On this day: New Zealand rewrites record books by slamming highest-ever ODI score in an innings

In cricket, during the times when totals of 300-plus were considered ‘winning score’ in One Day Internationals (ODI) irrespective of pitch and conditions, New Zealand hammered 455 for 5 against Pakistan at the Hagley Oval in 1997, becoming the first international team to breach the 400-run barrier in the history of One-Day Cricket. [caption id=“attachment_4502971” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Suzie Bates and Maddy Green led the way for New Zealand. Image credit: Twitter/@WHITE_FERNS[/caption] Trying to level up on their feat, the White Ferns, on this day in 2018, looked as if they were on their way to breach another benchmark, this time the 500-run mark. Although they narrowly fell short of 500, the New Zealand side still re-rewrote the record books as Suzie Bates and Co plundered 491 for 4 against Ireland in Dublin. Leading from the front, Bates set the tone for the visitors alongside Jess Watkin, sharing a 172-run stand for the first wicket before the latter was dismissed in the 19th over. Captain Bates carried her march as she racked up her 10th ODI century in just 71 balls. Promoted to bat at three, Maddy Green, too provided her skipper good company as the duo belted the inexperienced Irish bowlers shellacking a 116-run partnership for the second wicket that came in just 67 deliveries before Bates departed for 151. Green went on to smash her maiden ton before the young sensation Amelia Kerr put Ireland bowlers to sword, blasting 81 off just 45 balls, and propelling New Zealand’s total to 491 in 50 overs. In reply, Ireland were no match to the White Ferns as they were shot out for 144 inside 36 overs, handing New Zealand a mammoth 347-run win. “After batting in the Twenty20 on this wicket, I knew there was going to be a chance of a high score. When we won the toss, we had no doubt about batting first, but never would have thought we would score that amount of runs and go about it the way we did as a batting line-up,” Bates said in an interview with ESPNCricinfo. “It’s just one of those days where you just enjoy it and make the most of the opportunity and then after that Maddy Green pulled it on and Amelia Kerr as well, so kind of unbelievable that we got the world record so just going to enjoy that.” In the Men’s game—the 444 for 3 set by England against Pakistan in 2016 was then the highest total. However, that changed, just 11 days after the White Ferns set the world record, the England men’s team pummelled 481 for 6 at Trent Bridge against Australia, setting the highest total in Men’s cricket.