When a bowler bowls well, he may have the world’s best one-day international bowling figures. The balance of power between the bat and the ball is crucial in cricket. Bowlers produce the best bowling figures in the game, capturing the attention of everyone. Bowlers can quickly turn a match on its head, and every team must have at least one best bowler who has all of the variations and control over the opposing batters. There is almost no better sight in the game than a bowler running through the batting order by himself. For their outstanding bowling performances, they are frequently named players of the match. There have been several instances in ODI cricket where bowlers’ dream spells have helped their teams to win games. Let’s take a look at the top-best bowling figures from One-Day International cricket history.
Best Bowling Figures in ODI: Who has the best bowling figures in One Day Internationals?
| Ranking Pos | Player Name | Team/Country | Overs | Maiden Overs | Runs Given | Econ | Wickets | Against/Vs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WPUJC Vaas | Sri Lanka | 8 | 3 | 19 | 2.37 | 8 | Zimbabwe |
| 2 | Shahid Afridi | Pakistan | 9 | 3 | 12 | 1.33 | 7 | West Indies |
| 3 | GD McGrath | Australia | 7 | 4 | 15 | 2.14 | 7 | Namibia |
| 4 | Rashid Khan | Afghanistan | 8.4 | 1 | 18 | 2.07 | 7 | West Indies |
| 5 | AJ Bichel | Australia | 10 | 0 | 20 | 2.00 | 7 | England |
| 6 | M Muralitharan | Sri Lanka | 10 | 1 | 30 | 3.00 | 7 | India |
| 7 | TG Southee | New Zealand | 9 | 0 | 33 | 3.66 | 7 | England |
| 8 | TA Boult | New Zealand | 10 | 3 | 34 | 3.40 | 7 | West Indies |
| 9 | Waqar Younis | Pakistan | 10 | 0 | 36 | 3.60 | 7 | England |
| 10 | Aaqib Javed | Pakistan | 10 | 1 | 37 | 3.70 | 7 | India |
1. Chaminda Vaas Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe – 8/19
Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas (1994-2009) is a former Sri Lankan international cricketer. He was a former Sri Lankan ODI captain who is widely regarded as “the greatest fast bowler Sri Lanka has ever produced” due to his highly accurate lines, lengths, and ability to swing the ball. Chaminda Vaas tops the list of best bowling figures, running through Zimbabwe’s batting lineup single-handedly and taking 08 wickets. Except for WPUJC Vaas, no bowler has taken 08 wickets out of 10 wickets in ODI cricket history. His achievement came against Zimbabwe in Colombo (SSC) ground in 2001. Chaminda Vaas bowled 08 overs, allowing only 19 runs, and 03 maiden overs.
2. Shahid Afridi Best Bowling Figures In ODI – 7/12
Pakistan’s allrounder, Shahid Afridi, is one of the most enigmatic players in the game. He was called up to the Pakistan ODI squad as a 16-year-old and was unfazed by all the speculation about his true age. In only his second One-Day International (ODI) against Sri Lanka in 1996, he blasted his way to a 37-ball century. Before Corey Anderson broke the record in January 2014, it had been the fastest century in the ODI format for more than 17 years. Afridi’s brilliant century came after he was sent in as a pinch-hitter at one point and was selected as a leg-spinner to replace the injured Mushtaq Ahmed!
His versatility with both the bat and the ball is documented in the record books, as he is ranked second among all-time best bowlers in terms of ODI bowling figures. Shahid Afridi took 07 wickets against the West Indies in Providence ground in 2013. In his nine-over spell, Afridi also had a 1.33 economy rate while allowing only 12 runs.
3. Glenn McGrath vs Namibia – 7/15
Glenn McGrath wasn’t the quickest or the most cunning bowler of all time, but in a 14-year career, he had the simplest tool kit for menacing returns, scalping a staggering 563 Test wickets to end up statistically, if not otherwise, as the greatest ever fast bowler. His famous partnership with Shane Warne bullied opponents, mentally crippling them to engineer improbable victories that enabled an all-time great Australian side to maintain its warfare. Glenn McGrath had another outstanding performance as an Australian bowler in the 2003 ODI World Cup, picking up 07 wickets and conceding only 15 runs at Potchefstroom ground. 04 of the 07 overs he bowled in his spell were maidens.
4. Rashid Khan Best Bowling Figures In ODI – 7/18
Rashid Khan Arman is an Afghan cricketer and former national team captain. Rashid Khan made his ODI debut in October 2015, less than a month after his 17th birthday, during Afghanistan’s tour of Zimbabwe. A year and a half later, while on tour in Zimbabwe in February 2017, the young leg-spinner received the highest ever bid for an Associate player in the IPL Auction (INR 4 crores (US$ 597,000). He plays for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, the Adelaide Strikers in Australia’s Big Bash League, the Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League, and the Band-e-Amir Dragons in Afghanistan.
Rashid Khan, a promising Afghanistan Leg-break googly spinner, has already made his mark in the record books by finishing with the fourth-best bowling figures in ODI cricket history. Rashid took 07 wickets against the West Indies at Gros Islet ground in 2017 and conceded only 18 runs in 8.4 overs with 01 maidens over.
5. Andy Bichel vs England (2003) – 7/20
Bichel was a selfless servant of Australian cricket, armed with a charismatic smile and a friendly personality. Who could forget his heroics during the national team’s World Cup victory in 2003? He was at his peak at the time, bowling as fast as he ever had with a bit of swing and bounce to boot. He is a former Australian cricketer who represented his country in 19 Test matches and 67 One Day Internationals between 1997 and 2004. In the 2003 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Andy Bichel ignited the match between Australia and England. Bichel, who batted behind Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, and Brett Lee, proved his worth by taking 07 wickets against England at Port Elizabeth ground.
6. Muttiah Muralitharan vs India – 7/30
During a Coca-Cola Trophy match in Sharjah stadium in 2000, the Sri Lankan spin magician dazzled the Indian lineup by scalping 07 wickets in an innings. Murali finished with the sixth-best bowling figures in the world and the second-best by a Sri Lankan bowler. He took 1347 international wickets and averaged 22.73 in Tests and 23,08 in ODIs (800 in Tests and 534 in ODIs).
7. Tim Southee vs England – 7/33
Tim Southee, a right-arm swing bowler, made a big impression on the international scene. He was only 19, had only one T20I cap under his belt, and was coming off a Player-of-the-Tournament performance at the 2008 Under-19 World Cup when he was given his Test debut against England in Napier. Southee delivered a memorable spell of fast bowling in the 2015 ODI World Cup, picking up 07 England wickets in Wellington ground from one Kiwi to the next. This is one of the best ODI bowling performances by a New Zealand bowler and the seventh-best bowling figure in ODI cricket history.
8. Trent Boult Best Bowling Figures In ODI – 7/34
Trent Boult made his First-Class debut in 2007 when he was selected for the New Zealand ‘A’ team’s tour of India. Later, in 2008, he was chosen for the Under-19 World Cup. Boult was a member of the New Zealand team but did not make his Test debut until December 2011 in Hobart. Trent Boult is a left-arm quick bowler who can move the ball both ways even in slow conditions, posing a significant threat to batsmen around the world. Trent Boult once ran through the West Indies batting lineup in Christchurch ground in 2017, picking up 07 wickets and conceding only 34 runs in 10 overs, three of which were maidens.
9. Waqar Younis vs England – 7/36
Waqar Younis is a former Pakistani bowler who is regarded as one of the game’s greatest fast bowlers. He played 87 Tests and 262 One-Day Internationals for Pakistan. Waqar’s ability to reverse swing the ball at breakneck speeds enabled him to take 373 Test wickets and 416 ODI wickets during his career. Waqar Younis, another legendary Pakistani bowler, also took 07 wickets in an ODI inning against England in Leeds ground in 2001. Younis’s bowling was unplayable at Headingley Cricket Ground, and his best bowling figures are the ninth-best in ODI cricket history. In December 2013, he was also inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
10. Aaqib Javed vs India – 7/37
A fast-medium bowler with traditional and reverse-swing abilities who is underappreciated. He had a sprinting run-up that culminated in a high action, combined with an antagonistic attitude toward batsmen. Aqib Javed allegedly made his Test debut at the age of 16 in 1988-89, but he spent much of his career in the shadows of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, despite playing a key role in Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup victory when he effectively opened the bowling in place of the injured Waqar. The following tour of England was also eventful. Aaqib Javed achieved the magnificent feat of picking up 07 wickets in a game while conceding only 37 runs in his ten overs during the India-Pakistan ODI game in Sharjah ground in 1991. His ODI best bowling figures remain the 10th best in cricket history.
After arbitrarily pitching short to England’s No. 11 Devon Malcolm, Aqib was involved in a notorious sweater-tugging incident with umpire Roy Palmer. Aqib was in and out of the side far too frequently for his liking, and he had more impact as a one-day player. His career ended during Pakistan’s match-fixing scandal, in which he was regarded as one of the clean players.
Conclusion
We hope you have enjoyed reading about the best bowling figures in ODI cricket history. And the information presented above was compiled from the Official ESPNcricinfo.com website. Our website cannot guarantee the accuracy of the terms and information listed above. We’d appreciate it if you could share your thoughts in the comments section.
