Run Chases are one of the best part about the game of cricket and especially teams batting second chase down big scores and win the match. Seeing so many runs being hit by both teams. The bowlers are put to the test in such matches, but it is where the bowlers who perform well get noticed the most.
There have been some legendary run chases in one day International cricket so it will be very interesting to see which are the top 5 Highest Run chases in one day Internationals and where the batters showed extraordinary skill, determination.
1. South Africa vs Australia (438 Runs):
This match is considered one of the Greatest One Day International matches of all time. It was a match that saw history being made left, right and center. Australia batted first and with the help of the Incredible Ricky Ponting who made 164 runs and with the help of the other batters , Australia reached a massive score of 434 runs in their 50 overs and then and there the match seemed over . That day South Africa in their home ground of Johannesburg wanted to create history of a kind which was unheard of before, Herschelle Gibbs that day played the innings of his life and he made an incredible 175 runs and with Mark Boucher St the end sealed the winning runs for South Africa in the 2nd last ball of the match and thus made history which till now has not been duplicated even after so many advancements in the game , it shows how extraordinary of an achievement that South Africa team made that day.
2. South Africa vs Australia (372 Runs):
It looks like South Africa and Australia have a habit of producing top quality and high scoring matches and South Africa chasing huge totals in those matches. This match took place in 2016 at Durban. While batting first Australia made a formidable score of 371 runs on the board with David Warner leading the way with a fantastic hundred and South Africa had a lot to do to win this match and they were in a spot of bother, but David Miller came to the party that day and hit a splendid 118 to guide South Africa home.
3. West Indies vs England (364 Runs):
This match took place in 2019 in Birmingham and it was English white ball cricket at it’s peak. West Indies batted first and the Universe Boss Chris Gayle scored a blistering century and smacked 12 huge Sixes in the innings and helped West Indies reach a great score of 360 runs in 50 overs but for this England team it wasn’t that big and Jason Roy hit a brutal century and then Joe Root hit a sublime hundred to guide England home with 8 balls to spare.
4. India vs Australia (362 runs):
This is a match that is very memorable to Indian cricket fans as both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were reaching their peaks as batters. Batting first Australia batted very well and made a very strong score of 360 runs in 50 overs. As the 2nd innings progressed this total proved small as at the start Rohit Sharma dominated the attack and hit an amazing hundred and then Virat Kohli came to the crease and started smacking the ball and he hit the fastest century in one day Internationals by an Indian in just 52 balls and India chased the total with 39 balls to spare.
5. England vs Pakistan (359 Runs):
This match proved the dominance the England white ball team was under as they were smashing opponents everywhere and chasing totals for fun. In this match Pakistan batted first and Imam Ul Haq hit an outstanding 151 runs and he helped the Pakistan team reach a very respectable 358 runs , but as usual England came out all guns blazing and this time it was Jonny Bairstow who hit 128 runs and ably supported by the other batters as they chased down this big score with 31 balls remaining in the innings.
