On this day in 2003, West Indies under the captaincy of Brian Lara chased down the highest total in the history of the game against Australia at Antigua Recreation Ground, St John’s, Antigua.
In the final game of the four-match series, the home side bowled out Australia for 417 and was required 418 runs to win the game. Both the team were bundled out on 240 in their first innings.
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For Windies, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul played a vital role in the run-chase. The duo went on to build a 123-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Sarwan played a knock of 105 runs while Chanderpaul amassed 104 runs before being picked by Brett Lee.
Tailenders Omari Banks and Vasbert Drakes were remained unbeaten on 47 and 27 runs respectively to confirm their side’s victory in the game. West Indies won the match by three wickets. Chanderpaul was awarded Player of the Match for his knock.
Skipper Lara also added 60 crucial runs to the scoreboard. Despite the loss, Australia, lead by Ricky Ponting, won the series by 3-1.
Till date, it remains the highest successful run chase in the longest format of the game.
In 2013, South Africa went very close to break Windies’ record in the format. Chasing 458 runs against India in Johannesburg, the Proteas fell eight-run shy of the target and the match ended in a draw.