The ICC Cricket World Cup has always been a source of thrill and excitement for sports enthusiasts and similar scenes were witnessed by the Indian fans on Thursday when the Men in Blue limited Sri Lanka to a minimal score of 55.
Mohammad Siraj and Mohammad Shami emerged as an indomitable force against Kusal Mendis’s side as the Lankans lost the match by a margin of 302 runs. Hence, without further ado, let’s take a look at the five lowest totals in the history of the ICC Cricket World Cup.
#5 Bangladesh: 58 vs West Indies, 2011
The 2011 ICC World Cup was full of excitement and enthusiasm. From the World Cup anthem to the fans, the fever of the sport was up and running among all the enthusiasts. The tournament got underway with a 175-run innings from Virender Sehwag, who led the Men in Blue to an 87-run victory over Bangladesh.
Apart from the massive defeat, the Tigers also suffered a throbbing loss against the West Indies. Batting first, the Bangladesh batting line-up only managed to set a target of 59 runs for the Caribbean representatives. Zunaed Siddiqui scored 25 runs off 27 deliveries for the Lions, which was their highest individual score in the match.
The West Indies bowling line-up did a great job in restricting Shakib Al Hasan’s side. Kemar Roach took three wickets giving 19 runs while Sulieman Benn took four wickets leaking only 18 runs. Moreover, the final nail in the coffin was hammered by Daren Sammy, who also took three wickets. The Windies chased the total comfortably in 13 overs, as Chris Gayle scored 37 runs off 36 deliveries.
#4 Sri Lanka: 55 vs India, 2023
Mohammed Shami stole the show with his five-wicket haul against Sri Lanka
The 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup is also taking place in the sub-continent which means that the enthusiasm and passion of the fans will be greater than the previous editions. Before Sri Lanka can forget the annihilation on the home ground at the Asia Cup final, India thrashed the Lions and gifted them a few more sleepless nights again.
After winning the toss at Wankhede stadium, Kusal Mendis decided that Sri Lanka would bowl first, unlike the Asia Cup final. Heroic innings from Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer paved the way for Men in Blue’s scoreboard to a mammoth total of 357.
The Lions were expected to give a good fight to the Indian bowlers, however, the pace trio of Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah turned out to be too much for the 1996 Champions.
Siraj gave the Men in Blue a storming headstart by taking 3 wickets in the powerplay. On the other hand, Shami ended all the Sri Lankan hopes for a close contest by taking five wickets in the middle overs by conceding only 18 runs. Shami won his second player of the match crown with his bowling figures reading, 5/18. For the wounded Lions, Kusan Rajitha was the top scorer, who scored 14 runs off 17 balls.
#3 Namibia: 45 vs Australia, 2003
During the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup, Australia won their third crown and added another feather to their illustrious history of cricket.
During a group stage fixture, Ricky Ponting’s Aussies locked horns against Namibia. Ponting won the toss and decided to bat first. Adam Gilchrist lost his wicket early but Matthew Hayden played a brilliant 88-run innings off 73 balls. Apart from Hayden, Andrew Symonds and Darren Lehmann also scored half-centuries to guide the team towards a massive total of 301.
As Namibia came to bat, Glenn McGrath gave the Aussies a breakthrough in the first over. The legendary Australian bowler took seven wickets in the match leaking only 15 runs in 7 overs. The fast bowler was named the player of the match as he recorded the bowling figure by an Australian bowler in the history of the World Cup (7/15).
#2 Canada: 45 vs England, 1979
Chris Old took four wickets against Canada
The Cricket World Cup was introduced in 1975 and the West Indies quickly proved their prowess in the sport. In the second edition of the World Cup, which took place in 1979, Canada’s fixture against England became a part of the history books but for a forgettable reason for the Canadians.
After winning the toss, Canada decided to bat first at the pitch in Manchester. The match was expected to be a close contest but Chris Old (4/8) and Bob Willis (4/11) had other plans.
Franklyn Dennis was the highest scorer on the Canadian side as he scored 21 runs off 99 deliveries, but he got out by hit wicket. Consequently, after 40 overs of fighting (out of which 18 were maiden) Canada got all-out on 45. The Poms completed the chase in 13 overs losing two wickets. Graham Gooch scored 21 runs off 31 deliveries in the match for England.
#1 Canada: 35 vs Sri Lanka, 2003
Canada holds the infamous record of accumulating the lowest total in the history of the tournament. After an early exit from the 1999 ICC World Cup, the Lions made a comeback in the tournament by topping Pool B. Out of the four wins they recorded, one was against Canada, who finished their campaign in the sixth spot with one win, just above Bangladesh.
Taking a look at the match, Sri Lanka won the toss and they decided to field first. Prabath Nissanka took John Davison’s wicket in his first over as Kumar Sangakkara took the catch behind the stumps. However, it was only the start of the rampage that was going to prevail at Boland Park, Paarl.
Following the performance of Chaminda Vaas in 2003, he was expected to be the most lethal bowler of the match. However, Nissanka stunned the Canadian batting line-up by taking four wickets in seven overs and conceding only 12 runs. Vaas also picked up three wickets in seven overs leaking only 15 runs and with the valiant bowling effort, Sri Lanka ended Canada’s inning at 35.
Joe Harris was the highest scorer for Canada as he scored nine runs off 13 deliveries. The Lions easily completed the chase in just the fourth over as Marvan Atapattu scored 24 runs off 14 deliveries. Recording his best bowling figure of 4/12 in his ODI career, Nissanka was named the player of the match.