5 lowest totals in ODIs this decade

While many predicted that the rise of T20 cricket will affect the 50-over format of the game, there are ample instances that tell us one-day cricket has not just survived but thrived in the last decade. The World Cups held the audience spellbound and the bilaterals offered us a plethora of records. But today we will go a notch ahead of all the prolific scoring and sixathons, and put our focus on the bad days in the office. Days when the batters failed to buy a run and their furniture kept making noise. Days when the bowlers called the shots and sides folded in double figures.

There have been numerous occasions where a side got rolled up without much of a fight. Here we take a look at the 5 lowest totals in ODIs this decade.

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#5 Bangladesh (58) vs India, 2014

Stuart Binny produced his career-best bowling figures v Bangladesh in a low-scoring encounter

It was one of those bizarre occasions where a batsman received the fastest fifty award for scoring 27(23). Yes, Suresh Raina took home the honours for being the top-scorer in a game that saw Mushfiqur Rahim’s Bangladesh falter cheaply while chasing a modest total. Taskin Ahmed and co. bowled their heart out and restricted India to 105 on a pitch that did more than just a bit.

Defending the tiny three-figure target, the men in blue found an unlikely hero in Stuart Binny, who bagged figures of 6/4, which is also the best bowling figures in ODIs by an Indian. The all-rounder bowled a nagging line and the poor shot selection by the Tigers did the rest. Interestingly, Binny who hails from Karnataka replaced Anil Kumble's figures of 6/12 v West Indies in Calcutta from the top of the pile.

#4 Bangladesh (58) vs West Indies, 2011

The visitors from the Caribbean called the shots against the home team at Chittagong

Even a typical Hollywood flick runs longer than the runtime of the game we are going to talk about. It was an encounter between hosts Bangladesh and West Indies at the 2011 World Cup. Chittagong was set for a thrilling contest but the hosts imploded in a way that goes beyond words.

Apart from Junaid Siddique, only Mohammad Ashraful made double figures. Opener Tamim Iqbal perished in the very first over without a tick in the scorecard and the side could only manage to put 58 runs on the board.

Sulieman Benn scalped four sticks while Kemar Roach and Darren Sammy shared six wickets between them. The visitors drove home with a clinical nine-wicket victory. However, their ride back to the hotel wasn’t that smooth as the home fans hurled stones at the team bus. Later on, the Bangladesh police officials stated that the fans had mistaken the West Indies bus for the Bangladesh one. Well, safe to say that the hosts were clueless both on and off the field.

#3 Zimbabwe (54) vs Afghanistan, 2017

Afghanistan has been a force to reckon with since their international arrival

Afghanistan, the newbies of international cricket, outplayed Zimbabwe in the decider of the 5-match series in Harare. Rahmat Shah’s gritty 50 and vital 40s from Noor Ali Zadran and Mohammad Nabi powered the visitors to 253/9 in 50 overs. For the hosts, Chris Mpofu picked 3 wickets and his countryman Richard Ngarava produced a good spell that saw him pocket 2 scalps.

Zimbabwe failed to forge stands and never recovered from a disastrous start. From 5/2 they further sunked to 29/5 and were finally wrapped up for 54. Slow left-arm spinner Amir Hamza broke the backbone of the hosts’ batting line-up as the unit sank without any fight. Hamza’s 3-wicket haul and an all-round performance from the Afghan boys resulted in a one-sided win for the visitors. Rahmat was adjudged the player of the match for his 79-ball 50.

#2 Zimbabwe (44) vs Bangladesh, 2009

Zimbabwe's rivalry with Bangladesh has witnessed many highs and lows

The men in red feature in the list yet again and this time against their rivals Bangladesh. On a slowish Chittagong wicket, the likes of Shakib Al Hasan and Nazmul Hossain operated in a sublime fashion. It was a day dedicated to the spinners as a total of 12 wickets across two innings went their way. The Zimbabwe batters failed to spend time at the crease and and the side were losing wickets in a heap. It took Bangladesh just 24.5 overs to rattle the opposition for 44.

However, it wasn’t a cakewalk for the Tigers as they too got trapped in the spin web - losing 4 wickets in the process. Tamim Iqbal top-scored with a watchful 22 and a six over long-on by Raqibul Hasan sealed the fate of the game in Bangladesh’s favour.

#1 Sri Lanka (43) vs South Africa, 2012

Mahela Jayawardene falls short of the crease

The year 2012 didn’t kickstart in the most auspicious way for the Sri Lankan team. Playing the 1st ODI against the Proteas, the men from the island nation were taken for a leather hunt. Hashim Amla hit a stunning hundred while Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers registered their respective fifties. Amla laced eight boundaries before Lasith Malinga got the better of him.

A lot was expected from a line-up that featured names like Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, and Tillakaratne Dilshan. But in reply to the daunting target of 302 set by South Africa, the Lankans found themselves in hot water. They were dismissed for 43 in just over 20 overs. Morne Morkel was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4/10 and Lonwabo Tsotsobe returned with 3 wickets to add to the carnage.