Top 5 lowest totals by England in Men's ODI World Cup history
England's 2023 World Cup continued to go downhill, with the side putting on a shambolic batting display in a crucial encounter against Sri Lanka at Bengaluru on Thursday.
Winning the toss and batting first on the usually placid Chinnaswamy wicket, the defending champions were off to a rollicking start at 45/0 in the seventh over. However, a procession of embarrassing proportions followed as the much-vaunted English batting lineup fell like a pack of cards.
The shocking collapse saw England lose all their wickets for a mere 111 runs to be bowled out for 156 in just the 34th over. With a defeat all but almost eliminating the side from the tournament, England's World Cup defense is teetering on a knife edge following losses in three of their first four games.
Yet, the hosts of the first three World Cups haven't been shy of such batting collapses in the tournament history, resulting in paltry totals.
On a potentially dark day for English cricket, let us relive some of their lowest moments by looking back at the five lowest scores by the side in ODI World Cups.
#5 152 vs South Africa, 1996
Following their disappointment in the final of the 1992 World Cup, England were searching for their elusive title in the 1996 edition in India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.
After sliding to an 11-run defeat in the opening game against New Zealand, the side bounced back to defeat UAE and the Netherlands in their next two outings. Riding on the confidence from consecutive wins, England bowled tournament favorites South Africa for a mediocre 230 in Rawalpindi.
With a hattrick of wins on a platter, the frustratingly inconsistent English batting reared its ugly head at the worst possible moment. The side, skippered by Michael Atherton, slipped to a dismal 62/5 before eventually being bowled out for 152 in the 45th over to lose by 78 runs.
The total remains their fifth-lowest score in an ODI World Cup, as England eventually bowed out in the quarter-final to Sri Lanka by five wickets.
#4 125 vs Zimbabwe, 1992
Although the 1992 edition remains one of England's most memorable World Cups, with the side qualifying for the summit clash, it also had one of their worst moments.
Finishing as runner-up in 1987, England were on a mission that year, winning their first five games. The side finally suffered their first hiccup against New Zealand before the shocking Zimbabwe encounter.
The match felt business as usual when England bowled Zimbabwe out for a lowly 134 in the 47th over. However, the batters succumbed to the relentless bowling and fielding of the African nation to be bowled out for 125 and suffering a humiliating nine-run defeat.
Despite boasting some of the country's best-ever cricketers like Graham Gooch, Ian Botham, Allan Lamb, Graeme Hick, and Alec Stewart, the side flattered to deceive with the bat.
Fortunately for England, the defeat did not cost them, as they qualified for the semi-final, where they defeated the Proteas by 19 runs in one of the most controversial finishes in World Cup history.
However, they could not overcome an inspired Pakistan side led by Imran Khan and went down 22 runs in the grand finale.
#3 123 vs New Zealand, 2015
One of the crossroad moments of English cricket came in the match against New Zealand in the 2015 World Cup. Coming off dismal World Cup campaigns with not even a semi-final to show for in the previous five editions, England began the 2015 World Cup with a 111-run thumping to arch-rivals Australia.
Already in a psychological mess, things went from bad to worse in their next game against New Zealand, where a sorry batting performance saw them get bowled out for 123 with 100 balls remaining. Tim Southee was the wrecker-in-chief with figures of 7/33 in nine overs.
It felt like the final death knell for the side as the disjointed and outdated batting approach lacked clarity and direction.
In a further embarrassment, a shell-shocked English side also put on a no-show with the ball, with the Blackcaps chasing the target in a mere 12.2 overs. England never recovered from the defeat as they were embarrassingly knocked out of the top eight by Bangladesh in their penultimate game against Bangladesh.
While the tournament was England's lowest point in their proud history, it led to a complete overhaul in approach, team construct, and leadership style, resulting in the side winning their first World Cup four years later at home.
#2 103 vs South Africa, 1999
England's trend of at least one miserable batting showing continued in the 1999 World Cup at home.
Following a disappointing quarter-final exit in the 1996 edition, the hosts started the 1999 campaign in fine form, winning their opening two games against Sri Lanka and Kenya.
However, things started going downhill from then, with the South Africa clash at the Oval. Following a disciplined bowling performance by the pacers, England were required to chase only 226 for a hattrick of wins.
Yet, they got off to a nightmarish start at 6/2 in three overs and suffered a massive collapse to fold for a dismal 103 in 41 overs. The 122-run defeat was sparked by a spectacular bowling performance by Allan Donald, who picked up 4/17 in eight furious overs.
The net-run rate hit from the game proved detrimental as England lost their final group stage outing to India to miss qualification to the Super Sixes and bow out of the home World Cup.
#1 93 vs Australia, 1975
England's lowest and only double-digit score in ODI World Cups came in the inaugural edition at home in 1975.
The side marched to the semi-final with dominating wins against India, New Zealand, and South Africa. However, on the big day against Australia, England suffered a shocker with the bat in front of a hopeful home crowd at Leeds.
The tournament's second-leading scorer, Dennis Amiss, being dismissed for only two set the cat amongst the pigeons as England's top five scored in single figures. At 37/7, the side were staring down a sub-50 total before skipper Mike Denness' 27 helped them reach 93 in 36.2 overs.
On a tricky wicket, the Aussies also struggled to get going with the bat before eventually chasing the total down in the 29th over with four wickets remaining.