Top 10 Lowest Match Aggregate in Cricket World Cup History

Seventy-three runs, that’s not one team’s total, that’s both teams combined. When Sri Lanka bowled Canada out for 36 in 2003 and knocked off the target in under five overs, the two innings together produced fewer runs than a single good T20 over stretch does today. These are the ten matches where the World Cup slowed to its quietest.

Lowest Match Aggregate in Cricket World Cup History

1) Sri Lanka vs Canada — 73 Runs

Boland Park, Paarl — February 19, 2003

The lowest match aggregate in World Cup history, and it isn’t close. Prabath Nissanka and Chaminda Vaas reduced Canada to 12/6 inside ten overs, and the innings folded for 36 with not a single batter reaching double figures. Sri Lanka needed just 4.4 overs to knock off the target, sealing a nine-wicket win in barely half an hour of chasing.

2) England vs Canada — 91 Runs

Old Trafford, Manchester — June 13, 1979

Canada’s World Cup debut ended in a 40.3-over collapse to 45, with Bob Willis and Chris Old sharing four wickets. England needed just 13.2 overs to complete the chase, closing out the match well inside the session.

3) West Indies vs Bangladesh — 117 Runs

Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur — March 4, 2011

Bangladesh’s co-host campaign hit its lowest point in front of a home crowd, bowled out for 58 in 18.5 overs as Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, and Sulieman Benn shared the wickets. West Indies chased the total down for the loss of one wicket, wrapping up the match in a fraction of their overs.

4) West Indies vs Scotland — 138 Runs

Grace Road, Leicester — May 27, 1999

Courtney Walsh took three wickets in seven overs as Scotland were bowled out for 68 in 31.3 overs. West Indies completed the chase for the loss of two wickets in just over ten overs, one of the most one-sided contests of the 1999 tournament.

5) New Zealand vs Kenya — 141 Runs

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai — February 20, 2011

Kenya were cruising at 40/1 before Hamish Bennett triggered a collapse that cost them their last nine wickets for just 29 runs, folding for 69. New Zealand’s openers finished the match without losing a wicket, completing the chase in a formality.

6) Sri Lanka vs Ireland — 158 Runs

National Cricket Stadium, St George’s — April 18, 2007

Ireland’s Super Eights campaign ended with a collapse to 77, as Muttiah Muralitharan and Farveez Maharoof shared eight wickets between them. Sri Lanka needed just 10 overs to chase down the target, finishing on 81/2 for an eight-wicket win.

7) India vs UAE — 206 Runs

WACA, Perth — February 28, 2015

Ravichandran Ashwin took 4/25 as UAE were bowled out for 102 in 31.3 overs — at the time the lowest total posted against India in World Cup history. India cruised to the target in 18.5 overs, with Rohit Sharma’s unbeaten 57 sealing a nine-wicket win with 187 balls to spare.

8) Pakistan vs West Indies — 225 Runs

Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur — March 23, 2011

In the quarter-final, West Indies were bowled out for 112 in 43.3 overs after a top-order collapse. Pakistan chased the target down without losing a single wicket, finishing on 113/0 in 20.5 overs — one of the most dominant knockout-stage performances in the tournament’s history.

9) New Zealand vs England — 248 Runs

Westpac Stadium, Wellington — February 20, 2015

Tim Southee took 7/33 as England collapsed to 123 in 33.2 overs. New Zealand chased it down in stunning fashion, with Brendon McCullum smashing a 18-ball fifty — a World Cup record — on his way to 77 off 25 balls as New Zealand closed out an eight-wicket win in just 12.2 overs.

10) South Africa vs Sri Lanka — 267 Runs

Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney — March 18, 2015

In the tournament’s first quarter-final, JP Duminy took a hat-trick and Imran Tahir finished with 4/26 as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 133. South Africa chased the target down in just 18 overs, Quinton de Kock’s unbeaten 78 sealing a nine-wicket win and the fastest successful chase in a World Cup knockout match.