Over the years, bowlers have given breathtaking bowling performances in the ICC ODI World Cup. However, on some occasions, things go for a toss, and bowlers end up conceding too many runs in one over.
Something similar happened in the 2007 edition when Herschelle Gibbs went berserk and scored 36 runs in Daan Van Bunge’s over. This is the most expensive over ever-bowled in the tournament’s history.
Now, let’s take a look at the top 10 most expensive overs in an ODI World Cup match.
Most Expensive Overs in ODI World Cup Match
| Runs Scored | Batting Team | Batters | Bowler | Venue | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | South Africa | Herschelle Gibbs (36) | Daan van Bunge (NED) | Basseterre | 2007 |
| 34 | South Africa | AB de Villiers (32), Extras (2) | Jason Holder (WI) | Sydney | 2015 |
| 31 | New Zealand | James Franklin (28), Kane Williamson (1), Extras (2) | Harvir Baidwan (CAN) | Wankhede | 2011 |
| 30 | South Africa | AB de Villiers (30) | Jason Holder (WI) | Sydney | 2015 |
| 30 | South Africa | David Miller (30) | Solomon Mire (ZIM) | Hamilton | 2015 |
| 30 | South Africa | Jacques Kallis (20), Mark Boucher (5), Extras (5) | Luuk van Troost (NED) | Basseterre | 2007 |
| 30 | New Zealand | Ross Taylor (28), Extras (2) | Abdul Razzaq (PAK) | Pallekele | 2011 |
| 29 | New Zealand | Brendon McCullum (24), Martin Guptill (5) | Steven Finn (ENG) | Wellington | 2015 |
| 28 | Australia | Glenn Maxwell (27), Pat Cummins (0), Extras (1) | Bas de Leede (NED) | Delhi | 2023 |
| 28 | New Zealand | Ross Taylor (28) | Harvir Baidwan (CAN) | Wankhede | 2011 |
| 28 | New Zealand | Ross Taylor (26), Extras (2) | Shoaib Akhtar (PAK) | Pallekele | 2011 |
Key Stats
36: Apart from being the most expensive over in the World Cup, this over is remembered for Herschelle Gibbs’ 6 sixes, making him the first batter to hit 6 sixes in an over in ODIs.
26: South Africa and New Zealand batters have clearly dominated the bowlers in the World Cup. Only players from these 2 teams have scored 26 or more runs on more than 5 occasions.
3: New Zealand’s Ross Taylor was involved in 3 expensive overs, with 2 of them coming in one match against Pakistan in Pallekele. The other came against Canada in Mumbai, when he went all guns blazing in Harvir Baidwan’s over scoring 28 runs.
2: Canada’s bowler Harvir Baidwan was two times unlucky in the same match, as he bowled another expensive over after facing the brunt from Taylor in the 39th over. This time James Franklin did the maximum damage with 28 runs, along with Kane Williamson (1), and smashed 31 runs in the 50th over.
30: South Africa’s Mr. 360, AB de Villiers, lived up to his tag and hammered 34 and 30 runs in Jason Holder’s 48th and 50th overs in 2015 at SCG. ABD is the only batsman who has smashed 30-plus runs in an over twice in the ODI World Cup.
2: Just like Baidwan, Jason Holder also bowled two expensive overs in the same World Cup match. Holder faced the wrath of the powerful AB de Villiers in both overs.
