Cricket: Top Ten One Day International bowlers
Bowlers are normally credited and judged on the amount of wickets they pick up. In a One Day International match, a bowler is allowed to bowl a maximum of ten over’s. The One Day format of the game still remains one the most played formats of cricket. ODI’s dominated the cricketing world before the introduction of T20. Since its introduction to the international arena from 1971, limited over’s cricket has remained the favourite format among cricket fans. In ODI’s, bowlers face the double challenge of picking up wickets while making sure that they don’t concede too many runs.
Let’s look at top ten wicket takers of One Day Internationals.
10. Javagal Srinath, of India is on number ten with 315 wickets to his credit. Javagal is undoubtedly so far India’s best fast bowler. He made his debut against Pakistan in 1991 and continued to play for national squad till 2003. Javagal had a very strong action that was heavily dependent on his shoulders. Srinath played a total of 229 ODI’s for his national side with a bowling strike rate of 37.8.
9. Sri Lankan batting all rounder Sanath Jayasuriya is on number 9 with a total of 322 wickets. Sanath with his slow arm orthodox balling style has silently picked up a lot of numbers. Cricket fans generally relate Jayasuriya for his batting wonders. His bowling figures surely place him among best all rounder’s of all times. Sanath remained a fit cricketer during his career and that was one reason for his success. He has played far more matches than his competitors. He has played 444 ODI matches and still has not retired from the international arena. Recently Sanath was dropped from the national team because of bad run with the bat, but he has refused to retire and promises a comeback.
8. Australia’s Brett Lee is on number eight. Lee when in rhythm was a nightmare for his opponents. Brett Lee’s career was surrounded by different injuries but he refused to give up and always made a successful come back. Lee remains Australia’s fourth most successful bowler to pick up 324 wickets in only 186 matches. Brett Lee has the worlds best bowling strike rate of only 29.2. If he had remained fit during his career, chances were that he would have become ODI’s highest wicket taker. Lee bowed out of test cricket in 2010 to concentrate on the limited over’s game.
7. Anil Kumble is known as one of the best Indian Test bowlers but his services in ODI are of equal candidature. Kumble with his Leg break googly style of bowling won many matches for India. He bagged 337 wickets in his career of 271 ODI matches. Kumble was seen as a dependable bowler who was a specialist at breaking up partnerships. Anil played his debut match against Sri Lanka in 1990 and continued his international career till 2007. He currently plays for IPL as captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore.
6. Australian great Glenn McGrath is on number sixth. McGrath without a doubt was a symbol of accurate bowling. He picked up 381 wickets in 250 matches. He played a central role in achieving great laurels for the Australian national side. In the World Cup of 2007, he was yet again influential in making sure that Australia defends its title. He picked up a record 26 wickets in 2007 World Cup.
5. Shaun Pollock entered the cricketing world as a specialist bowler but in later stages was seen as a dependable all rounder. Port Elizabeth born, Shaun was a right arm medium fast bowler who picked up 393 wickets in 303 ODI’s. Pollock played his debut match against England in 1996 while he played his last ODI against West Indies in 2008.
4. Left hander Chaminda Vaas, to date remains Sri Lanka’s best fast bowler. He may not have generated much pace but his consistent good line and length bowling earned him ample wickets. Vaas picked up 400 wickets in his 322 match career. He was famous for his trade mark late in-dipper that caused problems for batsmen all around the world. He played his last ODI against India after which he retired in 2008.
3. Waqar Younis was one of the fastest bowlers of his time. His swirling run towards the wicket was a site to watch. The Vehari born pacer was famous for his toe crushing yorkers. Waqar picked up 416 wickets in his career of 262 ODI matches. Waqar to his credit has the ultimate honour of leading a strong Pakistani squad. Currently Waqar Younis is the head coach of Pakistan Cricket team.
2. Wasim Akram was a complete bowling exhibition for people around the world. He knew exactly how to walk and talk with ball. He had all the bowling verities’ of a fast bowler. Akram used to swing and seam the ball at will. He was seen swinging the ball in both directions in a single delivery. His verities were complemented because of high and quick speed bowling. Akram bowled with a very short run up yet generated a lot of pace. He picked up 502 wickets in his 356 match career.
1. Muttiah Muralitharan is the highest wicket taker in both ODI’s and test match cricket. The right arm off-break spinner has taken 515 wickets in 337 matches and still continues to play in ODI’s. His career also faced some controversies relating to his bowling action. He was vindicated for his bowling action by ICC. Murali recently retired from test cricket but continues to impress in limited format of the game.
Tags: