Highest ODI totals after losing wicket on the first ball of the match
Highest ODI totals after losing wicket on the first ball of the match
England got to 408 for 9 after losing a wicket on the first ball of the match and went on to win the match by 210 runs against New Zealand at Edgbaston on June 9, 2015. Bharath Seervi lists the highest totals after a wicket fell on the first ball of the match in One-Day Internationals (ODIs).
Jason Roy was out to the first ball of the match bowled by Trent Boult. It was Roy’s second ODI but he was facing his first ball as his debut match against Ireland at Dublin was washed out by rain. Though losing wicket on the very first ball of the match, English batsmen kept the scoreboard ticking. Quick centuries from Joe Root (104 off 78) and Jos Buttler (129 off 77) helped England to get to 400 for the first time in ODIs. READ: England vs New Zealand, 1st ODI: Records galore
England’s 408 for 9 is the highest ODI total after losing a wicket in the first ball of the match. It is also the first time a team scored 400 after their first wicket fall on the first ball of the match. Before this, the smallest first wicket partnership in a total exceeding 400 was of 3 runs between Robin Uthappa and Sourav Ganguly for India against Bermuda in 2007 World Cup. Uthappa was out for three and India went onto put on 413 for 5 in 50 overs — the first time side scored 400 in World Cup cricket. There have been 16 totals in excess of 400 so far, in five of them the opening partnership was for more than 100 runs, in fact 150. England vs New Zealand, 2nd ODI, The Oval, Report
The previous highest ODI total where there was a wicket on the first ball of the match was 360 for 5 for New Zealand against Sri Lanka at Dunedin on January 23, 2015. Martin Guptill was the first-ball victim. Luke Ronchi’s unbeaten 170 off 99 and Grant Elliott’s 104 off 96 took the Kiwis to 360 for 5 in 50 overs. There have been only one more total of over 300 in ODIs after a wicket on the first ball of the match.
Totals of 275+ after a wicket on the first ball of the match (first innings)
| Total | Overs | Team | Against | Venue | Date | Result |
| 408/9 | 50 | England | New Zealand | Edgbaston | 09-Jun-15 | Won by 210 runs |
| 360/5 | 50 | New Zealand | Sri Lanka | Dunedin | 23-Jan-15 | Won by 108 runs |
| 303/6 | 50 | South Africa | Australia | Port Elizabeth | 23-Oct-11 | Won by 80 runs |
| 298/9 | 50 | Zimbabwe | Canada | Nagpur | 28-Feb-11 | Won by 175 runs |
| 292/9 | 50 | West Indies | South Africa | East London | 24-Jan-99 | Won by 43 runs |
| 292/7 | 50 | Pakistan | Zimbabwe | Multan | 30-Sep-04 | Won by 144 runs |
| 288/9 | 50 | Sri Lanka | New Zealand | Hambantota | 10-Nov-13 | No result |
| 288/4 | 50 | Sri Lanka | New Zealand | Bloemfontein | 08-Dec-94 | No result |
| 285/4 | 50 | India | England | Chester-le-Street | 04-Jul-02 | No result |
| 279/8 | 50 | Pakistan | Sri Lanka | Colombo (RPS) | 09-Aug-09 | Won by 132 runs |
| 276/7 | 50 | New Zealand | Australia | Adelaide | 27-Jan-86 | Won by 206 runs |
| 275/8 | 50 | Australia | West Indies | New Wanderers | 26-Sep-09 | Won by 50 runs |
South Africa’s 303 for 6 against Australia at Port Elizabeth is the other occasion when a side scored 300 after losing a wicket off the first ball.
– Every time a side has scored 275 after losing a wicket off the first ball they have either won or the match did not produce a result.
– The highest total after losing a wicket off the first ball that resulted in a defeat was England’s 271 for 9 against Pakistan at Southampton in 2006.
– The lowest total after losing a wicket on first ball that resulted in victory for the team was 125 for India against Pakistan at Sharjah in 1985 by 38 runs.
Footnote Trivia — Batsman dismissed first ball of an ODI most times
The dubious record of getting out on the very first ball of an ODI match most number of times is with Adam Gilchrist — thrice. He was dismissed by Shaun Pollock twice (2002 and 2006) and once by Wasim Akram (2002). The record for the bowler taking a wicket on the first ball of an ODI most number of times is with Chaminda Vaas — five times.
(Bharath Seervi is cricket statistician who is obsessed with digging numbers, facts and records related to the game. An active member of Society of Cricket Statisticians of India, he blogs at www.cricketseervistats.blogspot.com. He can be followed on Twitter at @SeerviBharath and on Facebook here)