KARACHI: It took 16 long years for Pakistan to record their first win by a clinical margin of 250 or more runs in the history of One-day Internationals when Azhar Ali’s side launched their two-match series against Ireland with a 255-run drubbing of the hosts in Malahide on Thursday.

And although Saturday’s second fixture at the same venue was rained off without a ball being bowled to give the tourists a 1-0 series win, Pakistan can take pride in their ruthless display in the first game to put themselves in right frame of mind for the stern challenge of the England series of five ODIs starting from Wednesday.

Chasing 338 after Sharjeel Khan smashed his way to an 86-ball 152 — the quickest ODI hundred by a Pakistani not named Afridi — Ireland capitulated inside 24 overs at The Village in Malahide just outside Dublin for a measly 82 to suffer their second biggest defeat by runs in 108 ODIs and the ninth heaviest loss in the history of ODI cricket.

New Zealand inflicted the largest loss upon the Irish in July 2008 at Aberdeen by a huge margin of 290 — which to this day is the largest win by any team in an ODI.

Hitherto, Pakistan’s largest such a victory was against Bangladesh during the Asia Cup in June 2000 when the hosts were shot out for 87 while chasing 321 at Dhaka’s Bangabandhu National Stadium, only 24 days before the Bengalis were granted Test status by the International Cricket Council on June 26 that year.

Overall, Pakistan have recorded just two other wins by a margin of 200 or more runs in 878 ODIs.

They annihilated Sri Lanka by 217 runs in the Sharjah Cup final in April 2002 when the menacing pace trio of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar shared eight of the nine wickets the islanders lost — one was a run out and Muttiah Muralitharan was absent injured — before folding up for 78.

And then in their opening fixture of the 2011 World Cup, Pakistan crushed Kenya by 205 runs in the southern Sri Lankan town of Hambantota with skipper Shahid Afridi taking five wickets as the hapless minnows were sent packing for 112 in 33.1 overs.

Naturally, most of the 44 results in the first list below indicate the major teams hold a clear edge over the minnows with 24 victories against 20 when competing against fellow Test member side.

South Africa enjoy a fantastic head-to-head record with seven of their 12 victories by 200 or more runs have come against Test nations and the remaining five against the Associates.

Four of Australia’s nine victories are against fellow Test nations while both England wins were recorded against Test sides (New Zealand and India). Three of Pakistan’s four victories are against the minnows with Sri Lanka also having won thrice against Associate nations and the other two versus Test sides.

West Indies twice won against non-Test teams while their solitary success against a major side is against New Zealand. Out of three wins for India, only one came against a Test team.

Pakistan have suffered only two defeats by 200 or more runs in ODIs. The first time it was by 224 runs against Australia in the triangular competition at Nairobi in August 2002. Their other such debacle was versus Sri Lanka, who sealed a 234-run win at Lahore in January 2009 as Pakistan were shot out for 75 — their lowest-ever total on home soil in what ironically proved to be the last ODI in the country until Zimbabwe played in Lahore in 2015.

Biggest victories by runs in all ODIs:

Minimum margin: 200 runs.

290 — New Zealand vs Ireland (Aberdeen), July 2008; target: 403

275 — Australia vs Afghanistan (Perth), March 2015; target: 418

272 — South Africa vs Zimbabwe (Benoni), Oct 2010; target: 400

258 — South Africa vs Sri Lanka (Paarl), Jan 2012; target: 302

257 — India vs Bermuda (Port of Spain), March 2007; target: 414

257 — South Africa vs West Indies (Sydney), Feb 2015; target: 409

256 — Australia vs Namibia (Potchefstroom), Feb 2003; target: 302

256 — India vs Hong Kong (Karachi), June 2008; target: 375

255 — Pakistan vs Ireland (Malahide, Dublin), Aug 2016; target: 338

245 — Sri Lanka vs India (Sharjah), Oct 2000; target: 300

243 — Sri Lanka vs Bermuda (Port of Spain), March 2007; target: 322

234 — Sri Lanka vs Pakistan (Lahore), Jan 2009; target: 310

233 — Pakistan vs Bangladesh (Dhaka), June 2000; target: 321

232 — Australia vs Sri Lanka (Adelaide), Jan 1985; target: 324

231 — South Africa vs Netherlands (Mohali), March 2011; target: 352

229 — Australia vs Netherlands (Basseterre), March 2007; target: 359

224 — Australia vs Pakistan (Nairobi), Aug 2002; target: 333

221 — South Africa vs Netherlands (Basseterre), March 2007; target: 354

217 — Pakistan vs Sri Lanka (Sharjah), Aug 2002; target: 296

215 — Australia vs New Zealand (St George’s), April 2007; target: 349

215 — West Indies vs Netherlands (Delhi), Feb 2011; target: 331

214 — South Africa vs India (Mumbai), Oct 2015; target: 439

210 — New Zealand vs USA (The Oval), Sept 2010; target: 348

210 — Sri Lanka vs Canada (Hambantota), Feb 2011; target: 333

210 — England vs New Zealand (Edgbaston), June 2015; target: 409

209 — South Africa vs West Indies Cape Town), Jan 2004; target: 264

208 — South Africa vs Kenya (Cape Town), Oct 2001; target: 355

208 — Australia vs India (Sydney), Feb 2004; target: 360

208 — West Indies vs Canada (Kingston), April 2013; target: 317

206 — New Zealand vs Australia (Adelaide), Jan 1986; target: 277

206 — Sri Lanka vs Netherlands (RPS, Colombo), Sept 2002; target: 293

206 — South Africa vs Bangladesh (Dhaka), March 2011; target; 285

205 — Pakistan vs Kenya (Hambantota), Feb 2011; target 318

203 — Australia vs Scotland (Basseterre), March 2007; target: 335

203 — West Indies vs New Zealand (Hamilton), Jan 2014; target: 364

202 — England vs India (Lord’s), June 1975; target: 335

202 — South Africa vs Kenya (Nairobi), Oct 1996; target: 306

202 — Zimbabwe vs Kenya (Dhaka), March 1999; target: 326

202 — New Zealand vs Zimbabwe (Napier), Feb 2012; target: 374

201 — South Africa vs Ireland (Canberra), March 2015; target: 412

200 — India vs Bangladesh (Dhaka), April 2003; target: 277

200 — New Zealand vs India (Dambulla), Aug 2010; target: 289

200 — Australia vs Scotland (Edinburgh), Sept 2013; target: 363

Pakistan’s biggest victories by runs in ODIs.

Minimum margin: 150 runs.

255 — vs Ireland (Malahide, Dublin), Aug 2016; target: 338

233 — vs Bangladesh (Dhaka), June 2000; target: 321

217 — vs Sri Lanka (Sharjah), April 2002; target: 296

205 — vs Kenya (Hambantota), Feb 2011; target: 318

192 — vs Sri Lanka (Trent Bridge), June 1975; target: 331

182 — vs South Africa (Port Elizabeth), Dec 2002; target: 336

173 — vs Bangladesh (Chittagong), Oct 1988; target: 285

173 — vs Hong Kong (SSC, Colombo), July 2004; target: 339

171 — vs Namibia (Kimberley), Feb 2003; target: 256

165 — vs England (Karachi), Dec 2005; target: 354

159 — vs India (Delhi), April 2005; target: 304

155 — vs Hong Kong (Karachi), June 2008; target: 289

153 — vs New Zealand (Karachi), April 2002; target: 276

152 — vs Bangladesh (Dhaka), March 1999; target: 294

152 — vs Bangladesh (Lahore), April 2008; target: 282

150 — vs Bangladesh (Karachi), April 2008; target: 330  

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2016