5 worst defeats for Australia in ODIs

Australia is the world’s most successful cricketing nation and they carry a league of their own in ODI cricket, having won five World Cups. However, even a nation with the cricketing pedigree of Australia have suffered humiliating losses over the course of its existence as an ODI team.

Much of that has to do with the fact that Australia have played hundreds of ODIs across eras and a team is bound to suffer some embarrassing losses along the way.

Hence, it is not a surprise that Australia have suffered such defeats in ODIs as well but unlike some other teams, it is not a frequent occurrence for the Australians.

That makes it interesting to take a look at some of the rather forgettable defeats that they have suffered over the years; here is a look at 5 of them.

---

#5 13 run loss to Zimbabwe in World Cup group game at Nottingham, 1983

Dave Houghton in action against Australia

The early 1980s were not a good time for Australian cricket as the team was still trying to come to terms with the retirement of key players. Their 1983 World Cup campaign was an eminently forgettable one and in their very first game, they lost to minnows Zimbabwe in embarrassing fashion.

Australia put Zimbabwe in to bat first and had them on the mat at 94 for 5, but their captain Duncan Fletcher (yes, the same) played a brilliant innings to dig them out of trouble. He made an unbeaten 69 and with help from the lower order, dragged Zimbabwe to 239 for 6 in 60 overs.

Australia were still expected to win the game comfortably and they started off well as Graeme Wood and Kepler Wessels put on 61 for the 1st wicket. However, the middle-order fared hopelessly and Australia were soon reduced to 176 for 7 from 114 for 2. Wood was run out for 76 and despite a heroic unbeaten 50 from Rodney Marsh (50 off 42, 3 fours, 2 sixes), Australia fell short by 13 runs. It remains one of the most embarrassing episodes in the nation’s ODI history.

#4 8 wicket loss to India in World Championship of Cricket at Melbourne, 1985

Kapil Dev at the Benson and Hedges World Championship of Cricket

The then world champions India delivered outstanding performances en route to lifting the World Championship of Cricket trophy back in 1985 and one of their most impressive victories was against hosts Australia. Considering the magnitude of the tournament, there must have been big hopes from the hosts but in their vital group game against India, Australia were overwhelmed by a superb bowling effort from the eventual champions.

Having elected to field first, India’s opening duo of Kapil Dev and Madan Lal proved too good for the Australians. Before long, Australia had been reduced to 17 for 4 with the entire top 4 back in the pavilion and only an enterprising 60 from wicketkeeper Wayne Phillips saw them reach 163. A performance of that sort from the hosts in the country’s biggest ground was nothing short of an embarrassing and piled on the misery by knocking off the target in 36.1 overs, having lost only 2 wickets.

#3 5 wicket loss to Bangladesh in NatWest Series at Cardiff, 2005

Mohammad Ashraful celebrates his century as Ricky Ponting looks on grimly.

Unlike the defeats described earlier, this particular defeat came about when Australia had the best ODI team in the world and the fact that they were humbled by Bangladesh, makes it such a remarkable event. Having chosen to bat first, Australia lost Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting with 9 runs on the board and from then on, it was a struggle. Thanks to a 77 from Damien Martyn and 54 from Michael Clarke, they eventually reached 249 in 50 overs.

Anyone would have thought that the score would be enough for a bowling attack comprising of Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz and Glenn McGrath. It looked to be going that way after Bangladesh had been reduced to 51 for 2 in 15.4 overs but then Mohammad Ashraful played memorable innings to turn the tables. He made exactly 100 off 101 balls and hit 11 fours to get Bangladesh back into the game. He got out but the lower middle-order ensured that they ended up the world champions an embarrassing defeat at Cardiff that day.

#2 Their 4 wicket loss to Sri Lanka at Brisbane, 2013

Nuwan Kulasekara

A 4 wicket loss to Sri Lanka might not immediately strike as a particularly embarrassing result for any side in ODI cricket but the devil, as they say, like in the details. It saw the much-fancied Australians getting all out for 74 and at one point they threatened to reach the top 5 as far as lowest ODI scores in history go. They chose to bat first but the accuracy and movement generated by Nuwan Kulasekara completely overwhelmed the Australians as they slumped to 2-13 and eventually to 40 for 9 in 18.3 overs.

It was a shocking batting performance but they eventually crawled to 74, thanks to a partnership between Mitchell Starc and Xavier Doherty. In their response, Sri Lanka also found themselves at 37 for 4 but they were never in any danger of actually losing the game. They lost two more wickets but closed out the game in 20 overs.

#1 206 run loss to New Zealand at Adelaide, 1986

Richard Hadlee

There are levels of embarrassment and humiliation, but the one delivered by New Zealand back in 1986 perhaps ticked all the boxes. It was Australia’s biggest defeat in ODI history in terms of runs and it was handed to them by their regional rivals at home. New Zealand had dominated the hosts in their tour to Australia in 1985-86 and had won the Test series 2-1. The victory at Adelaide perhaps exemplified the gulf between the two sides at the time.

New Zealand chose to bat first and made an imposing 276 in 50 overs, thanks to 60s (61 each) from Bruce Edgar and John Wright. There were contributions throughout from middle-order batsmen as the Kiwis put the Australian bowling to the sword. While many might have been hoping for a spirited Australian response, what they saw was a surrender.

Geoff Marsh went with the score on 0 and Steve Waugh followed soon after with the score on 10. Wickets kept falling as the Kiwi pace attack of Sir Richard Hadlee, Ewen Chatfield and Stu Gillespie dominated the Australians. The hosts were reduced to 20 for 4 and then 47 for 6, before they were put out of their misery in the 27th over to be all out for 70.