World Cup 2023: Lowest Score Defended in ODI World Cup History

Cricket is a game of fine margins; a catch here and a run out there could well decide the fate of the match. There are times when teams have won and lost the match by 1 run. Innumerable times matches have gone on to be drawn.

This is why players give it their all until the very last ball is bowled and the game rewards the team which doesn’t give up. Teams fighting till the very end has given us a lot of closely fought games in the ODI World Cup history. While it is indeed easier to defend the target when batters have posted huge totals on the board, there are times when bowlers and fielders have combined to defend totals which are considered easily chaseable these days.

The lowest total defended in the ODI World Cup history is 134. The Zimbabwe side of 1992 defended this small total against a strong England side and wrote their names in history books. After they made a paltry 134 in the first innings, bowler Eddo Brades thumped England batters with 4 wickets in the second inning with Ali Shah and Iain Butchart taking two wickets each. Despite a small total Zimbabwe shocked England and got them out at just 125 runs, winning the match by 9 runs.

Second on the list is England who defended a total of 165/9 in the 1979 World Cup. After making just 165 runs in the first inning they went on to all out Pakistan at just 151 winning the match by 14 runs. Mike Hendrick with 4 wickets was the star bowler from the England side. Flanked by Ian Botham and Geoff Boycott’s 2 wickets each, England did the unthinkable and earned a great win.

Matches like these are some of the most exciting given the small margins that they fight for. As the ODI World Cup 2023 inches closer, fans would be hoping to witness matches like these that go on to become part of the folklore. 

Lowest Score Defended in ODI World Cup

*Last Updated on 19th Nov, 2023