5 fierce bowling spells that tormented batsmen

Irfan Pathan was deadly when he got his hat-trick against Pakistan in 2006Cricket is a game of bat and ball but sometimes, the batting seems to grab more attention. While none of us can ever forget Brian Lara’s score of 400 in a test match against England, not too many of us can exactly visualise the moment when Shane Warne got to 700 wickets. The fans over the years have rejoiced more with batting miracles than by bowling spectacles.A good, fiery bowling spell has more than once changed the course of a game. While some of them have fetched wickets, others have threatened the batsman with almost unplayable deliveries. Pitch-perfect yorkers, deadly bouncers or express pace has wrecked havoc on the wicket, displaying some of the most entralling cricket.Here is a look at five such scary bowling spells that will be long cherished:

#1 Wahab Riaz rattling Shane Watson

It is true that the World Cup brings out the best cricket ever. Wahab Riaz gave us ample proof of that during Pakistan and Australia’s third quarter-final match in the 2015 World Cup.

Pakistan had their usual batting collapse, being bowled out for 213. Defending a small total, Riaz was on fire. What the world witnessed was a pumped-up Pakistan fast bowler mercilessly bullying an Australian batsman.

Riaz’s fiery bowling had gotten him the key wickets of David Warner and Michael Clarke, after which he set his target on Shane Watson. He would have got his wicket as well if Mohammad Irfan had not dropped it.

The first ball to Watson would have flattened the batsman's grille. He dipped beneath it but for Wahab, ducking was tantamount to submission. He got in Watson's face, claps at him sarcastically. The next ball is at 150kph and Watson would not dare to touch it. The next over is even more intense where Wahab is almost an inferno, raining down bouncers at Watson, who kept adopting evasive measures.

Pakistan had lost that match but those 30 minutes of Riaz’s spell is what we will remember of that match. On the scoreboard, Wahab's figures read 9-0-54-2 and Watson would thank his stars to come out of that unhurt.

#2 Curtly Ambrose 7/1 against Australia

A magical spell from Curtly Ambrose in every sense. Taking 7 wickets for 1 run is practically unheard of. This was the fifth Test of the series between Australia and West Indies in 1992-92. It was supposed to be a decider but turned out to be a blunder for the Australians. Ambrose took seven wickets for just one run in 32 balls, completely wrecking the whole batting line-up of the Aussies.

The match took place at Perth, which has been labelled by many as one of the fastest pitches in the world. So the tall and lethal bowler received some assistance to pull off a vintage bowling performance.

His devastating spell had pin-point accuracy and incredible pace. It seemed that the Australians had no clue how to bat against meteors coming at them from that height and swing. Mark Waugh, David Boon, Merv Hughes, Damien Martyn, no one could play him as West Indies went on to easily win the match and secure the series.

#3 Dale Steyn 6/8 against Pakistan

Dale Steyn needs no introduction. He is the number one Test bowler in the world with more than 400 wickets and has been a true ambassador for the sport. His consistency with the ball and his ability to take wickets has been sensational over a decade.

Though there have been some amazing bowling performances by him in last few years, his performance against Pakistan in the first Test match of the Sunfoil Series has to be counted as one of the best opening spells ever bowled in cricket.

At the Wanderers in 2013, Dale Steyn claimed a stunning 6 wickets for just 8 runs in 8.1 overs against Pakistan in 2013. Pakistan were all out for just 49 runs, their lowest ever Test score.

Running hard, Steyn was on fire. Making good use of the seaming conditions, he was pitching the ball in the right areas and swinging it both ways to trouble the batsman. Steyn destroyed the Pakistan batting line-up by taking 6 wickets for 8 runs, a spell which saw the exemplary display of seam presentation and swing bowling.

#4 Shane Bond 6/23 against Australia

Shane Bond, New Zealand’s prolific fast bowler, had become Australia’s nemesis soon after his Test debut against them in 2001. He always seemed to have saved his best for the neighbours, tormenting the side regularly.

So, when the two teams faced off in the Super Sixes stage of World Cup 2003, an intriguing clash was expected. Bond made the record books on two counts: he took what was then his best ODI bowling figures; his record 6 for 23 would also be the second-best figures ever for a bowler on the losing side in an ODI.

Having put Australia in to bat, New Zealand struck early, courtesy Bond. He had Matthew Hayden caught behind in the third over before trapping Adam Gilchrist leg before wicket soon after. Ricky Ponting, the captain, followed them back before he could get to double digits, caught at slip, to leave Australia in trouble at 31 for 3.

All this time, Bond was bowling fast and accurately, consistently breaching 145kph and deftly achieving swing.

New Zealand could not win the match but the frightening spell by this Black Cap will not be forgotten soon. In a career marred by injuries, the seamer continued to produce quality performances against Australia. 44 of his 147 ODI wickets came against the Aussies at an average of 15.79.

#5 Irfan Pathan 5/61 against Pakistan

Irfan Pathan, a left-arm medium Indian pacer burst onto the scene in 2003 when he made his debut against Australia. His ability to swing the ball was his speciality, which brought him glory. The National Stadium in Karachi was on its feet when Pathan delivered one of the breath-taking spells in the history of Indian cricket.

Touring Pakistan in 2006, Pathan ripped through the opposition on a green surface in Karachi taking a hat-trick in the very first over of the third Test match. It was perfect display of swing bowling which left Pakistan reeling at 0/3 as he took wickets with the fourth, fifth and sixth delivery.

He became the only second Indian bowler after Harbhajan Singh to take a hat-trick in Test cricket. His sensational bowling of good seam and swing aiming at the stumps gave him figures of 5-61.

As he was pitching the balls at full length, the balls seemed to be spitting venom as they immediately swung away from the batsman. His hat-trick ball to Mohammad Yousuf was easily one of Irfan’s best in-swingers. The ball swung in the air and off the wicket to go through Mohammad Yousuf’s defences, straight on to the stumps.