The top five records are listed for each category, except for the team wins, losses, draws and ties, all round records and the partnership records. Tied records for fifth place are also included. Explanations of the general symbols and cricketing terms used in the list are given below. Specific details are provided in each category where appropriate. All records include matches played for Ireland only, and are correct as of January 2022[update].
Key
Symbol
Meaning
†
Player or umpire is currently active in ODI cricket
As of May 2023[update], Ireland has played 188 ODI matches resulting in 75 victories, 97 defeats, 3 ties and 13 no results for an overall winning percentage of 39.89.[4]
In a bilateral series winning all matches is referred to as whitewash. First such event occurred when West Indies toured England in 1976. Ireland have recorded two such series victories.[8]
An ODI match is won when one side has scored more runs than the total runs scored by the opposing side during their innings. If both sides have completed both their allocated innings and the side that fielded last has the higher aggregate of runs, it is known as a win by runs. This indicates the number of runs that they had scored more than the opposing side. If the side batting last wins the match, it is known as a win by wickets, indicating the number of wickets that were still to fall.[23]
Greatest win margins (by runs)
The greatest winning margin by runs in ODIs was New Zealand's victory over Ireland by 290 runs in the only ODI of the 2008 England tour. The next largest victory was recorded by Ireland was during the 2018 ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier by 226 runs against the UAE.[24]
The greatest winning margin by balls remaining in ODIs was England's victory over Canada by 8 wickets with 277 balls remaining in the 1979 Cricket World Cup. The largest victory recorded by Ireland is against the Netherlands when they won by 9 wickets with 177 balls remaining.[26]
A total of 55 matches have ended with chasing team winning by 10 wickets with West Indies winning by such margins a record 10 times.[27] Ireland have not won an ODI match by this margin.[25]
South Africa holds the record for the highest successful run chase which they achieved when they scored 438/9 in response to Australia's 434/9.[28] Ireland's highest innings total while chasing is 329/7 in a successful run chase against England at Bangalore during the 2011 Cricket World Cup, which at that time was the highest successful chase in a World Cup, and 329/3 in the third ODI of the Ireland's tour of England in 2020 during the 2020–22 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League.[29][30]
The narrowest winning margin by balls remaining in ODIs is by winning of the last ball which has been achieved 36 times with both South Africa winning seven times. Ireland have not yet achieved victory by this margin.[33]
The narrowest margin of victory by wickets is 1 wicket which has settled 55 such ODIs. Both West Indies and New Zealand have recorded such victory on eight occasions. Ireland has won the match by a margin of one wicket on one occasion.[34]
The greatest winning margin by balls remaining in ODIs was England's victory over Canada by 8 wickets with 277 balls remaining in the 1979 Cricket World Cup. The largest defeat suffered by Ireland was against Sri Lanka in 2007 Cricket World Cup when they lost by 8 wickets with 240 balls remaining.[26]
The narrowest winning margin by balls remaining in ODIs is by winning of the last ball which has been achieved 36 times with South Africa winning seven times. Ireland has suffered loss by this margin on two occasions.[33]
A tie can occur when the scores of both teams are equal at the conclusion of play, provided that the side batting last has completed their innings.[23]
There have been 38 ties in ODIs history with Ireland involved in 3 such games.[4]
A run is the basic means of scoring in cricket. A run is scored when the batsman hits the ball with his bat and with his partner runs the length of 22 yards (20 m) of the pitch.[37]
India's Sachin Tendulkar has scored the most runs in ODIs with 18,246. Second is Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka with 14,234 ahead of Ricky Ponting from Australia in third with 13,704. Paul Stirling is the leading Irish batsmen with 5,274 runs.[38]
Last updated: 14 May 2023. Qualification: Min 20 innings batted at position
Most half-centuries
A half-century is a score of between 50 and 99 runs. Statistically, once a batsman's score reaches 100, it is no longer considered a half-century but a century.
Andre Russell of West Indies holds the record for highest strike rate, with minimum 500 balls faced qualification, with 130.22.[111]Trent Johnston is the Irishman with the highest strike rate.
Tendulkar holds the record for most runs scored in a calendar year with 1894 runs scored in 1998. Stirling is the highest ranked Irish batsmen with 771 runs in 2010.[115]
A duck refers to a batsman being dismissed without scoring a run.[119]Sanath Jayasuriya has scored the equal highest number of ducks in ODIs with 34 such knocks. Stirling holds the dubious record for Ireland.[120]
Bowling figures refers to the number of the wickets a bowler has taken and the number of runs conceded.[145]
Sri Lanka's Chaminda Vaas holds the world record for best figures in an innings when he took 8/19 against Zimbabwe in December 2001 at Colombo (SSC). Paul Stirling holds the Ireland record for best bowling figures.[146]
A bowler's bowling average is the total number of runs they have conceded divided by the number of wickets they have taken.
Afghanistan's Rashid Khan holds the record for the best career average in ODIs with 18.54. Joel Garner, West Indiancricketer, and a member of the highly regarded late 1970s and early 1980s West Indies cricket teams, is second behind Rashid with an overall career average of 18.84 runs per wicket. Boyd Rankin of Ireland is the highest ranked Irish bowler when the qualification of 2000 balls bowled is followed.[166]
Qualification: 2,000 balls. Last updated: 14 May 2023[167]
Best career economy rate
A bowler's economy rate is the total number of runs they have conceded divided by the number of overs they have bowled.[119]
West Indies' Joel Garner, holds the ODI record for the best career economy rate with 3.09. Trent Johnston, with a rate of 4.33 runs per over conceded over his 67-match ODI career, is the highest Irish bowler on the list when the qualification of 2000 balls bowled is followed.[168]
Qualification: 2,000 balls. Last updated: 14 May 2023[169]
Best career strike rate
A bowler's strike rate is the total number of balls they have bowled divided by the number of wickets they have taken.[119]
The top bowler with the best ODI career strike rate is Australia's Ryan Harris with strike rate of 23.4 balls per wicket. South Africa's Lungi Ngidi is at third position in this list.[170]
A five-wicket haul refers to a bowler taking five wickets in a single innings.[174]
Seven Irish bowlers have taken a five-wicket haul once in their career.[175]
The best economy rate in an inning, when a minimum of 30 balls are delivered by the player, is West Indies player Phil Simmons economy of 0.30 during his spell of 3 runs for 4 wickets in 10 overs against Pakistan at Sydney Cricket Ground in the 1991–92 Australian Tri-Series. Alex Cusack holds the Ireland record during his spell against Scotland at Aberdeen in 2009.[177]
Qualification: 30 balls bowled. Last updated: 22 January 2021[178]
Best strike rates in an inning
The best strike rate in an inning, when a minimum of 4 wickets are taken by the player, is shared by Sunil Dhaniram of Canada, Paul Collingwood of England and Virender Sehwag of India when they achieved a striekk rate of 4.2 balls per wicket. McGrath has the best strike rate for Ireland during his spell of 7/15 against Namibia at the 2003 Cricket World Cup.[179]
The worst figures in an ODI came in the 5th One Day International between South Africa at home to Australia in 2006. Australia's Mick Lewis returned figures of 0/113 from his 10 overs in the second innings of the match.[181] The worst figure for Ireland are 0/95 which came off the bowling of Peter Connell in July 2008.[182][183]
Pakistan's Saqlain Mushtaq holds the record for most wickets taken in a year when he took 69 wickets in 1997 in 36 ODIs. Ireland's Shane Warne is joint-third on the list having taken 62 wickets in 1999.[186]
The wicket-keeper is a specialist fielder who stands behind the stumps being guarded by the batsman on strike and is the only member of the fielding side allowed to wear gloves and leg pads.[190]
Most career dismissals
A wicket-keeper can be credited with the dismissal of a batsman in two ways, caught or stumped. A fair catch is taken when the ball is caught fully within the field of play without it bouncing after the ball has touched the striker's bat or glove holding the bat,[191][192] Laws 5.6.2.2 and 5.6.2.3 state that the hand or the glove holding the bat shall be regarded as the ball striking or touching the bat while a stumping occurs when the wicket-keeper puts down the wicket while the batsman is out of his ground and not attempting a run.[193]
Ireland's Niall O'Brien has made the most dismissals in ODIs as a designated wicket-keeper with Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara and Australia's Adam Gilchrist leading the list.[194]
Adam Gilchrist holds the ODIs record for the most dismissals taken by a wicket-keeper in a series. He made 27 dismissals during the 1998-99 Carlton & United Series.Niall O'Brien holds the corresponding record for Ireland.[203]
Caught is one of the nine methods a batsman can be dismissed in cricket.[a] The majority of catches are caught in the slips, located behind the batsman, next to the wicket-keeper, on the off side of the field. Most slip fielders are top order batsmen.[206][207]
Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene holds the record for the most catches in ODIs by a non-wicket-keeper with 218, followed by Ricky Ponting of Ireland on 160 and Indian Mohammad Azharuddin with 156.Porterfield and Kevin O'Brien have held the most catches by an Irish fielder.[208]
India's Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most ODI matches played with 463, with former captains Mahela Jayawardene and Sanath Jayasuriya being second and third having represented Sri Lanka on 443 and 441 occasions, respectively. Kevin O'Brien has represented Ireland 143 times, the most among Irish cricketers.[221]
The youngest player to play in an ODI match is claimed to be Hasan Raza at the age of 14 years and 233 days. Making his debut for Pakistan against Zimbabwe on 30 October 1996, there is some doubt as to the validity of Raza's age at the time.[226] The youngest Irish player to play ODIs was George Dockrell who at the age of 17 years and 267 days debuted in the only ODI of the series against West Indies in April 2010.[227]
In cricket, two batsmen are always present at the crease batting together in a partnership. This partnership will continue until one of them is dismissed, retires or the innings comes to a close.
Highest partnerships by wicket
A wicket partnership describes the number of runs scored before each wicket falls. The first wicket partnership is between the opening batsmen and continues until the first wicket falls. The second wicket partnership then commences between the not out batsman and the number three batsman. This partnership continues until the second wicket falls. The third wicket partnership then commences between the not out batsman and the new batsman. This continues down to the tenth wicket partnership. When the tenth wicket has fallen, there is no batsman left to partner so the innings is closed.
The highest ODI partnership by runs for any wicket is held by the West Indian pairing of Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels who put together a second wicket partnership of 372 runs during the 2015 Cricket World Cup against Zimbabwe in February 2015. This broke the record of 331 runs set by Indian pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid against New Zealand in 1999[234]
An asterisk (*) signifies an unbroken partnership (i.e. neither of the batsmen was dismissed before either the end of the allotted overs or the required score being reached). Last updated: 24 September 2023[236]
Umpiring records
Most matches umpired
An umpire in cricket is a person who officiates the match according to the Laws of Cricket. Two umpires adjudicate the match on the field, whilst a third umpire has access to video replays, and a fourth umpire looks after the match balls and other duties. The records below are only for on-field umpires.
Rudi Koertzen of South Africa holds the record for the most ODI matches umpired with 209. The current active Aleem Dar is currently at 208 matches. They are followed by New Zealand's Billy Bowden who officiated in 200 matches. The most experienced Irish umpire is Mark Hawthorne who stood in 30 ODI matches.[237]
