Top five expensive spells in One-Day cricket

3. Muttiah Muralitharan (0/99 in 10 overs; Aus vs SL, Sydney, 12 Feb 2006)

The wily off-spinner also came in for severe punishment at the hands of the burly former all-rounder Andrew Symonds as Australia mounted a stunning comeback in the second final of the VB Series in 2006.

After Chaminda Vaas’s initial opening burst had the 2003 World Cup winners three down for just ten runs, Symonds joined skipper Ricky Ponting and proceeded to unleash all sorts of brutal strokes over the ground. Murali was targeted for special treatment.

Symonds drove the off spinner for a huge six over long-on and then launched the next ball into the Members’ Stand en-route to a magnificent century. Ponting also took the ruthless approach, aggravated by Jaywardene’s claim of having him caught at backward point, and blasted boundaries off Murali at will, leaving him completely flabbergasted.

To round off a rather poor day, Mike Hussey also tonked the off-spinner for a six in an over that went for 21 runs, as he and Michael Clarke plundered more than a hundred runs in the last ten overs. Sri Lanka stood no chance of overhauling the massive target, and went down by 167 runs, with Murali falling one run short of conceding a century in his 60-ball spell.