Image Credit: twitter.com/@Indiancricket55
There aren’t many one-day internationals that have low-scoring matches where the side bowling first successfully defends low totals, shocking the audience. The skills demonstrated by these bowlers will wow true cricket fans as they get the chance to see why they are so good in these games. There have been a few sporadic instances where teams have defended low scores in a match, therefore it will be interesting to examine the top 5 Lowest Totals Defended in One Day Internationals.
- Pakistan vs. India (Defended 125 Runs)
Neither of the two sides in this contest performed their best batting. In this match at the legendary Sharjah Cricket Ground, only Mohammad Azharuddin and Kapil Dev batted efficiently for India while they were batting first. Their achievements enabled India to surpass the 100 mark. Pakistan had a simple target to reach, but Indian bowlers, coached by Kapil Dev, bowled superbly that day to remove Pakistan for just 87 runs, giving India an incredible 38-run victory in such a low-scoring affair.
Advertisement
- England vs. West Indies (Defended 127 Runs):
Surprisingly, this match had a fairly low scoring total and the two top teams from the first half of the 1980s. The West Indies team could only generate 127 runs, and Everton Mattis scored 62 of them while batting first. Even with the well-known West Indies onslaught, the England squad appeared to be able to chase this down, but Colin Croft delivered a magnificent spell, taking 6 wickets and rocking England, who barely lost the game by 2 runs.
Advertisement
- South Africa vs. England (Defended 129 Runs):
On the day of this game between these two premier teams in 1996, the batters from both teams were not happy. After South Africa batted first, England should have easily won the match, but as the saying goes, “cricket is a strange game,” and on that particular day, the English hitters were unable to bat well and frequently lost wickets. South Africa won by a margin of 14 runs, and all of its bowlers recorded wickets.
- Zimbabwe vs. Afghanistan (Defended 129 Runs):
These two teams participated in this matchup in 2017 among the weaker teams. When Zimbabwe scored 129 runs in their 50 overs when batting first, the Afghan team must have thought they had won. However, they batted even worse than their opponents and lost by three runs. The audience expects high scores, hence it is not ideal for these games to be played regularly.
- Zimbabwe vs. Afghanistan (Defended 131 Runs):
One additional game between these two lower-ranked teams was played, and it took place in Sharjah. Never speak, though, until both sides have batted, as the saying goes. Zimbabwe performed one of their worst batting performances ever, getting pounded out for 82, and losing this match by a staggering 49 runs to prove this to be the fact. Afghanistan batted first, but they had a very poor performance at home, only managing to put 131 runs on the board. They should refine their hitting techniques since such low-scoring games, especially those against underachieving clubs, are detrimental to everyone.
Advertisement
