few months after 400 was breached for the first time in ODIs, Sri Lanka got past the total again and their 443/9 against Netherlands in the first ODI became the new record.

After winning the toss, Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene had no hesitation in batting first. And what a decision that turned out to be, as Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillakaratne Dilshan both scored centuries. Despite the top four all getting starts, only Jayasuriya was able to kick on and get a big score.

In the end, his 157 and Dilshan’s unbeaten 117 helped Sri Lanka finish on 443 and secure the record for the highest ODI total which stood for more than a decade. Unsurprisingly, they won the game comfortably and it remains to be seen if this score remains near the top in the coming years.

1) England 444/3 vs Pakistan at Nottingham on 30th August 2016

Taking first place but only just is England's incredible innings in the third ODI against Pakistan in Nottingham. Thanks to a century from Alex Hales, which was also his highest List-A and ODI score and the best by an Englishman in ODIs, 85 from Joe Root, 90 from Jos Buttler and a fifty from captain Eoin Morgan, the hosts broke the decade old record.

After losing Jason Roy early it didn’t look as though England were set for a massive score but that was before Hales and Root came together and decide to make hay on a flat Trent Bridge track that was only going to get difficult for batting towards the end of the game. The pair put on 248 for the second wicket before Hales got out and Root soon followed as he was dismissed 15 shy of his century.

Jos Buttler and Eoin Morgan then took it upon themselves to entertain the packed Nottingham as they sent the ball to corners of the ground. Buttler was especially brutal as he smashed seven fours and seven sixes on his way to an unbeaten 90. Having reached 400 in the 47^th over, it looked as though 450 was easily on the cards but some good bowling towards the end meant they had to settle for 444 but that meant they took the record for the highest team total in ODIs as well.