Despite being the number one team in One Day Internationals, Australia have an unwanted record against them. They have been at the receiving end of 4 out of the 5 highest run-chases in ODIs. Out of these 4, two came against South Africa and two against India.
This is a record Australia’s bowlers would not be proud of. Despite having one of the most fearsome bowling line-ups in the world which have featured the likes of Brett Lee, Glen Mcgrath, Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc, there have been instances where these bowlers have not been spared.
It might be pressure or it might be the pitch, but these 4 instances are something which the Australian bowlers would soon like to forget.
Here are the bowling figures of the Australian bowlers in the four highest ODI run chases.
#4 India vs Australia at Nagpur, 2013
After chasing down 359 in the 2nd ODI of the 7 match series, India managed to repeat a similar feat in the penultimate ODI as well.
Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. Led by two magnificent centuries by Shane Watson and captain George Bailey, they managed a mighty total of 351 in their allotted overs.
Australia were confident that India would not manage to chase down another 350 plus score, but lighting struck twice. India – led by the heroics of Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli gunned down their second 350 plus target within a week.
Australia’s bowlers were hammered all around the park. Surprisingly, Glen Maxwell and Aaron Finch turned out to be the least expensive bowlers for Australia on that day. Shane Watson who shone with the bat proved to be the most expensive bowler. Mitchell Johson was not spared as he conceded 72 runs, despite picking up a couple of wickets.
#3 India vs. Australia at Jaipur 2013
After defeating India comprehensively in the 1st ODI of the 7 match series, the home team was looking to bounce back. And so they did, in breathtaking fashion, by chasing down the massive total of 359 set by the Kangaroos. By doing so, it became the 2nd highest run chase in ODI history back then, until South Africa recently broke it at Durban.
After opting to bat first, Australia amassed a total of 359 in 50 overs. It was an incredible team effort, as 5 of their batsmen namely Aaron Finch, Phil Hughes, Shane Watson, George Bailey and Glen Maxwell went on to score a half-century each.
Having a massive total of 360 to chase down, India managed to win in emphatic fashion. Australia did not know what had struck them. Rohit Sharma and Kohli brutally attacked the Australian bowlers and took India over the line with 39 balls to spare. Rohit scored 141 off 123 deliveries while Kohli smashed 100 off 52 balls.
None of the bowlers were spared, and Watson turned out to be the most expensive bowler once again. The only bowler who performed decently well was Xavier Doherty who conceded 70 runs in 10 overs. The rest of the bowlers were bruised and battered by the two batsmen.
#2 Australia vs South Africa at Durban 2016
After South Africa won the first two ODIs against Australia, the visitors were looking to pull one back. They were well on their way to doing so as they posed a mighty total of 371-6 in their allotted overs. David Warner and Steve Smith came up with the goods as the duo scored centuries.
Australia thought they had the game in the bag, but it was not to be. The ghosts of 2006 came back to haunt them as South Africa managed to pull off a nail-biting victory with 5 balls to spare. By doing so, they achieved the 2nd highest run chase in an ODI.
David Miller was the architect of the chase with a magnificent 118 off 79 deliveries. He had a worthy partner in Andile Phehlukwayo who scored 42 off 39 balls. Australia’s bowlers were all over the place and did not have much to say during South Africa’s innings.
Despite taking crucial wickets during the middle overs, they were not able to get rid of Miller and Phehlukwayo, the latter who went on to score his highest ODI score. Their best bowler was Chris Tremain who conceded 65 runs off 10 overs and picked up a wicket. They made a mistake by giving the ball to Travis Head during the middle overs as he went on to concede 31 runs in just 3 overs.
#1 Australia vs South Africa at Johannesburg 2006
In a poll conducted by the ICC, this particular match was voted as the best ODI match in the history of the sport. A total of 872 runs were scored in this game, making it the highest match aggregate in ODIs, going past the previous highest of 693, made by India and Pakistan at Karachi in 2004.
After opting to bat first, Australia led by Ricky Ponting’s sumptuous 164 run knock, went on to break numerous records as they amassed a total of 434 runs which turned out to be the highest score ever in an ODI.
Their record had lasted just for a few hours, as South Africa banished the ghosts of the 1999 World Cup and provided fans around the world with a match of a lifetime by defeating Australia by 1 wicket and 2 balls to spare. Herschelle Gibbs was the architect of the chase with a stupendous knock of 175 in 111 deliveries.
Nathan Bracken was the pick of the Australian bowlers. He managed to take a 5 wicket haul but conceded 67 runs in his 10 overs. Mike Lewis had a night to forget as he conceded 113 runs in 10 overs at an economy rate of 11.3. By doing so, he broke the record of maximum runs conceded in an innings in an ODI.
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