South Africa has not won any big ICC tournaments, but no team can write them off when it comes to big tournaments like the World Cup. The Proteas have played in four World Cup semi-finals: 1992, 1999, 2007, and 2015, respectively. South Africa holds many big records in World Cup events.
They are the only team to score 400 or more in a World Cup game twice in history. There have been four occasions when a team scored more than 400 runs in the World Cup; two of those were registered by South Africa. In this article, we will talk about South Africa’s highest World Cup totals so far.
Highest Total in Cricket World Cup for South Africa
| Score | Overs | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 411/4 | 50.0 | Ireland | Canberra | 3 Mar 2015 |
| 408/5 | 50.0 | West Indies | Sydney | 27 Feb 2015 |
| 399/7 | 50 | England | Mumbai | 21 Oct 2023 |
| 356/4 | 50.0 | West Indies | St George’s | 10 Apr 2007 |
| 353/3 | 40.0 | Netherlands | Basseterre | 16 Mar 2007 |
| 351/5 | 50.0 | Netherlands | Mohali | 3 Mar 2011 |
| 341/6 | 50.0 | U.A.E. | Wellington | 12 Mar 2015 |
| 339/4 | 50.0 | Zimbabwe | Hamilton | 15 Feb 2015 |
| 328/3 | 50.0 | Netherlands | Rawalpindi | 5 Mar 1996 |
| 325/6 | 50.0 | Australia | Manchester | 6 Jul 2019 |
| 321/2 | 50.0 | U.A.E. | Rawalpindi | 16 Feb 1996 |
3. South Africa (356/4) vs West Indies in 2007
South Africa registered their third-biggest World Cup total against the West Indies during the 2007 event. It was the 37th game at St. George’s. AB de Villiers started well for South Africa. He added a 170-run stand for the second wicket with Jacques Kallis. Kallis made 81 off 86 balls. De Villiers scored a tremendous century and made 146 off 130 balls, with 12 fours and five sixes. Herschelle Gibbs made an unbeaten 61 off 40 balls.
Mark Boucher smashed a quick fifty and scored 52 off 23 balls. South Africa posted a massive first inning score of 356/4. West Indies also had some contributions in the middle, but they couldn’t finish the game. The Caribbean team finished with 289/9 and lost the game by 67 runs.
2. South Africa (408/5) vs West Indies in 2015
South Africa registered their second highest World Cup total, also against the West Indies. This came during the 2015 World Cup, when AB de Villiers smashed the fastest ODI 150 off 64 balls. This was the game in Sydney. South Africa got off to a good start with their top-order batters. Hashim Amla made 65, and Faf du Plessis scored 62 off 70 with three fours. Rilee Rossouw scored a quick 61 off 39 balls.
But things changed when De Villiers came to the crease. With not many overs left, he took on the bowling. He smashed a 52-ball hundred and reached the quickest 150. He made 162 not out from 66 balls, with 17 fours and 8 sixes. South Africa made 408/5 in the first innings. In reply, West Indies were bundled out for 151 runs, and South Africa won by 257 runs.
1. South Africa (411/4) vs Ireland in 2015
The highest World Cup total for South Africa came in the 2015 edition in Australia. It came in the 24th game of the tournament in Canberra. South Africa lost Quinton de Kock (1) early. But Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis added a 247-run second wicket stand. Amla scored 159 runs off 128 balls, with 16 fours and four sixes. Du Plessis made 109 runs, including 10 fours and one six.
David Miller (46 off 23) and Rilee Rossouw (61 off 30) played good cameos and added an unbeaten 110 runs for the fifth wicket in just 8.3 overs. South Africa made 411/4 in 50 overs. In response, Ireland were all out for 210 runs in 45 overs. As a result, South Africa won the game by 201 runs.