Top Five Highest Run Chases in Cricket World Cup

The ICC Cricket World Cup has witnessed numerous thrilling encounters throughout its history, with many matches featuring big scores that have left fans on the edge of their seats. 

These high-scoring contests have showcased the power and skill of some of the world’s best cricketers. These big score matches are a testament to the incredible talent and entertainment that the ICC World Cup consistently delivers to cricket enthusiasts worldwide.

Scoring more than 300 runs in an ODI has become a normal situation these days but scoring beyond the 350-380 mark gains the attention and becomes a thrilling fixture to watch. Here is a list of the 5 highest run chases in the history of the Cricket World Cup.

Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe – 313/7 (1992)

Sri Lanka chased down 313/7 set by Zimbabwe in the 1992 ODI World Cup match at Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, to win by 3 wickets. It was the first time that a team had successfully chased down a target of 300+ in an ODI World Cup match.

Zimbabwe put up a strong score of 312/4, thanks to strong innings from Andrew Flower (115), Kevin Arnott (52), and Andy Waller (83). However, Sri Lanka got off to a flying start in their chase, with openers Roshan Mahanama and Athula Samarasekera putting on a 128-run partnership in just 15 overs.

In the middle order, it was Arjuna Ranatunga who gave the much-required momentum to the team by scoring 88 off 61 balls and helped Sri Lanka to complete the chase.

Bangladesh vs West Indies – 322/3 (2019)

Bangladesh stunned everyone by chasing down 322/3 set by West Indies in the 2019 ODI World Cup match at Taunton 2019, to win by 7 wickets. West Indies got off to a flying start, with Evin Lewis and Shai Hope putting on a 120-run partnership for the first wicket.

Lewis went on to score 70 off 67 balls, while Hope made 96 off 121 balls. Shimron Hetmyer then smashed a quickfire 50 off 26 balls to help West Indies post a total of 322/3. Bangladesh started their chase cautiously, but they soon accelerated through Liton Das and Shakib Al Hasan.

Das played a brilliant knock of 94* off 69 balls, while Shakib scored an unbeaten 124 off 99 balls. The pair put on an 189-run partnership for the third wicket to take Bangladesh to victory with 8.3 overs to spare.

Bangladesh vs Scotland – 322/4 (2015)

The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup was the 11th edition of the tournament and was hosted by Australia and New Zealand. Bangladesh had a relatively successful campaign in that World Cup, and this particular match against Scotland was one of their matches in the group stage. Batting first, Scotland scored 318 at a loss of 8 wickets.

In reply, Bangladesh completed the chase with the help of Tamim Iqbal (95 off 100), Mahmudullah (62 off 62), Mushfiqur Rehman (60 off 42), and Shakib Al Hasan (52 off 41).

Ireland vs England- 329/7 (2011)

This match, which occurred on March 2, 2011, is often referred to as one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Cricket World Cup. Ireland’s successful chase of 329 runs against a strong England side was remarkable.

Kevin O’Brien (113 off 63) played a spectacular innings, scoring a century, and his performance was a key factor in Ireland’s victory. The fixture went down as the most thrilling World Cup game in the history of ODI World Cup books.

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka – 345/4 (2023)

A recent addition to the list is the 8th ODI which took place between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. With a flying start from Pathun Nissanka (51 off 61), Kusal Mendis (122 off 77), and Sadeera Samarawickrama (108 off 89), Sri Lanka scored a mammoth score of 344 runs.

However, Pakistan Chased the target as their primary batters Abdullah Shafique (113 off 103) & Mohammad Rizwan (131 off 121) helped the team and gave the winning momentum.