ODI history was created at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground during the second ODI between Afghanistan and Ireland. Paul Stirling and Rashid Khan both picked up a six-wicket haul in the match that was won by Afghanistan and for the first time in ODI history, two bowlers had taken a six-fer in the same ODI.
In the history of ODIs, never before have two bowlers picked up a six-wicket haul in the same match but in the 3851th ODI, it finally happened as two spinners scripted ODI history. Although there have been six-wicket hauls in ODIs achieved many times, never before have two bowlers taken one in the same ODI until 17th March 2017.
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After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Afghanistan got off to a great start. And despite Stirling’s incredible six-wicket haul, which was also his career-best figures in ODIs, they managed to post 338 in their 50 overs. In response, the 18-year-old Rashid Khan turned in his career-best ODI performance as he finished with figures of 6/43 to bowl Ireland out for 304 and help the hosts win by 34 runs and claim a 2-0 lead in the series.
Paul Stirling became only the 12th bowler to pick a six-wicket haul in an ODI and still end on the losing side. He is the first Irish bowler to achieve this unwanted feat and the first spinner to pick up a six-fer in an ODI defeat.
Muttiah Muralitharan’s figures of 10-3-9-5 against New Zealand in 2002 was the previous best bowling figures by a spinner in defeat but Stirling's figures of 10-0-55-6 is the best figures by a spinner in defeat in ODIs. What makes it even more impressive is that Stirling is an opener and is just a part-time bowler.
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The 18-year-old leg-spinner even got close to another record but he had to be content with being the third-youngest bowler to take a five-wicket haul in ODIs. At the age of just 18 years and 178 days, Rashid Khan has an ODI five-wicket haul but one bowler got to the mark faster.
Waqar Younis not only holds the record for being the youngest to take an ODI five-wicket haul at 18 years and 164 days against Sri Lanka in 1990 but he is also the second-youngest as he repeated his heroics two days later against New Zealand in Sharjah.
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