Cricket News: Most expensive spells in ODI cricket history | What is the most expensive spell in ODIs?
The advent of T20 cricket, bigger bats, flatter surfaces and incredible batting skills has often left bowlers grasping for answers in ODI cricket.
Batters play with no fear as they view the ODI format as simply an extension of T20 cricket. Before 2006, no team scored over 400 in an innings. Fast forward 17 years later, and that mark has been breached 24 times. And we can expect more to come.
Top 5 most expensive spells in ODI cricket
As a result, bowlers have been on the wrong side of the record books in this period. Here is a look at the top five most expensive spells in ODI cricket history.
Mick Lewis: 0/113 vs South Africa, 2006
Speaking of 2006, the year is remembered for one of the all-time classic ODIs. Australia became the first team to cross 400 in an innings, only to have that surpassed by South Africa hours later.
Mick Lewis, who starred for Australia in New Zealand at the death earlier that year, was trusted by captain Ricky Ponting to deliver in Johannesburg. However, it was a tough outing for the seamer, who bore the brunt of Herschelle Gibbs’ outstanding 175 and the Proteas’ outstanding finish to seal what remains the highest run-chase ever.
Adam Zampa: 0/113 vs South Africa, 2023
Adam Zampa has been outstanding for Australia in ODIs, especially since 2019. He has also had respectable figures at the death in this period. However, that all went out the window as Heinrich Klaasen went on a rampage at Centurion in September 2023.
Zampa conceded 50 off 17 balls against Klaasen, who went on to hit a scarcely-believable 174 off 83 balls. Overall, the legspinner went for eight fours and nine sixes.
Rashid Khan: 0/110 vs England, 2019
This was a shock to many. Rashid Khan, one of the premier white-ball bowlers, was taken to the cleaners by Eoin Morgan in the 2019 World Cup.
Morgan, who scored 148 off 71 balls in England’s total of 297/6, struck 58 off 20 balls against Rashid, who went on to concede 110 in just nine overs. Morgan’s onslaught included one four and a remarkable seven sixes.
Wahab Riaz: 0/110 vs England, 2016
In 2015, England suffered an embarrassing exit from the World Cup. A little over a year later, Wahab Riaz felt the full force of England’s white-ball revival.
Alex Hales went ballistic, smashing 171 off 122 balls, followed by incredible knocks by Jos Buttler (90* off 51 balls) and Eoin Morgan (57* off 27 balls). Riaz copped the most punishment, conceding 110 out of England’s mammoth 444/3.
Philippe Boissevain: 0/108 vs England, 2022
Another bowler on the wrong end of an England onslaught. Legspinner Philippe Boissevain had a tough day out against England’s power-packed lineup, who finished with 498/4 – the score that remains the highest in ODI history.
Jos Buttler (162 off 70 balls) was one of the three centurions for England in that innings. Phil Salt (122 off 93 balls) and Dawid Malan (125 off 109 balls) also flexed their muscles as the poor Dutch players spent most of their day ball searching at the VRA Ground in Amstelveen.
