2013 in Review: Top 10 ODI bowlers of the year

4. Mitchell McClenaghan

Mitchell McClenaghan

This medium pace sensation from New Zealand is sure destined for great things and could well be on the way of filling the shoes of names like Scott Styris or even Jacob Oram in the Kiwi ranks. He got 4 wickets for 20 runs against South Africa on debut in January. It took him just 8 more games to get in 3 more such hauls, the other ones all coming against different oppositions-England, Sri Lanka and Australia- all good, competitive teams.

That speaks volumes about his wicket-taking ability and he will be one prospect New Zealand will surely explore and use to the fullest. He was the only Kiwi to make it to the ICC One-Day XI of 2013, while no Kiwi was selected for the Test side.

He can be a tad expensive at times, but that is acceptable with the batsman friendly rules that govern cricket today and the fact that he can produce breakthroughs that are more important any day. He has an impressive List-A record with almost 2 wickets every time he has bowled. One can expect him to dominate the New Zealand fast bowling department in future years to come, and he can be ranked among the best in the business once he starts bowling more economically.

3. Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn

His name being here is no surprise. Nor will it be so for the next 4-5 years at least, seeing how fit this 30-year old looks and runs in with all the menace in his action and eyes that he has had from the time he has earned the reputation of being the most savage of all bowlers of recent time. He has 27 wickets from 13 games this year, but what stands out is the astonishingly low average-15.85, and a more astonishingly low economy of 3.65, which is way better than any of the other top 30 wicket-takers of the year, none of whom come below 4.

These are amazing statistics and only Steyn has the potential to have such numbers against his name. His best performances came in November when he took 6/39 and 5/25 against Pakistan at Port Elizabeth and Abu Dhabi respectively. He bagged 3 wickets in each of the 2 games against India at home in the series that South Africa won 2-0.

He can be called the most destructive fast bowler in the world today. And most effective too, as the numbers and his match winning performances suggest. It is difficult to find an answer to his pace and swing, and there are extremely few instances when he has gone wicket-less. It is likely to remain so in the future provided he stays fit. This year, he was selected for the 6^th consecutive time in the ICC One-Day XI team.