3 most expensive spells by a bowler in ODIs
India completed a comprehensive whitewash of New Zealand by defeating them in the third and final ODI, by a margin of 90 runs.
New Zealand won the toss and put India into bat at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. The hosts piled up a massive score of 385/9 in their 50 overs. Even this seemed less than what was expected as the Indian team was 212/0 after 26 overs.
The New Zealand bowlers had a tough day at the office, with the exception of Lockie Ferguson and Mitchell Santner, the only bowlers who went for under six runs an over.
Jacob Duffy had a nightmare of a spell as he conceded 100 runs in his stipulated quota of 10 overs. While he did pick up three wickets in the process, much of the damage had already been done.
Watching a bowler rack up a century of runs conceded in an ODI match must have made fans wonder about other such instances. With ODI cricket becoming increasingly hostile to bowlers, there have been a few instances of exorbitantly expensive spells bowled by some unfortunate cricketers.
Here, we look at the three most expensive spells bowled in ODI cricket (in terms of runs conceded).
#1 Mick Lewis vs Australia, 2006 (10-0-113-0)
Arguably the greatest match in the history of ODI cricket, South Africa successfully chased down a record Australian total of 434 runs. On a day where most bowlers suffered heavily from the batters' onslaught, Mick Lewis delivered the most expensive spell in the history of ODI cricket.
Despite bowling 21 dot balls, Lewis conceded 113 runs in the remaining 39 balls. The Australian pacer conceded 13 boundaries and four sixes in his spell. To add to the tragedy of this spell, the match turned out to be the last outing of Mick Lewis in an Australian jersey.
#2 Wahab Riaz vs England, 2016 (10-0-110-0)
Playing against England at Nottingham in 2016, Pakistan had a terrible day in the office. England racked up the highest score in the history of ODI cricket at the time (currently third highest).
Pakistan bowler Wahab Riaz had an even more miserable day as he conceded a whopping 110 runs in his 10-over spell. The left-arm pacer was hammered for 12 boundaries and four sixes as he, along with the rest of the Pakistan attack, was taken to the cleaners.
#3 Rashid Khan vs England, 2019 (9-0-110-0)
One of the best bowlers in white-ball cricket presently, Rashid Khan is perhaps the biggest name to hold a position in this much-dreaded list for bowlers. Playing against England in the 2019 World Cup, Afghanistan had a forgettable day as they lost by 150 runs.
Rashid Khan conceded a total of 110 runs in his nine overs and was smashed for 11 sixes and three fours. Eoin Morgan was the tormentor-in-chief for Rashid as he hit 7 sixes off Khan's bowling.
Morgan created the world record for the highest number of sixes in an innings by a single batter, with a total of 17 maximums.