ODI Cricket: One of the most consistent teams in the game of cricket is New Zealand. That is the reason that they have played in the finals of all three major formats. They won the World Test Championship against India. But unfortunately, they lost three white-ball finals. Especially in ODI cricket, they ended as the runners-up in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, respectively.
Speaking of their overall performances, New Zealand has been one of the toughest teams to beat, irrespective of the format. At home, their numbers are incredible, and they have also played consistently in away matches as well. That is the reason that it happens rarely that New Zealand loses the match by a big margin. In this article, we will cover the lowest scores for New Zealand in ODI cricket.
3. New Zealand all out for 74 runs against Pakistan at Sharjah
New Zealand played in the semi-final of the Austral-Asia Cup 1990 against Pakistan. After winning the toss, they chose to bat first. But it didn’t turn out to be the right decision for them and they got all out for a low score of 74 runs in 31.1 overs. Only Andrew Jones scored 47 runs and none of the other batters crossed the 5-run mark.
Waqar Younis picked up five wickets for just 20 runs. Wasim Akram and Mushtaq Ahmed picked up two wickets each. It was an easy chase for the Men in Green and they chased it down in 15.4 overs. Pakistan won the match by 8 wickets with 206 balls to spare.
2. New Zealand all out for 73 runs against Sri Lanka at Auckland
It was the fourth ODI of Sri Lanka’s tour of New Zealand at Auckland. Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first. Sanath Jayasuriya gave them a rocking start and made 70 off 44 balls, including seven fours and five sixes. Kumar Sangakkara scored 79 runs to help his team reach 262/6 in their first innings.
Chasing the target, the Black Caps had a horrible start and they lost their first four wickets for just 25 runs. After that, they couldn’t recover from that position and got all out for 73 runs and lost the match by 189 runs. Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga picked up three wickets each for Sri Lanka. Jayasuriya won the “Man of the Match” award.
1. New Zealand all out for 73 runs against Pakistan (their lowest in ODI cricket)
The lowest score for New Zealand came in the second semi-final of the 1986 Austral-Asia Cup. It was the match against Pakistan at Sharjah. Pakistan won the toss and asked New Zealand to bat first. The Black Caps had a poor start and lost their first four wickets for just 18 runs. The Pakistani bowling attack was all over them and didn’t let them settle.
As a result, New Zealand were bowled out for their lowest team score of 64 runs in 35.5. Abdul Qadir bowled superbly and picked four wickets for just nine runs in 10 overs. He registered one of the most economical 10-over spells in ODI cricket. Both Pakistani openers went in with the business and chased down the target in 22.4 overs. The Men in Green won the match by 10 wickets with 164 balls to spare.
List of Lowest Score of New Zealand in ODI Cricket
| Score | Overs | Inns | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | 35.5 | 1 | Pakistan | Sharjah | 15 Apr 1986 |
| 73 | 26.3 | 2 | Sri Lanka | Auckland | 6 Jan 2007 |
| 74 | 31.1 | 1 | Pakistan | Sharjah | 1 May 1990 |
| 74 | 29.0 | 1 | Australia | Wellington | 20 Feb 1982 |
| 79 | 23.1 | 2 | India | Visakhapatnam | 29 Oct 2016 |
| 82 | 33 | 2 | Australia | Cairns | 08 Sept 2022 |
| 94 | 25.2 | 2 | Australia | Christchurch | 4 Mar 1990 |
| 97 | 33.4 | 1 | Australia | Faridabad | 29 Oct 2003 |
| 103 | 27.0 | 1 | India | Chennai | 10 Dec 2010 |
| 105 | 39.3 | 2 | Australia | Auckland | 3 Dec 2005 |
| 108 | 34.3 | 1 | India | Raipur | 21 Jan 2023 |
| 108 | 44.3 | 2 | Pakistan | Wellington | 26 Dec 1992 |