Very high scoring matches are definitely a showcase of batsmen’s power-hitting capabilities. But the World Cup has seen its share of matches with low totals. The lowest team total in World Cup is 36 runs, posted by Canada against Sri Lanka at Paarl in the 2003 Cricket World Cup. This is also the lowest ever total in a One Day International match.
Lowest Totals In Cricket World Cup
Position | Team | Score | Opposition | Venue | Match Date |
1 | Canada | 36 | v Sri Lanka | Paarl | 19 Feb 2003 |
2 | Canada | 45 | v England | Manchester | 13 Jun 1979 |
3 | Namibia | 45 | v Australia | Potchefstroom | 27 Feb 2003 |
4 | Bangladesh | 58 | v West Indies | Dhaka | 4 Mar 2011 |
5 | Scotland | 68 | v West Indies | Leicester | 27 May 1999 |
6 | Kenya | 69 | v New Zealand | Chennai | 20 Feb 2011 |
7 | Pakistan | 74 | v England | Adelaide | 1 Mar 1992 |
8 | Ireland | 77 | v Sri Lanka | St George's | 18 Apr 2007 |
9 | Bangladesh | 78 | v South Africa | Dhaka | 19 Mar 2011 |
10 | Bermuda | 78 | v Sri Lanka | Port of Spain | 15 Mar 2007 |
Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to ball first. Chaminda Vaas opened the bowling with a maiden over. Prabath Nissanka started the bowling from the other end. He got Jm Davison out for a duck. In the fifth over of the innings, Vaas got AF Sattur out. At this point, Canada was at 6 runs at the loss of two wickets.
Five overs later, more than half of the Canadian team was back in the pavilion with Vaas and Nissanka taking three wickets each. In those same five overs, Canada had added only six more runs to their scorecard.
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JV Harris hit Vaas for two back to back boundaries before getting out to Nissanka in the following over. He along with DR Chumney was the highest run-getter for their side with 9 runs each. At this stage, Canada’s score was 22 runs for 7 wickets. The tailenders tried to fend off the danger but weren’t able to hold the ground for too long. Canadian innings ended in the nineteenth over at 36 runs, the lowest team total in World Cup.
The remaining three wickets were shared between Fernando and Muralitharan, the former taking two wickets. Sri Lanka chased the target in less than five overs at the loss of one wicket.
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