Lowest Score in ODI: 35 Runs & Complete Record

The lowest score in ODI cricket is 35 runs. This record is jointly held by Zimbabwe and the United States of America. Zimbabwe were bowled out for 35 against Sri Lanka in Harare in April 2004, while the USA also scored 35 against Nepal in Kirtipur in February 2020. The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians lists both innings at the top of its current ODI lowest-innings record list.

The record has a long history. Before Zimbabwe made 35, several other teams had held the mark for the lowest score in ODI cricket. Canada scored 36 against Sri Lanka at the 2003 World Cup, while Zimbabwe had earlier been dismissed for 38 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2001.

This article explains the lowest score in ODI history, the teams involved, the biggest collapses, country-wise records and some of the most common questions around ODI batting records.

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What Is the Lowest Score in ODI Cricket?

The lowest score in ODI history is 35 runs.

Two teams have reached this unwanted record:

Both teams were bowled out for 35. Zimbabwe took 18 overs to reach their total in 2004, while the USA lasted only 12 overs against Nepal in 2020. The ICC confirmed in 2020 that the USA’s 35 was a joint-lowest ODI innings total.

So, when someone asks, “What’s the lowest ODI score ever?”, the answer is 35 runs in men’s ODI cricket.

Top 10 Lowest Scores in ODI History

The following table uses the current historical record list from the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. It includes officially recorded ODI innings and shows that several of the lowest totals were produced by teams from different eras.

The list shows how rare an ODI total below 50 is. It also shows that low totals are not limited to one particular decade. Recent records remain on the list, including the UAE’s 49 against the USA in 2025/26.

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Zimbabwe’s 35 Against Sri Lanka

Zimbabwe’s 35 against Sri Lanka remains one of the most famous entries in the history of the lowest score in ODI.

The match was played at Harare Sports Club in April 2004. Zimbabwe struggled throughout their innings and were dismissed for just 35. This became the lowest ODI team total at the time.

Zimbabwe’s collapse was especially notable because the team had very little opportunity to build a partnership. Once Sri Lanka’s bowlers found their rhythm, wickets kept falling and Zimbabwe could not recover.

The record stood as one of the most remarkable low scores in international cricket for many years. Even though later ODI matches produced other extremely low totals, Zimbabwe’s 35 remains tied for the overall record. The current ACS record list still places the innings at No. 1.

Why Zimbabwe’s 35 Is Important

Zimbabwe’s innings matters for three main reasons:

• It is tied for the lowest men’s ODI team total.
• It was the first innings to establish the 35-run mark.
• It came against Sri Lanka, a team that has been involved in several of the lowest ODI totals.

Sri Lanka’s involvement is striking. Zimbabwe’s 35 in 2004, Zimbabwe’s 38 in 2001 and Canada’s 36 in 2003 all came against Sri Lanka.

USA’s 35 Against Nepal

The second team to reach 35 was the United States of America.

The USA faced Nepal at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on February 12, 2020. The American side was dismissed for only 35 runs in 12 overs.

The ICC reported that Nepal’s bowlers removed the USA’s final nine wickets for only eight runs. Leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane took six wickets, while Sushan Bhari also played a major part in the collapse. Xavier Marshall top-scored for the USA with 16, and he was the only USA batter to reach double figures.

Nepal then chased the target in only 5.2 overs and won by eight wickets. The result made the USA’s 35 the joint-lowest ODI innings total alongside Zimbabwe’s 35.

USA 35: Match Details

The USA innings is particularly unusual because the team was bowled out in only 72 legal deliveries. The ICC noted that Nepal’s 12-over bowling effort was the shortest innings in which an opposition had been bowled out for an ODI record low.

Canada’s 36 in the 2003 World Cup

Canada’s 36 against Sri Lanka is one of the most famous World Cup examples of the lowest score in ODI.

The match took place at Paarl during the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Canada were bowled out for 36 in 18.4 overs. At the time, this was the lowest total ever recorded in ODI cricket and the lowest score in World Cup history.

The record was later broken by Zimbabwe’s 35 in 2004. However, Canada’s 36 remains the lowest team total in men’s ODI World Cup history.

The match became a major part of Canada’s World Cup history because the team had opened the tournament with a surprise victory over Bangladesh before suffering a dramatic collapse against Sri Lanka. Contemporary reporting described the 36 as the lowest score recorded in a World Cup at that time.

Zimbabwe’s 38 Against Sri Lanka

Before Zimbabwe’s 35, the team had already produced another historically low ODI total.

Zimbabwe scored 38 against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo in 2001/02. The ACS record list places that innings fourth overall behind the two 35s and Canada’s 36.

This means Zimbabwe appear twice among the four lowest ODI team totals ever recorded.

That is an unusual record. Zimbabwe are the only team in the current top four to appear twice.

Pakistan’s Lowest ODI Score

Pakistan’s lowest ODI total is 43 runs, scored against the West Indies in Cape Town in February 1993.

Pakistan were dismissed for 43 in 19.5 overs. The innings remains among the lowest totals in the overall ODI record list.

Pakistan’s 43 is tied with Sri Lanka’s 43 against South Africa for fifth place in the current ACS list.

Sri Lanka’s Lowest ODI Score

Sri Lanka’s lowest ODI total is also 43 runs.

Sri Lanka scored 43 against South Africa at Boland Park in Paarl in January 2012. The score is tied with Pakistan’s 43 for the fifth-lowest total in the overall historical list.

Sri Lanka have been involved in several of the lowest-scoring ODI matches, but their own lowest total is considerably higher than the overall record of 35.

Sri Lanka’s Lowest ODI Total

The 50 against India in the 2023 Asia Cup final is another well-known modern low score, but it is not Sri Lanka’s all-time lowest ODI total.

India’s Lowest ODI Score

India’s lowest ODI team total is 63 runs, scored against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 8, 1981.

India were dismissed for 63 in 25.5 overs. Greg Chappell took five wickets for Australia, and the innings remains India’s lowest ODI total. BCCI material has also recorded India’s 63 at Sydney as the venue’s lowest total for India in that historical context.

India’s 63 is much higher than the overall lowest score in ODI, but it remains a major team record because India have played hundreds of ODIs since their first match.

Australia’s Lowest ODI Score

Australia’s lowest ODI total is 70 runs. Interestingly, Australia have reached 70 twice.

The first came against England at Edgbaston in 1977. The second came against New Zealand at Adelaide Oval in 1986. CricketArchive lists both matches at 70.

Australia’s 74 against Sri Lanka in 2013 is also notable because it was Australia’s lowest ODI total in 27 years at the time.

England’s Lowest ODI Score

England’s lowest ODI score is 86 runs, made against Australia in Manchester on June 14, 2001.

The innings lasted 32.4 overs. England’s next-lowest totals include 88 against Sri Lanka in 2003 and 89 against New Zealand in 2002.

This shows why the overall lowest score in ODI record is so unusual. Even some of the strongest established ODI sides have rarely gone below 70.

New Zealand’s Lowest ODI Score

New Zealand’s lowest ODI total is 64 runs, scored against Pakistan in Sharjah in April 1986.

The innings lasted 35.5 overs. New Zealand have had other low totals, but none have matched the overall record of 35.

Lowest Score in ODI World Cup History

The lowest team total in men’s ODI World Cup history is 36, scored by Canada against Sri Lanka in the 2003 World Cup.

That record is different from the overall lowest score in ODI because the overall record includes all men’s ODIs, not only World Cup matches.

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Canada’s 36 was the overall ODI record at the time, but Zimbabwe moved below it with 35 in 2004.

Which Team All Out in 0 Runs?

No men’s ODI team has been bowled out for 0 runs in an official ODI innings.

A score of zero for an entire team is therefore not the answer to the lowest score in ODI record. The current record is 35, jointly held by Zimbabwe and the USA.

This question is sometimes confused with a batter being dismissed for a duck. A team can have several batters score zero, but that does not mean the team’s total is zero.

Which Team Scored 872 Runs in ODI?

The 872-run aggregate was scored by Australia and South Africa in Johannesburg on March 12, 2006.

Australia made 434/4, and South Africa chased the target with 438/9. The two innings combined for 872 runs, which remains the highest match aggregate in men’s ODI cricket according to the ACS record list.

The match is famous because South Africa successfully chased 435 with one wicket remaining. Ricky Ponting scored 164 for Australia, while Herschelle Gibbs made 175 for South Africa.

So, the answer to “Which team scored 872 runs in ODI?” is actually two teams combined: Australia and South Africa.

What Is the Lowest Team Score in Cricket?

The answer depends on the format.

In men’s ODI cricket, the lowest team score is 35, jointly recorded by Zimbabwe and the USA. However, “lowest team score in cricket” is too broad to have one answer because Test cricket, ODI cricket and T20 cricket have separate records.

For this article, the relevant record is the lowest score in ODI, which is 35.

Why Do ODI Teams Collapse for Very Low Scores?

A very low ODI total normally comes from a combination of factors rather than one single reason.

Early wickets

Losing two or three wickets quickly can put enormous pressure on the middle order. In a limited-overs match, there is less time to rebuild.

Bowling conditions

Swing, seam movement, spin and uneven bounce can make batting difficult. If the bowlers consistently hit the right areas, even experienced batters can struggle.

Poor partnerships

Successful ODI innings usually contain partnerships that allow the batting side to recover from individual dismissals. A team that keeps losing wickets cannot build momentum.

Pressure after a collapse begins

Once several wickets fall, new batters often have to attack while also trying to survive. That can create another mistake and accelerate the collapse.

The USA’s 2020 innings is a clear example. The ICC reported that the USA lost its final nine wickets for only eight runs against Nepal.

The Difference Between a Low Score and a Lowest Score

Not every small ODI total is a record.

For example, an innings of 70 is extremely low by modern ODI standards, but it is not close to the current overall record of 35.

The historical list gives a useful perspective:

The ACS record list also shows totals such as 50, 54, 55 and 58 among the next-lowest ODI innings.

Has the Lowest ODI Score Changed Recently?

The top position has not changed since the USA joined Zimbabwe at 35 in 2020.

However, new low totals continue to enter the broader historical list. The ACS database currently includes the UAE’s 49 against the USA in 2025/26 and Oman’s 60 against Nepal in 2026.

This is why a good record article should be updated instead of relying on an old list published several years ago.

Lowest Score in ODI: Quick Comparison

This comparison makes one thing clear: the lowest score in ODI is an exceptionally rare result.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The lowest score in ODI cricket is 35 runs, and the record is shared by Zimbabwe and the United States. Zimbabwe reached the mark against Sri Lanka in Harare in 2004, while the USA matched it against Nepal in Kirtipur in 2020.

Canada’s 36 against Sri Lanka in the 2003 World Cup remains the lowest team total in men’s World Cup history. Pakistan and Sri Lanka have both recorded 43, while India’s lowest ODI total is 63, Australia’s is 70, New Zealand’s is 64 and England’s is 86.

The other side of the record book is just as interesting. The same format that has produced the lowest score in ODI has also produced the highest ODI match aggregate of 872 runs, when Australia made 434/4 and South Africa chased it with 438/9 in Johannesburg in 2006.

That contrast explains much of what makes ODI cricket unique: one match can produce a historic batting collapse, while another can produce hundreds of runs from both sides. The record of 35 has survived since 2020, and it remains the benchmark whenever cricket fans discuss the lowest score in ODI history.