Pakistan remains the only team in One Day International (ODI) cricket history to register one of the game’s most unwanted batting records on three separate occasions. Across the history of ODI cricket, there have been only six innings in which six batters from the same team were dismissed without scoring a run. Remarkably, Pakistan accounts for half of those instances.
A batter getting out for a duck is a common part of cricket, but seeing six players dismissed for zero in the same innings is exceptionally rare. Such a collapse usually reflects a dramatic batting failure and often leaves a lasting mark in the record books.
Pakistan Leads an Unwanted List
The unusual record first appeared in 1987, and Pakistan was the team involved. Since then, only a handful of countries have experienced a similar collapse. Besides Pakistan, the list includes South Africa, Zimbabwe and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), each of which has recorded the feat once.
Pakistan, however, stands apart after suffering this fate on three different occasions, making it the only team in ODI history with multiple entries on the list.
The First Instance Came Against England
The first occurrence was on 25 May 1987 during an ODI against England in Birmingham.
Despite six Pakistan batters being dismissed for ducks, the team still managed to post 213 for 9. The innings remains one of the more unusual scorecards in ODI cricket, as the contributions from a few batters were enough to take the total beyond 200 despite so many failures elsewhere in the lineup.
It demonstrated how an innings can contain both significant individual contributions and a remarkable number of scoreless dismissals at the same time.
A Historic Collapse Against the West Indies
Pakistan’s most dramatic batting failure came nearly six years later.
On 25 February 1993 in Cape Town, Pakistan faced the West Indies and produced one of the lowest totals in ODI history. The entire side was bowled out for just 43 runs, with six batters failing to score.
The innings is widely remembered as one of the poorest batting displays ever seen in the 50-over format. The combination of an extremely low total and six ducks highlighted the dominance of the opposition bowling attack and Pakistan’s inability to build any meaningful partnerships.
South Africa and Zimbabwe Also Entered the Record Books
The unwanted record was repeated on 22 January 2002, when South Africa faced Australia in Sydney.
South Africa were dismissed for 106 runs, and six of their batters returned to the pavilion without opening their accounts.
Several years later, on 20 November 2008, Zimbabwe joined the list during a match against Sri Lanka in Harare. Although Zimbabwe managed 127 runs, six members of the batting order were dismissed for ducks, placing them alongside the other teams with this rare statistical record.
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Pakistan’s Third Entry Came in 2012
Pakistan’s third appearance on the list came on 16 June 2012 during an ODI against Sri Lanka at the R. Premadasa Stadium.
Chasing a target, Pakistan were bowled out for 199 runs, but once again six batters failed to score. That innings confirmed Pakistan as the first and, so far, only team to record six ducks in an ODI innings on three separate occasions.
The statistic continues to stand out as one of the more unusual records in international cricket, illustrating how quickly batting line-ups can unravel under pressure.
UAE Became the Latest Team to Join the List
The most recent addition to this unwanted record came on 7 November 2024.
Playing against Oman in Al Amerat, the United Arab Emirates were dismissed for 78 runs, with six batters scoring ducks. As a result, UAE became the sixth recorded instance of six ducks in a single ODI innings and joined Pakistan, South Africa and Zimbabwe in this rare category.
A Rare Record in ODI Cricket
Across decades of ODI cricket, batting collapses have produced many surprising statistics, but six ducks in a single innings remains one of the rarest. With only six such instances recorded, the record highlights just how extraordinary these batting failures are.
While several teams have experienced the misfortune once, Pakistan continues to hold the unwanted distinction of appearing on the list three times, making it one of the most unusual records in the history of One Day International cricket.
