Top 10 bowling performances in ODIs

Bowlers dont always enjoy helpful bowling conditions to make full use of their capabilities and feast upon the batsmen, but when they get a slightly favourable pitch more often thannot we can see the best coming out of a bowler.ODI cricket has seen many brilliant bowling performances, and here we have a look at the best 10 of them. On an interesting note India, Australia and Sri Lanka have two representations each. But Pakistan proves their superiority in bowling with as many as three of their players finding themselves intop 10 positions.NOTE: This is a purely statistics-based ranking.

#10 Anil Kumble

6.1 Overs – 2 Maidens – 12 Runs – 6 Wickets – 1.94 Economy

The leg-spinner was too good for the West Indian batsmen who failed miserably chasing the modest Indian total of 225 in Kolkata, 1993.

The match was the final C.A.B. Jubilee Tournament in which West Indies won the toss and chose to field. Kumble captured the last 6 wickets of the run chase handling the Carribean team a thrashing at the famous Eden Gardens. Kumble’s spin found its way to rattle the timber four times in the match.

#9 Stuart Binny

4.4 Overs – 2 Maidens – 4 Runs – 6 Wickets – 0.85 Economy

The Indian playing in his 3^rd ODI produced one of the fine spells we can expect from an all-rounder. After being invited to bat first India were dismissed for a poor total of 105 in a rain affected strip that aided fast bowlers.

Binny who came on as the first change in 10^th over, started with two maidens and ended with match winning performance with his medium pacers helping India to a 47 run win. His explots with the ball overshadowed right-arm swing bowler Mohit Sharma’s vital 4 wickets and debutant Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed’s record breaking five-for.

Binny is the only bowler who bowled less than 5 overs and still made it to the top 10 best ODI performances.

#8 Winston Davis

10.3 Overs – 0 Maidens – 51 Runs – 7 Wickets – 4.85 Economy

In the 1983 World Cup where bowlers were allowed to bowl a maximum of 12 overs in the 60 over format, the West Indian ripped apart the Australian middle order. Choosing to field first Australia ended the match 101 runs short of West Indian total.

The match was played at Headingley, Leeds.

#7 Aaqib Javed

10 overs – 1 Maiden – 37 Runs – 7 Wickets – 3.7 Economy

The match at Sharjah in 1991, witnessed India struggle against the right-arm pace of Javed and were dismissed for 190 chasing 263.

India chose to field first against their arch-rivals, but they must not have predicted the success of the Pakistani bowler who at 19 years of age became the youngest to take a hat-trick. His record still stands.

#6 Waqar Younis

10 Overs – 0 Maidens – 36 Runs – 7 Wickets – 3.6 Economy

The Pakistani right-arm pacer bowled out his full quota of overs straight up against England, reducing them to 58/7 by the 19th over in Headingley, Leeds, 2001.

Waqar decided to field first and made early inroads to get England all out for 156. Pakistan were at 153-4 in 39.5 overs and were declared victorious as England conceded the game after a pitch invasion.

#5 Muttiah Muralitharan

10 Overs – 1 Maiden – 30 Runs – 7 Wickets – 3.00 Economy

India’s middle order was not expecting this kind of performance from the Sri Lankan spin wizard who ended any chances of a successful chase after India chose to bat second under lights in Sharjah in 2000.

Responding to the Sri Lankan score of 294 that saw Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene score centuries, India were bundled out for 226.

#4 Andy Bichel

10 Overs – 0 Maidens – 20 Runs – 7 Wickets – 2.00 Economy

Playing England in a group stage match of the 2003 World Cup in Port Elizabeth, pacer Andy Bichel ensured that he have his A game against Ashes rivals.

Deciding to bat first, England found no answer to the first change bowler who came on in the 10th over the innings. He removed 4 English batsmen in his first spell before coming back to pick 3 more at the death.

The right-handed Bichel coming in at No.10 scored 34* from 32 balls and was involved in a 73 run partnership with Michael Beven, steering Australia to a thrilling win with just 2 balls and 2 wickets to spare chasing 205.

#3 Glenn McGrath

7 Overs – 4 Maidens – 15 runs – 7 Wickets – 2.14 Economy

Batting first in Potchefstroom’s North West Cricket Stadium, South Africa, at the 2003 Cricket World Cup, Australia’s huge total of 301 seemed too much for Namibia who were dismissed for a paltry 45.

Glenn McGrath claimed 7 Namibian wickets with his accurate line and length. Adam Gilchrist, behind the stumps, took 4 catches from McGrath’s bowling to help Australia towards a 256 run win.

#2 Shahid Afridi

9 overs - 3 Maidens – 12 Runs – 7 Wickets – 1.33 Economy

The leg-spinner in Afridi was in full flow against West Indies at Providence, Guyana, in 2013, when the home side was chasing a target of 225 runs to win. Afridi’s spell helped Pakistan beat the Carribean team comfortably by 126 runs. Afridi was the sixth bowler used and he came on to bowl only in the 23^rd over. Straightaway he removed 2 batsmen in 2 balls and kept on taking wickets to end up as the best bowler.

Jason Holder who conceded just 13 runs in his 10 overs earlier in the day picking up 4 wickets was unlucky to see Afridi emerge as the Man of the Match.

#1 Chaminda Vaas

8 Overs – 3 Maidens – 19 Runs – 8 Wickets – 2.37 Economy

The only bowler who has picked up 8 wickets in an innings of a one-day international. The left-arm seamer from Sri Lanka achieved this milestone against Zimbabwe in 2001 at Colombo (SSC), when he picked up the first 8 wickets to fall. Muttiah Muralitharan consumed the last two batsmen that denied Vaas a chance for a perfect ten.

Fielding first Vaas helped the island nation restrict Zimbabwe to just 38.

Vaas bowled 8 straight overs from the start with the new ball and also picked up a hat-trick in his sixth over the innings. 5 of his wickets needed no help from his teammates with 4 leg-before wickets and one bowled.