There’s a particular hum in a cricket ground when a chase turns from daring to real. People stop checking their phones. Bowlers start shuffling their fields one step at a time, trying to look calm while the scoreboard keeps blinking the same, brutal truth: target within range. What follows is a study in nerve, craft, and choices under pressure.
This is a deep dive into the highest run chase in ODI history and the elite club of successful pursuits that have redefined what batting second can be. It’s not just a list. It’s how these chases were pulled off — the powerplay setups, the middle-overs mechanics, the death-over math, the partnerships that held, and the captains who dared.
What a “highest successful run chase” means and why it matters
- In cricket records, “highest successful run chase in ODI” is defined by the largest target that has been successfully chased down.
- The metric rewards game-craft under constraints: a fixed target, a finite number of overs, and the psychological edge or burden of the scoreboard.
- Analysts track chases by target bands (300+, 350+, 400+), run rate, wickets and balls remaining, and contextual pressure (home vs away, tournament vs bilateral, dew factor, ground dimensions).
Highest run chase in ODI history — the day 438 became possible
Record: South Africa 438/9 vs Australia at Johannesburg; target 435, achieved with one ball remaining.
What set this apart wasn’t just the number; it was the manner. A chase of 400+ had never been attempted with success. It started with a mad dash — Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs moving at a run rate more suited to T20 than a one-day chase. Australia had pounded 434 batting first, with the small square boundaries at the Wanderers and thin Highveld air turning mishits into sixes. South Africa decided to match pace rather than play the conventional long game.
- Powerplay intent: They went harder than orthodoxy recommends. No laying foundations; they built the house at speed.
- Middle overs: Gibbs’ ball-striking stayed vertical, not horizontal. He kept the arc of risk in front of square, riding the bounce rather than slicing it to point. That kept the wagon wheel clean and the strike-rate above par.
- Death over clarity: By the last five overs, the equation was still absurd. But Mark Boucher’s finishing temperament and the refusal to overhit in the blockhole balls mattered. Singles on yorkers, brutal swings on missed lengths.
- Fielding pressure: Australia’s bowling plan eroded with each boundary. Even their heavy-ball tactics into the ridge couldn’t pull the rate back once South Africa held wickets in hand.
If you’re building a model for how to chase big, this match is the template. Wickets in hand. Rate control, not panic. One set batter at the end. Courage to hit the slots.
Top successful ODI chases — the elite list and how they were won
Below is a compact table of iconic, verified successful chases that live in the highest band. This is not a dump of numbers; it shows patterns — the teams that trust pace on the ball, the venues that reward clean hitting, and the tactical signatures that recur.
Table: Selected highest successful run chases in ODIs
| Target Score | Chasing Team (Score) | Opponent | Venue | Margin / Result | Key Tactical Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 435 | South Africa (438/9) | Australia | Johannesburg | 1 ball remaining | Run rate near nine, historical chase |
| 372 | South Africa (372/6) | Australia | Centurion | 13 balls remaining | Relentless middle-overs surge |
| 362 | India (362/1) | Australia | Jaipur | 39 balls remaining | Openers set tempo, Kohli slammed the door |
| 359 | England (359/4) | Pakistan | Bristol | 31 balls remaining | Roy and Root control, late overs iced early |
| 359 | Australia (359/6) | India | Mohali | 7 balls remaining | Turner’s ice-cold finish |
| 350 | New Zealand (350/9) | Australia | Hamilton | 3 balls remaining | Late-order grit |
| 345 | Pakistan (345/4) | Sri Lanka | Hyderabad (World Cup) | 10 balls remaining | Rizwan and Shafique settled the chase |
| 324 | Sri Lanka (324/2) | England | Leeds | 77 balls remaining | Tharanga and Jayasuriya blitz |
| 322 | Bangladesh (322/3) | West Indies | Taunton (World Cup) | 51 balls remaining | Shakib’s control class |
| 318 | India (321/3) | Sri Lanka | Colombo | 80+ balls remaining | Classic subcontinent tempo |
| 317 | South Africa (319/3) | England | Centurion | 10 wickets intact | Ruthlessly paced |
| 313 | Ireland (329/7) | England | Bengaluru (World Cup) | 5 balls remaining | O’Brien’s blaze |
Why these matter
- Chasing 350+: requires a strike rate sustained above a-a-ball for most of the innings. It stresses resources across all phases.
- Wickets in hand: the most reliable predictor of success beyond over 35 in a big chase.
- Powerplay vs death trade-off: teams either go hard upfront to get ahead of the curve (Sri Lanka at Leeds) or hold shape till over 30 and then attack relentlessly (South Africa’s blueprint).
400+ chase in ODI — a category of one
- Only one team has successfully chased a 400+ score: South Africa at Johannesburg.
- Conditions that day were a cocktail: true pace, fast outfield, thin air, compact boundaries, and bowlers who missed length in pressure cycles.
- Tactical note: once a chase surpasses 400, dot-ball minimization becomes as valuable as boundary hunting. Every over must yield six to eight runs without fail, enough to keep one big over from breaking the bank.
350+ chases in ODIs — how teams break the ceiling
It’s not a long list, and that’s the point. Every entry is a story of discipline under velocity.
- South Africa powering past 370+: their method is simple — hit good balls for one, bad balls for four, and never surrender third-man and square-leg singles to stop dots building.
- India’s 360+ pursuit at Jaipur: the shape was classic: aggressive opening platform, one set anchor through the center, finishing with surplus balls by being ahead at 30 overs.
- England and Australia at 359 apiece: both chases were defined by batting depth and conviction to keep two gear-shifts in reserve after over 40.
- New Zealand’s 350 at Hamilton: when Plan A faltered, the lower-middle order didn’t panic. They recalculated, trusted mis-hit value on a small ground, and rode the two-fielders-out law smartly between overs 11 and 40.
Highest run chase in the ODI World Cup — the pressure lens
The global tournament turns the pressure dial to maximum. The quality of opposition, the density of fixtures, and the noise around the event make each chase carry extra weight.
- Pakistan 345/4 vs Sri Lanka, Hyderabad: the current World Cup watermark for a successful chase. Built around measured acceleration and refusal to force boundaries across the line early.
- Ireland 329/7 vs England, Bengaluru: the archetype of belief trumping pedigree. Kevin O’Brien’s surge turned a long-shot into inevitability in a small-window burst.
- Bangladesh 322/3 vs West Indies, Taunton: a masterclass in chasing without chaos. Shakib Al Hasan’s tempo control was sublime.
Typical World Cup chase patterns
- Teams rarely throw all-in at the powerplay; they try to leave a launchpad for overs 35–45 and guard against collapse in the middle.
- Dew turns games. Night games in certain venues tilt sharply toward teams batting second; smart sides manage their bowling resources in the first innings with that in mind.
Team-wise peaks — highest successful chases by the game’s major sides
Highest run chase by India in ODIs
India’s apex chase sits at 362/1 against Australia in Jaipur. It was a statement of tempo: openers absorbing and striking, then Virat Kohli’s uncluttered brutality flattening the chase in one surge. The innings management was exemplary — a boundary every over, a release over every three, and absolute refusal to take high-risk routes square on the off side early. India’s chasing DNA has often mirrored this: controlled early, a surge around over 25, and a clean finish. Batting depth and spin-handling make them especially dangerous with targets in the 280–330 band.
Highest run chase by Pakistan in ODIs
Pakistan’s high-water mark arrived in a World Cup chase of 345 against Sri Lanka at Hyderabad. The hallmark was stability: a platform without the usual volatility, then an opposition squeezed by a relentless drumbeat of singles. Pakistan are traditionally mercurial chasers — capable of audacity when the mood strikes, but with a preference for trusting their new-ball bowlers and setting up defendable totals. This chase stands out for how routine they made it look.
Highest run chase by England in ODIs
England’s highest successful chase is 359 against Pakistan in Bristol. It wasn’t a smash-and-grab; it was clinical. Roy and Root prevented scoreboard pressure from rising. England’s white-ball revolution has bred pursuing sides who keep the rate on a leash by refusing dots and hunting the straight boundary. When a side holds power at five, six, and seven, risks get distributed, not concentrated. That’s how England have normalized tall pursuits.
Highest run chase by Australia in ODIs
Australia’s own summit in a chase is 359 against India at Mohali, iced by Ashton Turner’s late hitting. Australia’s template when successful is pragmatic: attack the short ball early, target straight lines, and punish spinners when they miss length. What separated Mohali was calmness — they didn’t try to win the match in the 41st; they aimed to not lose it, then pounced when the game offered a misfield, a slot ball, and a nervous over.
Highest run chase by South Africa in ODIs
South Africa own the category. The 438 odyssey is the headline, but their 372 against Australia underlines a system. They’re designed to hunt in chase: top-order with high repeatable boundary options, a middle used to stepping across and lifting over midwicket, and finishers who are efficient, not just powerful. Their ball-striking against pace, especially on high-bounce surfaces, is a decisive edge.
Highest run chase by Sri Lanka in ODIs
Sri Lanka’s signature comes at Leeds, where they hunted down a 320-plus target with nearly 13 overs to spare. It was audacity with calculation: Jayasuriya and Tharanga going off in the powerplay, then refusing to let England’s attack breathe. At their best, Sri Lanka chase like they do in Test fourth-innings draws: using angles, nudging five-an-over to turn chases into strolls, punctuated by bursts of boundary sequences.
Highest run chase by New Zealand in ODIs
New Zealand’s pinnacle is a 350 at Hamilton against Australia. They won because their lower middle order refused to relinquish control. The Black Caps often chase with a calm that belies the target, trusting disciplined running, third-man taps, and well-picked matchups against specific bowlers. They’re also among the best at targeting windy ends and cross-breeze advantages while chasing.
Highest run chase by Bangladesh in ODIs
Bangladesh’s 322 against West Indies in Taunton has become a cultural touchstone. It wasn’t a heist. It was a chase built on tempo literacy — no desperation, just batting competence stretched across forty overs. Bangladesh have grown into a side that understands the arithmetic of modern chases and leans on anchors like Shakib to keep the rate democratic.
Highest run chase by Afghanistan in ODIs
The rising benchmark for Afghanistan sits just above the 300 mark, achieved in the Gulf with a composed top order and nimble middle overs. Their chasing evolution is tangible: better powerplay shot selection, calmer middle-overs rotation, and more consistent finishing. As their talent pool deepens, the next threshold — consistent 300-plus pursuits — feels inevitable, particularly on flat decks.
Home vs away — where the biggest ODI chases happen
- South Africa: The Highveld is rocket fuel. Johannesburg and Centurion offer carry, small straight boundaries, and quick outfields. If the ball doesn’t swing long, batting second can feel like an arcade.
- England: White-ball summers on flat tracks — The Oval, Trent Bridge, and Bristol — are inviting for chasers who handle new-ball movement early and cash in late.
- India: Jaipur and Mohali stand out for monstrous pursuits; dew often tilts night chases toward the batting side.
- New Zealand: Hamilton’s square boundaries and consistent bounce make it friendlier than most for pursuits above 300.
- Bangladesh and Sri Lanka: Surfaces slow down at times, but day-night games with dew can be kind to chasing if you survive the new ball.
Venues with famous highest ODI chases
- Wanderers, Johannesburg: The 438 theatre.
- Centurion: South Africa’s 372 chase — a tactical masterpiece in flow.
- Jaipur (Sawai Mansingh Stadium): India’s 360-plus pursuit, remembered for its fluency.
- Mohali (IS Bindra Stadium): Australia’s 359 raid; a masterclass in finishing.
- Bristol: England’s 359; timing and temperament in sync.
- Hamilton (Seddon Park): New Zealand 350; smaller square boundaries and calculated risk.
Timeline of highest ODI chases — how the ceiling rose
- Early era: Anything past 300 was a moonshot. Teams measured chases in risk management, not boundary quality.
- NatWest final: India’s 326 at Lord’s expanded the conversation. If you could run hard and aim straight, 300+ didn’t have to be a cliff.
- The Johannesburg quake: Australia’s 434 felt terminal. South Africa’s 438 made the sport recalibrate overnight. It changed dressing-room language around targets. It changed how captains thought about third spells. It changed how analysts saw “par.”
- Post-438 maturity: Big chases became less about flukes and more about method. Teams learned to surf the middle overs instead of hiding in them. They built finishers with clear roles.
- Modern flat-deck era: England’s and Australia’s 359-scale chases brought lineup depth and fearless tempo to the fore. New Zealand, Pakistan, Bangladesh added their own proof of concept.
Ten-wicket ODI chases — the cleanest wins
The cleanest way to chase is to never lose a wicket. The totals aren’t always the largest, but the statement is profound. Among the highest of these unbroken pursuits is South Africa’s chase just shy of 300 against Bangladesh in the subcontinent; the openers split the chase into segments and never surrendered initiative. The DNA of 10-wicket chases includes:
- Robust shot selection against the new ball.
- Relentless strike rotation to kill dot-ball pressure.
- Refusal to gift wicket-taking positions — no airy drives early, no horizontal bat to the rising ball unless in control.
Fastest successful 300-plus chases by run rate — speed under control
A few pursuits stand out for sheer velocity:
- Sri Lanka’s 320-plus pursuit at Leeds: done with more than a dozen overs left, underlining the violence of the openers’ start and the absence of panic in the middle.
- India’s 360-plus at Jaipur: a harmony of fluency and clean hitting, at a run rate north of eight without slogging.
- South Africa’s 438: the raw run rate was astronomical, and still they found the extra boundary when the pressure asked the hardest questions.
Most balls remaining in big chases
This is underrated because it tells you not just that a team could chase, but that they could do it with headroom.
- Sri Lanka at Leeds: close to eighty balls left in a 320-plus pursuit; a staggering cushion.
- Bangladesh at Taunton: more than eight overs left in a 320-plus chase; proof of stable, modern chasing.
- England at Bristol: half-an-over surplus in a 350-plus chase; built on pacing the innings, not bursts of chaos.
Highest tied total while chasing
When both teams end level with mammoth totals, the game rewrites its own limits. The most famous tie in a high chase sits at 338 in a World Cup game in Bengaluru, where India and England traded punches with the bat and ended with the scoreboard locked. Ties in big chases are pressure laboratories: how captains ration overs, how batters avoid calculation errors, and how fielders handle the last five balls.
Highest unsuccessful run chase
The line between greatness and heartbreak is thin. The most brutal near-miss belongs to Sri Lanka at Rajkot, finishing on 411 while chasing a mountain set by India. It was a reminder: even the perfect hitting night can still fall short if one over slips by.
How big ODI chases are actually built — the tactical blueprint
Powerplay: stage-setting, not just fireworks
- Target clarity: For 350+, the aim through the first ten overs is simple — fewer than 30 dot balls, and at least two boundary overs. That typically places you near 65–75 without needing to gamble.
- Matchups: Modern chasers pre-plan. Left-handers take away offspinners in the powerplay; right-handers ride the line against natural outswing. Every false shot is a data point for later timing.
Middle overs: where most big chases are either won quietly or lost loudly
- Risk reallocation: You don’t chase 350 in the 20th. You win it by making sure the 41st doesn’t require 100 off 60. The best sides keep the asking rate under eight through the middle by hitting seamers on width and stretching spinners square.
- Singles economy: On flat decks, every over that yields four singles is a mini-defeat. Great chasers refuse that. They run twos hard. They find the gap first ball of the over to kill dot pressure.
- Partnership roles: It’s often one aggressor, one governor. When both try to be the aggressor, collapses follow. The NatWest template, the Jaipur chase — all built on clear role separation.
Death overs: emotion control
- Finisher psychology: The best finishers avoid “hero balls.” They hit percentages — straight against pace, midwicket on missed yorkers, late cuts on overpaced wide balls. No dragging across outside off from a standing base.
- Bowler manipulation: Cross crease to force length changes. Show legside to get the wide yorker. If fine leg is up, refuse singles early in the over to corner the bowler later.
The people factor — partnerships that define famous chases
- Smith–Gibbs, Johannesburg: tempo plus intimidation. Gibbs’ lofts over extra cover altered lines; Smith’s muscle through the V dissuaded full-and-straight.
- Tharanga–Jayasuriya, Leeds: fearless on the hard length, harsh on anything wide; they made the new ball look old in ten overs.
- Rohit–Kohli, Jaipur: elegance meeting calculation; almost no slogging, all timing.
- Rizwan and Shafique, Hyderabad: chased a World Cup target with the serenity of a bilateral; they flattened the rate with singles and knee-high drives rather than bail-out slogs.
- Lower-order grit, Hamilton: New Zealand held their shape when the rate climbed, picking bowlers, not balls, to attack.
Patterns in the data — what separates the best chasers
- Wickets in hand at 35 overs: a more decisive predictor than current run rate.
- Strike-rotation competence: batting orders with six or more players who average 30+ while chasing tend to normalize 280–320 pursuits.
- Boundary distribution: chases that lean on clusters — say three big overs — often die when a good bowler shuts down one cluster. The best chases distribute boundaries across overs, reducing variance.
350+ and 300+ chase bands — teams that live here more than others
- South Africa: multiple 350+ pursuits, a culture of running hard, and batters who trust hitting length through the line.
- India and England: frequent 300+ chases with balls to spare; they treat 300–325 as par, not peril.
- New Zealand: fewer 350+ entries, but a striking win rate while chasing 280–330.
- Australia: explosive on flat decks; their highest sits at 359 but with numerous authoritative chases in the 300s.
Highest ODI chases at night vs day-night — the dew and underlights effect
- Day-night matches can tilt heavily toward the chasing side when the ball skates on and grip vanishes for spinners. Teams winning the toss often bowl first in venues known for late dew.
- Fast outfields under lights can add ten to fifteen runs of value to a chase, especially when gaps become unprotectable with just five out.
Highest ODI chases by country and venue — where records like to live
- India: Jaipur and Mohali are archiving monuments for big chases. Flat pitches with quick outfields, and dew in night games.
- South Africa: Johannesburg and Centurion are the spiritual homes of batting second bravado.
- England: The Oval and Bristol favor modern English chasing logic — fair bounce, quick grass, and consistent pace off the wicket.
- New Zealand: Hamilton tends to produce the most chase-friendly profiles.
Beyond the headline — specialized records in chases
- Highest target chased with 10 wickets in hand: South Africa’s 280-plus pursuit without loss in the subcontinent — a clinical dismantling that speaks to process more than power.
- Highest chase with most balls remaining: Sri Lanka’s 320-plus at Leeds with around thirteen overs left; a demolition that made a tall target feel underscored.
- Fastest successful 300 chase by run rate: the Leeds blitz sits right at the frontier, with South Africa’s 438 night not far behind in raw speed albeit over a longer arc.
Players who thrive while chasing — traits that repeat
- Repeatable boundary options: the ability to hit the same ball for four or six without needing the bowler to err much — think straight hitting against pace.
- Two-pace repertoire: gears for singles under field spread and a launch gear when a matchup appears.
- Calm hands in the last ten overs: no dragging neck-high balls to deep midwicket, no panicked premeditation against slower balls.
Coaching insights — what teams practice to become elite chasers
- Scenario nets: Specific chase states simulated — 95 off 60 with two wickets in hand, 120 off 90 with dew.
- Boundary audits: Batters identify their three most reliable boundary shots and self-police to those in pressure overs. No “maybe” shots under eight-to-ten required.
- Running focus: Fitness for twos under humid conditions, with discipline to turn ones into twos early in the over.
Short takeaways for analysts and fans
- The biggest chases pivot on wickets in hand and a rate that never spins out of control in overs 11–35.
- Boundary clusters are nice-to-have, but the power lies in relentless six- to eight-run overs and quick responses to a bad over from the fielding side.
- Venues matter. So does dew. Tosses are strategic leverage in chase-heavy grounds.
Reference mini-tables
Highest successful ODI chase overall
- South Africa 438/9 vs Australia, Johannesburg — Target 435, 1 ball left
Highest successful World Cup chases (selected)
- Pakistan 345/4 vs Sri Lanka, Hyderabad — balls to spare: double digits
- Ireland 329/7 vs England, Bengaluru — balls to spare: under one over
- Bangladesh 322/3 vs West Indies, Taunton — balls to spare: eight-plus overs
Top 10 highest run chase entries to know (selected, by target band)
- 435: South Africa 438/9 vs Australia, Johannesburg
- 372: South Africa 372/6 vs Australia, Centurion
- 362: India 362/1 vs Australia, Jaipur
- 359: England 359/4 vs Pakistan, Bristol
- 359: Australia 359/6 vs India, Mohali
- 350: New Zealand 350/9 vs Australia, Hamilton
- 345: Pakistan 345/4 vs Sri Lanka, Hyderabad
- 324: Sri Lanka 324/2 vs England, Leeds
- 322: Bangladesh 322/3 vs West Indies, Taunton
- 318–320 band: multiple sides across Asia and Africa
Expert context for common chase-related topics
- The highest successful run chase in ODI history is South Africa’s 438 against Australia at Johannesburg. It is the only successful pursuit of a target above 400.
- Yes, a team has chased 400 in an ODI — once, by South Africa, in the 438 game.
- The biggest run chase in ODI World Cup history belongs to Pakistan, who went past 345 against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad.
- India’s highest successful run chase in ODIs is 362 in Jaipur against Australia, finished with authority and time in the bank.
- Pakistan’s highest successful ODI chase is the 345 in the World Cup, a defining performance of calm method.
- England’s highest sits at 359, a chase that felt inevitable after the first hour.
- Australia’s top chase is also 359, a late flourish carrying them home against India.
- South Africa’s catalogue tops everyone’s; beyond 438, they have a 372 and multiple 350+ pursuits.
- Sri Lanka’s peak chase is 320-plus at Leeds — a masterclass in early aggression and calculated progression.
- New Zealand’s high is 350 at Hamilton — gritty and mature at the death.
- Bangladesh’s best chase is 322 in Taunton — clinical, modern, unfussy.
- Afghanistan’s current high crest sits a shade above 300 — a promise of what’s to come as their batting deepens.
- The highest unsuccessful run chase is 411 by Sri Lanka in Rajkot — an epic that fell just short.
- The highest tied total while chasing in a World Cup classic is 338 in Bengaluru.
What the data says about chase probabilities
- When the asking rate is below eight at over 35 and the chasing team has seven wickets in hand, the win probability skyrockets, even if the target is above 330.
- Conversely, once the chasing side is five down before over 25, the best-case outcome becomes a last-over shootout. It can still be won, but it demands a chanceless set bat and a friendly matchup at the death.
Why this record endures as a fan favorite
There’s a simple reason. A chase turns cricket from a two-act drama into a thriller with a visible clock. Every ball counts. Every decision has ripple effects. And when a side surges past the most imposing numbers on the board — 350, 400, the unthinkable — the sport feels like it’s sprinting into the future.
Closing notes — the art and science of chasing
The highest run chase in ODI history will always be a shorthand for audacity: South Africa 438. But the rest of the pantheon adds something subtler. It shows that the craft has matured. Teams now rehearse the impossible until it becomes process. They learn to keep the asking rate where it can’t hurt them. They learn to breathe at 10-per-over. And they learn that a great chase isn’t built on sixes alone — it’s built on singles that never stop, partners who know who goes and who holds, and bowlers who wilt under a plan that refuses to blink.
As ODI pitches evolve and batting lineups lengthen, that list of 350+ and 300+ pursuits will keep growing. It won’t grow carelessly. Records will still demand nerve, clarity, and the courage to swing when the scoreboard dares you not to. But the ceiling has already lifted. Teams have seen the view from there. And once you’ve seen it, it’s awfully hard to go back.
