In the 2023 World Cup clash between South Africa and Sri Lanka held in Delhi, the Proteas scored a massive total of 428 for five, making it the highest World Cup score by a team.
It not only broke Australia's previous record from the 2015 World Cup, when they had made 417-7 against Afghanistan, but also marked a historic moment as South Africa became the first team in the tournament's history to achieve three 400-plus totals in all World Cup editions.
The score was led by three of their batters making centuries, a feat never witnessed before in a single World Cup innings.
“You almost get this thing that just takes over your body at certain moments” 💬
Aiden Markram explains his mindset while smashing the fastest-ever #CWC century 💪#CWC23 | #SAvSLhttps://t.co/vV9136iTNG
— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) October 7, 2023
Contents
Highest World Cup score by teams in ODI cricket
| Team | Score | Opposition | Ground | Year |
| South Africa | 428/5 (50) | Sri Lanka | Delhi | 2023 |
| Australia | 417/7 (50) | Afghanistan | Perth | 2015 |
| India | 413/5 (50) | Bermuda | Port of Spain | 2007 |
| South Africa | 411/4 (50) | Ireland | Canberra | 2015 |
| South Africa | 408/5 (50) | West Indies | Sydney | 2015 |
| New Zealand | 401/6 (50) | Pakistan | Bengaluru | 2023 |
| South Africa | 399/7 (50) | England | Mumbai | 2023 |
| Australia | 399/8 (50) | Netherlands | Delhi | 2023 |
| Sri Lanka | 398/5 (50) | Kenya | Kandy | 1996 |
| England | 397/6 (50) | Afghanistan | Manchester | 2019 |
South Africa: 428-5 vs Sri Lanka, 2023 World Cup
South Africa rewrote and shattered numerous records during their performance at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, which is renowned for being one of the slower and lower-scoring venues in India. It's worth noting that this stadium had not witnessed a 300-plus ODI total since the 2011 World Cup.
They achieved the highest World Cup score, the fastest century (Aiden Markram in 49 balls), and the remarkable feat of three centuries in a single innings (Markram, Rassie van der Dussen and Quinton de Kock), a first in World Cup history.
Despite a stunning effort by Kusal Mendis in the second innings, who ended with a 42-ball 76, South Africa began their campaign on a high with a massive 102-run win to give their Net Run Rate a huge boost.
Australia: 417/6 vs Afghanistan, 2015 World Cup
In the group stage of the competition, Australia had previously defeated England and suffered a loss against their co-hosts, New Zealand. However, their performance at the WACA in Perth against Afghanistan was truly emphatic, as it propelled them to achieve the then highest World Cup score in the history of the tournament.
In a decision that Afghanistan would soon regret, they won the toss and chose to field. Australia quickly capitalized on that as Australia surged from 14/1 to an impressive 274/1, thanks to the exceptional partnership of David Warner and Steve Smith.
The player of the match, David Warner, played a sensational innings, amassing 178 runs from 133 deliveries, including 19 boundaries and five sixes. Steve Smith complemented him well with a solid knock of 95 runs from 98 balls.
The enormous 260-run stand allowed Glenn Maxwell to unleash his destructive abilities. Maxwell raced to 88 runs from just 39 balls, boasting a remarkable strike rate of 225.64, and he hammered seven sixes during his explosive innings. A quickfire contribution of 20 runs from Brad Haddin ensured that Australia continued to pile on the runs right up until the conclusion of their innings.
India: 413/5 vs Bermuda, 2007 World Cup
Before Australia's innings in 2015, India held the record for the highest World Cup score.
India's match against Bermuda in Trinidad saw them dominate the minnows, with several of their renowned batters delivering impressive performances.
Opener Sourav Ganguly contributed a solid 89 runs, while Virender Sehwag, batting at number three, showcased his expertise by compiling a brilliant 114 runs from just 87 balls.
MS Dhoni played a brisk innings, adding 29 runs, and Yuvraj Singh displayed his trademark power-hitting abilities, accumulating 83 runs from a mere 46 deliveries, which included seven sixes.
Sachin Tendulkar also left his mark on the game, remaining unbeaten at 57 runs from 29 balls, guiding the Indian innings to a big score.
South Africa: 411/4 vs Ireland, 2015 World Cup
In addition to Australia's impressive score against Afghanistan, two other remarkable team innings totals were achieved during the 2015 edition of the tournament, both by the semi-finalist team, South Africa.
Facing pressure in Pool B after a loss to India, South Africa responded with exceptional one-day international innings scores of 411 against Ireland.
Despite the fact that two of South Africa's star players, de Kock (1) and captain AB de Villiers (24), did not post substantial individual scores, the team managed a huge total, indicating their batting prowess.
Hashim Amla, opening the innings, accumulated an impressive 159 runs from 128 balls, finding the boundary 20 times, including four maximums. This remarkable innings turned out to be the highest ODI score of Amla's illustrious career. Faf du Plessis contributed 109 runs to the total, at run a ball.
By the time Amla and Du Plessis were dismissed, South Africa were just shy of the 300-run mark, setting the stage for David Miller and Rilee Rossouw to provide an explosive finish to the innings. Both of them batted until the end, with Miller scoring 46 runs from 23 balls, and Rossouw contributing 61 runs from 30 deliveries, featuring three sixes in his innings.
South Africa: 408/5 vs West Indies, 2015 World Cup
Although South Africa ultimately lost to New Zealand in the semi-finals, it is evident that they had a memorable Cricket World Cup experience in 2015, marked by their two highest World Cup score exceeding 400 runs.
Their remarkable victory over West Indies in Sydney, by a massive margin of 257 runs, was fueled by an extraordinary performance from their skipper, de Villiers. He displayed sheer brilliance by amassing 162 runs from just 66 deliveries, with his knock including 17 boundaries and eight sixes at an astonishing strike rate of 245.45.
While de Villiers took the spotlight, there were noteworthy contributions from other batsmen as well, with Amla scoring 65 runs, du Plessis contributing 62, and Rossouw adding 61 to the total.
