A successful ODI chase is not judged by the target alone. The best combine a huge ask with pressure, wickets falling, elite opposition and a memorable finish.
This list covers men’s senior international ODIs only. It includes completed victories, not ties or failed chases. Scorecards were checked on 17 October 2026. The ranking is editorial, not an official ICC list or a simple target-size order.
Key Takeaways
– South Africa’s 438/9 against Australia remains the highest successful chase in this selected set.
– India’s 2002 NatWest final win ranks highly because it combined a 325 target, a collapse to 146/5 and a three-ball finish.
– Partnerships changed the pressure: Kohli–Jadhav, Shakib–Litton and McMillan–McCullum all rescued chases from difficult positions.
– No match below uses a DLS-revised target. Each target is the first-innings score plus one, as shown by the scorecard.
In This Guide
- Quick Comparison Of The Ten Chases
- How This Editorial Ranking Was Decided
- Rank 1: South Africa’s 438/9 Against Australia
- Rank 2: India’s NatWest Final Comeback At Lord’s
- Rank 3: India’s 362/1 In Jaipur
- Rank 4: South Africa’s Durban 372 Chase
- Rank 5: England’s 364/4 Against West Indies
- Rank 6: India’s Pune Recovery Against England
- Rank 7: Bangladesh’s World Cup Chase Against West Indies
- Rank 8: New Zealand’s One-Wicket Hamilton Escape
- Rank 9: Australia’s Ashton Turner Chase In Mohali
- Rank 10: India’s Lahore Chase In The Pakistan Rivalry
- What These Chases Show
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Source And Cutoff Note
Quick Comparison Of The Ten Chases
The table gives the factual spine. “Balls left” means unused deliveries in 50 overs.
| Rank | Match And Venue | Date | Target | Final Score | Winning Margin | Balls Left | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa v Australia, Johannesburg | 12 Mar 2006 | 435 | 438/9 in 49.5 | 1 wicket | 1 | Bilateral ODI |
| 2 | India v England, Lord’s | 13 Jul 2002 | 326 | 326/8 in 49.3 | 2 wickets | 3 | NatWest final |
| 3 | India v Australia, Jaipur | 16 Oct 2013 | 360 | 362/1 in 43.3 | 9 wickets | 39 | Bilateral ODI |
| 4 | South Africa v Australia, Durban | 5 Oct 2016 | 372 | 372/6 in 49.2 | 4 wickets | 4 | Bilateral ODI |
| 5 | England v West Indies, Bridgetown | 20 Feb 2019 | 361 | 364/4 in 48.4 | 6 wickets | 8 | Bilateral ODI |
| 6 | India v England, Pune | 15 Jan 2017 | 351 | 356/7 in 48.1 | 3 wickets | 11 | Bilateral ODI |
| 7 | Bangladesh v West Indies, Taunton | 17 Jun 2019 | 322 | 322/3 in 41.3 | 7 wickets | 51 | World Cup league match |
| 8 | New Zealand v Australia, Hamilton | 20 Feb 2007 | 347 | 350/9 in 49.3 | 1 wicket | 3 | Chappell–Hadlee Trophy |
| 9 | Australia v India, Mohali | 10 Mar 2019 | 359 | 359/6 in 47.5 | 4 wickets | 13 | Bilateral ODI |
| 10 | India v Pakistan, Lahore | 21 Mar 2004 | 294 | 294/5 in 45.0 | 5 wickets | 30 | Series level at 2–2 |
How This Editorial Ranking Was Decided
Target size is the starting point, not the finish line. A 435 chase carries a different burden from a 294 chase. But a side that reaches 326 after falling to 146/5 may have faced more match pressure than a side that reaches 360/1 with 39 balls unused.
Partnership figures follow the scorecard. Where a stand comes from two fall-of-wicket totals, it is labelled as calculated. It is not a reconstructed ball-by-ball claim.
Zero-baseline comparison of the ten ODI chase targets, with final score and finish state. Data: completed scorecards checked 17 October 2026.
The chart uses a zero baseline, so the bar lengths show the target without visual distortion.
Rank 1: South Africa’s 438/9 Against Australia
New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg — 12 March 2006
Australia made 434/4, powered by Ricky Ponting’s 164 from 105 balls, Michael Hussey’s 81 and Simon Katich’s 79. South Africa needed 435. It reached 438/9 in 49.5 overs, winning by one wicket with one ball left.
Herschelle Gibbs made 175 from 111 balls. Graeme Smith added 90 from 55, and Mark Boucher finished unbeaten on 50. The Smith–Gibbs stand was 187 runs, calculated from the scorecard’s 3/1 and 190/2 fall-of-wicket totals.
South Africa reached 433/9. Andrew Hall fell with one run still needed before Makhaya Ntini helped complete the winning single.
No. 1 combines scale and danger. Australia had posted 434, yet South Africa still had only one wicket and one ball in hand.
Rank 2: India’s NatWest Final Comeback At Lord’s
Lord’s, London — 13 July 2002
England scored 325/5, with Nasser Hussain making 115 and Marcus Trescothick 109. India’s target was 326. India finished on 326/8 in 49.3 overs, winning the NatWest Series final by two wickets with three balls left.
Sourav Ganguly’s 60 and Virender Sehwag’s 45 gave India a fast start, but India fell from 106/1 to 146/5. Yuvraj Singh made 69 and Mohammad Kaif stayed unbeaten on 87.
The Yuvraj–Kaif partnership was 121 runs, calculated from the scorecard sequence of 146/5 to 267/6. Kaif later added a calculated 47 with Harbhajan Singh, moving India to 314/7. Two late wickets left the finish exposed, but Kaif held his nerve.
A final at Lord’s changes the meaning of every required run. This chase combined a strong score, a collapse, a young partnership and a three-ball finish.
Rank 3: India’s 362/1 In Jaipur
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur — 16 October 2013
Australia made 359/5. George Bailey led the way with an unbeaten 92 from 50 balls. Glenn Maxwell made 53 from 32, and Shane Watson scored 59. India needed 360 and reached 362/1 in 43.3 overs, winning by nine wickets with 39 balls remaining.
Shikhar Dhawan made 95. Rohit Sharma finished unbeaten on 141 from 123 balls, and Virat Kohli made an unbeaten 100 from only 52. Dhawan and Rohit added 176, the scorecard fall-of-wicket total at Dhawan’s dismissal. Rohit and Kohli then added an unbeaten 186, calculated from 176/1 to 362/1.
Kohli’s 52-ball hundred was the decisive burst. India sustained the rate without needing a last-over gamble.
It ranks third because the finish was emphatic, not desperate. Jaipur earns its place through target, opposition quality and sustained precision.
Rank 4: South Africa’s Durban 372 Chase
Kingsmead, Durban — 5 October 2016
Australia posted 371/6. David Warner made 117 and Steven Smith 108. South Africa’s target was 372. It reached 372/6 in 49.2 overs, winning by four wickets with four balls remaining.
Quinton de Kock scored 70 from 49 and Hashim Amla made 45 from 30. David Miller produced the defining innings: 118 not out from 79 balls. Andile Phehlukwayo made an unbeaten 42.
South Africa’s chase reached 217/5 and then 265/6. Miller and Phehlukwayo responded with a 107-run stand, calculated from 265/6 to the final 372/6. That partnership absorbed the late pressure and left Australia without enough deliveries to force another collapse.
Australia’s 371 included two hundreds. South Africa had to answer that platform and then recover after six wickets had fallen.
Rank 5: England’s 364/4 Against West Indies
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown — 20 February 2019
West Indies made 360/8, led by Chris Gayle’s 135 from 129 balls and Shai Hope’s 64. England needed 361 and completed the chase at 364/4 in 48.4 overs, winning by six wickets with eight balls left.
Jason Roy made 123 from 85 balls. Joe Root scored 102 from 97, and Eoin Morgan added 65 from 51. Roy and Jonny Bairstow put on a calculated 91 before Bairstow fell. Roy and Root added 114, then Root and Morgan added 116 from 205/2 to 321/3.
Roy’s tempo stopped the target from becoming a final-over problem. Root then converted the platform into a century, and Morgan’s 65 removed the last opening.
Its value is the control: tempo, wickets in hand and successive partnerships.
Rank 6: India’s Pune Recovery Against England
Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune — 15 January 2017
England made 350/7, with Jason Roy scoring 73, Joe Root 78 and Ben Stokes 62. India’s target was 351. India reached 356/7 in 48.1 overs, winning by three wickets with 11 balls remaining.
India’s start was poor. It was 63/4. Virat Kohli made 122 from 105 balls, and Kedar Jadhav hit 120 from 76. The pair added 200 runs, from 63/4 to 263/5, as recorded by the scorecard sequence. Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten 40 then helped close the chase.
Jadhav’s innings kept India from being trapped by the required rate while Kohli provided control. Their stand restored the value of every remaining wicket.
Pune ranks sixth because the recovery began from a genuine crisis at 63/4.
Rank 7: Bangladesh’s World Cup Chase Against West Indies
The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton — 17 June 2019
West Indies scored 321/8, led by Shai Hope’s 96, Evin Lewis’s 70 and Shimron Hetmyer’s 50 from 26 balls. Bangladesh needed 322 and reached 322/3 in 41.3 overs, winning by seven wickets with 51 balls left.
Tamim Iqbal made 48. Shakib Al Hasan scored an unbeaten 124, and Litton Das finished unbeaten on 94. Bangladesh had reached 133/3 when Shakib and Litton took control. Their unbeaten stand was 189 runs, from 133/3 to 322/3, as shown by the scorecard sequence.
Shakib also took 2/54. Bangladesh did not need a close finish to make the match important: it was a World Cup chase with a middle-order wobble and a stand that erased the risk.
Tournament pressure lifts this above some larger bilateral chases. See the World Cup chase companion.
Rank 8: New Zealand’s One-Wicket Hamilton Escape
Seddon Park, Hamilton — 20 February 2007
Australia made 346/5. Matthew Hayden hit an unbeaten 181 from 166 balls. New Zealand needed 347 and finished on 350/9 in 49.3 overs, winning by one wicket with three balls remaining.
Craig McMillan scored 117 and Brendon McCullum made 86 not out. Peter Fulton added 51. New Zealand fell to 41/4. Fulton and McMillan then put on a calculated 75 from 41/4 to 116/5. McMillan and McCullum added 165 from 116/5 to 281/6.
McCullum shepherded the tail after McMillan fell. New Zealand reached 339/9 before the final push.
Hamilton ranks eighth only because other matches bring a final, a World Cup or a larger target. Its 347 chase after 41/4 is one of the strongest recovery stories here.
Rank 9: Australia’s Ashton Turner Chase In Mohali
Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali — 10 March 2019
India made 358/9, led by Shikhar Dhawan’s 143 and Rohit Sharma’s 95. Australia needed 359. It reached 359/6 in 47.5 overs, winning by four wickets with 13 balls left.
Usman Khawaja made 91 and Peter Handscomb scored 117. Australia was 12/2 before the chase settled. Khawaja and Handscomb added a calculated 192 from 12/2 to 204/3. Ashton Turner then struck an unbeaten 84 from 43 balls. His stand with Alex Carey was a calculated 86 from 271/5 to 357/6.
Turner’s late hitting turned a long rebuild into a controlled victory with 13 balls unused.
Mohali ranks ninth for its high target, early wickets and memorable acceleration.
Rank 10: India’s Lahore Chase In The Pakistan Rivalry
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore — 21 March 2004
Pakistan made 293/9, with Inzamam-ul-Haq scoring 123. India needed 294 and finished on 294/5 in 45 overs, winning by five wickets with 30 balls remaining.
Virender Sehwag made 26, Yuvraj Singh scored 36 and Rahul Dravid made an unbeaten 76. Mohammad Kaif finished unbeaten on 71. India fell to 94/4 before the recovery. Dravid and Yuvraj moved the score to 162/5; that stand is 68 runs, calculated from the fall-of-wicket sequence. Dravid and Kaif then added an unbeaten 132.
The target was modest beside the 350-plus matches. The series was level at 2–2, and Dravid and Kaif answered India–Pakistan pressure with a measured finish.
Lahore earns the final place because context made 294 feel heavier than its headline suggests.
What These Chases Show
Partnerships Reset The Required Rate
The useful pattern is the partnership that changes the match state. Kohli–Jadhav added 200 after 63/4. Shakib–Litton added 189 after 133/3. McMillan–McCullum added 165 after 41/4. Dravid–Kaif added an unbeaten 132 after five wickets were down.
Wickets In Hand Change The Meaning Of A Target
Jaipur proves that a huge chase can become safe when wickets remain. Johannesburg proves the opposite: a record target can still reach the final ball with one wicket left. Both are great, but for different reasons.
The chart separates target size from finish pressure.
Context Makes A Chase Memorable
The 2002 final, 2019 World Cup match and level 2004 India–Pakistan series add weight beyond a routine bilateral result.
For wider context, use the Cricket World Cup winners list.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Highest Successful Chase In Men’s ODI Cricket?
South Africa’s 438/9 against Australia in Johannesburg on 12 March 2006 is the highest successful chase in this verified ranking. Australia made 434/4, setting a displayed target of 435. South Africa won with one wicket and one ball remaining.
Which ODI Chase Was The Most Dramatic?
That answer is subjective. This ranking places Johannesburg first for the size of the target and the one-ball finish. India’s 2002 NatWest final is the strongest alternative because it combined a final, a collapse to 146/5 and a finish with three balls left.
How Are Wickets And Balls Remaining Calculated?
Wickets remaining are ten minus the number of wickets lost. Balls remaining are the unused deliveries in a 50-over innings. A finish at 49.5 overs leaves one ball. A finish at 48.4 leaves eight balls. The result wording on each checked scorecard matches these calculations.
Were Any DLS-Revised Targets Included?
No. Each selected scorecard uses a conventional target equal to the first-innings total plus one. None of the ten matches in this article used a DLS-revised target.
Why Is Bangladesh’s 322 Chase Included Ahead Of Some Larger Chases?
Because the list ranks greatness, not target size alone. Bangladesh chased 322 in a 2019 World Cup match, recovered from 133/3 and finished with an unbeaten 189-run stand between Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das. Tournament pressure and the turning point give it a stronger case than some larger, more comfortable chases.
Source And Cutoff Note
The factual fields come from completed ESPNcricinfo and ESPN scorecards checked on 17 October 2026. The tournament match is identified within the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup record. Over conventions follow the MCC Laws of Cricket. Cricbuzz is a secondary reference; its URL remains private. Detailed URLs, partnership bases and exclusions are in the research ledger. The ranking is not an ICC or MCC official order.
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