5 bowlers who took the most wickets on ODI debut
Having put in the hard yards in the domestic circuit, there's always an enormous amount of pressure as well as expectation facing any promising bowler debuting at the international arena. In ODIs, the duress is manifold for the new entrant as he inevitably struggles to cope with the vagaries of the format. However, there have been quite a few bowlers who managed to captivate everyone's attention with scintillating performances in their respective maiden appearances.
Also Read: 6 batsmen who scored the most runs in their respective last ODIs
Let us take a look at some of the leading bowlers who have picked up the most number of wickets on ODI debut. Interestingly, all five bowlers in this propitious list are fast bowlers. Considering the fact that there have been as many as eleven bowlers with exactly five wickets each in their respective first ODIs, economy-rates have been used to filter the list to the best quintet.
#5 Austin Codrington - 5/27 (2003)
Returning to the World Cup after 24 years, not a lot was expected of Canada in the 2003 edition of the flagship tournament held in Africa. They began their campaign against Bangladesh at Kingsmead Stadium in Durban. On a seam-friendly surface, they could only muster 180 before being bowled out in the last over of the innings. Even though their identity in the top tier was yet to take shape, the rising Asian team contained a decent batting lineup capable of chasing down the paltry target.
However, what followed was scarcely believable as one of the team's eleven debutants produced a game-changing spell to spearhead Canada's shock victory. After removing Hannan Sarkar and Alok Kapali, seamer Austin Codrington cleaned up the lower-order to finish the match with figures of 5/27.
Bangladesh were shot out for just 120. As for Codrington, further opportunities remained scarce. Due to Canada's sporadic fixtures at the big stage, the Jamaica-born cricketer played only eight more ODIs.