5 Lowest ODI team totals
The One Day format of International Cricket can safely be assumed to be an intriguing affair that relies on skills and techniques generally associated with its predecessor (Tests) and successor (T20is). While ODI cricket demands keen observation, understanding, and spot on strategizing just like Test cricket, it also requires a fair amount of slogging and power hitting in the crunch overs just like T20s.
Over 4000 ODIs have been played since the first official ODI was contested between Australia and England on 5th January 1971.
While the format has given the fans countless memories, nail-biting finishes and the chance to witness rivals challenging each other in a series of competitive matches, there have been certain moments that have left a lasting impression on a fan's mind.
It is therefore not too difficult to believe that there have also been certain one-sided matches over the course of ODI history.
While one-sided encounters is a term used in a broader sense, we can try to narrow it down so that we only talk about matches contested between 2 heavily mismatched sides on a given day.
Let us take a look at a few instances where one side was completely outplayed by their counterparts.
#5 West Indies vs Pakistan (25 February 1993)
Pakistan: 43 all out
This match was contested as part of the Total International Series in South Africa in 1993. The tri-nation tournament was played between the home side South Africa, West Indies and Pakistan.
The ninth match of the tournament served as an absolute shocker for the fans as well as for the experts neither of whom could have fathomed the result of the match.
The result of the penultimate match of the tournament did not have any impact on the team's standing on the points table meaning that both these teams had already made it to the final of the tournament.
That does not take anything away from the WI bowling masterclass that dented and obliterated the Pakistani batting. West Indies won the toss and elected to field first on a grassy wicket at Cape Town.
The Pakistan team found themselves in a pickle after their opening batsman Rameez Raja was dismissed on the very first ball of the innings from Patrick Patterson. Young Saeed Anwar then walked out to the middle to support Ghulam Ali. The duo could only add 10 more runs to the total as Anwar had to walk back to the pavilion after poking at a Walsh delivery that bounced a little more than expected. The experienced Salim Malik looked particularly distraught after his dismissal left the team tottering at 14/4.
Pakistan's hope of recovering was all but over when 5 of their batsman had registered ducks in succession. 26/9 is not the sort of situation you want to be in as a batting side.
The last wicket partnership of 17 runs between Zahid Fazal and Aaqib Javed offered little to no respite to the Pakistanis. Zahid Fazal was the top scorer with 21.
For West Indies, Courtney Walsh was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4/16.
West Indies cruised home to victory inside of 13 overs with 7 wickets in hand. They had dominated Pakistan in the previous 2 encounters of the tournament and this victory coupled with their crowning glory just made the difference between the 2 sides conspicuous.