Top 10 Bowlers of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup

Rahul Dravid signing off from the World Cup spoke with wisdom when he said, “You need skills and you need to be able to execute the skills. That is what we saw at this World Cup.” When the tournament began, there were apprehensions. The new fielding restrictions, flat summer decks, big bats, modern innovation and two new balls were the hurdles the bowlers came up against and rightly so they were expected to fail. But they survived the onslaught, outfoxed and outthought good batsmen and showed their class even when they were cornered. Who said ODI cricket is not a place for bowlers? It is and will always be ruled by quality bowlers as Australia showed right till the end. Here we take a look at the top 10 bowlers at this year’s World Cup.

#10 Jerome Taylor

Wickets: 17 Economy: 5.7

Average: 19.29 Strike-rate: 20.2

Jerome Taylor, suffered because of a lack of support in the big games, neither from other bowlers in his team nor from his batsmen. His economy suffered during South Africa’s rampant attack in a game where AB de Villiers scored the fastest 150 in ODI cricket. However, defending just 182, Taylor was impressive against India, returning match figures of 2-33, picking both the openers early.

He was fast and short most of the time, putting the famed Indian batting under pressure. He was expensive in the quarter-final against New Zealand when West Indies were hammered for 393 runs. However, he picked three wickets in that game, including the important ones of Brendon McCullum and Grant Elliott. He managed to be the fourth highest wicket-taker in the tournament without picking even a single four-wicket haul.

#9 Mitchell Johnson

Wickets: 15 Economy: 5.13

Average: 21.73 Strike-rate: 25.4

Mitchell Johnson wasn’t one of the early bowling leaders in the tournament. For a long time, Australia had relied completely on Mitchell Starc to deliver the goods. Pat Cummins was expensive, Josh Hazlewood was steady. However, Johnson known for bringing fear in batsmen was not bowling in full tilt. In fact, his bad form had cost Michael Clarke the close encounter against New Zealand at the pool stage when Corey Anderson got stuck into Johnson’s bowling.

However, he picked up speed and rhythm in the knock-out phase delivering the goods when Australia needed them the most. In the quarter-final against Pakistan, Johnson was economical, picking the Pakistan top-scorer Haris Sohail at a crucial stage. Against India, he was unplayable, picking couple of their best batsmen in Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the latter falling to a superfast delivery that sneaked through the gate before he could even bring his bat down.

He saved his best for the final though, returning figures of 3-30, one of them the early wicket of Kane Williamson. Besides bowling fast at close to 150kph, he was short and looked like picking a wicket every ball. For performing in the games that mattered the most, he makes it to the list over some of the other wicket-takers with better tallies.

#8 Imran Tahir

Wickets: 15 Economy: 4.23

Average: 21.53 Strike-rate: 30.5

Imran Tahir gave one of the speeches of the tournament while receiving the Man of the Match Award against Sri Lanka. He spoke about how South Africa gave him everything he cherished in life and how he wants to return the favour in kind. One of only four bowlers with four or more wickets in two games, Tahir picked a five-wicket haul against West Indies and then a match winning four-wicket haul in Sri Lanka.

Repay he did in kind, his country’s gifts when he helped his team win its first knockout game at the World Cup. He starred in that win bamboozling the usually good players of spin, taking the important wickets of Lahiru Thirimanne and Mahela Jayawardene to mastermind the Sri Lankan batting collapse. His 4-26 is one of the best bowling performances by a spinner at the game’s biggest arena, that too on the knockout stage. Tahir was wicket-less in the semi-final against New Zealand but was by far, South Africa’s most economical bowler. He signed off from the tournament with most wickets for a spinner at the World Cup with Daniel Vettori drawing level too.

#7 Daniel Vettori

Wickets: 15 Economy: 4.04

Average: 20.46 Strike-rate: 30.3

Daniel Vettori, playing in his fifth and final World Cup was one of the crucial cogs in New Zealand’s march to their first finals. He managed an economy rate of 4.04, in spite of playing eight games on the small grounds of New Zealand, bamboozling batsmen with quality spin, driven more by traditional principles than by modern variety. His economy suffered a little at the hands of Chris Gayle in the quarter-finals but otherwise, Vettori bowled immaculate lines, all along proving to be the ideal foil for New Zealand’s in-form opening pair of bowlers.

His last game, the final, wasn’t memorable as he bowled with obvious physical discomfort but until then he proved to be a class act with couple of batting cameos as well. He did well to recover from the early onslaught to pick two wickets against West Indies, and then saw a dip in his form in the semi-final and final as he couldn’t manage to pick anymore wickets. That did cost New Zealand as they had to chase a bigger score in the semi-final and lost in the final without so much as a challenge. However, the bespectacled ex-skipper played a crucial role in New Zealand’s memorable win over Australia at the pool stage picking the prized wickets of Shane Watson and Steven Smith that triggered a collapse.

#6 Morne Morkel

Wickets: 17 Economy: 4.38

Average: 17.58 Strike-rate: 24.0

The sight of Morne Morkel’s teary eyed grimace after South Africa’s semi-final exit will be remembered by cricket fans forever. In more ways than one, he was let down by his more accomplished partner, Dale Steyn who although passionate wasn’t anywhere close to his best in the World Cup. Morkel however, bowled with speed, with heart and with accuracy. Against New Zealand in the semi-finals, he single-handedly brought his team back into the game several times.

He picked the crucial wicket of Kumar Sangakkara in the quarter-final against Sri Lanka and returned with match figures of 3-59 in the semi-finals. He brought South Africa into the game once by dismissing the dangerous Brendon McCullum who had smashed a 22 ball half-century. He followed that up with Kane Williamson’s wicket too. After a brilliant 103 run partnership between Grant Elliott and Corey Anderson that was taking the game away from South Africa, it was Morkel yet again wo picked the wicket of Anderson to give his team another shot. However, without the right support from the other end, South Africa experimenting with their third bowler regularly due to injury concerns around Vernon Philander, he ended up tasting defeat.

#5 Wahab Riaz

Wickets: 16 Economy: 5.56

Average: 23 Strike-rate: 24.8

If stats alone were the judge of a player’s performance and ability, we wouldn’t know about the genius that has been Wahab Riaz in this tournament. Yet, we saw what he did to the two biggest title contenders at the start of the tournament, Australia and South Africa. He looks expensive on paper. His average is not as impressive as some of the others in the top wicket-takers’ list. Yet, the man who clocked 154kph in the very first game his team played against arch-rivals India repeatedly fought for his side with passion and spirit.

He rarely had the luxury of defending big scores. He rarely had world class fielders diving to save runs off his bowling or taking great catches. In fact, he could have been much higher on the wicket-takers’ list had his fielders just held on to regulation catches. The fast left-arm pacer terrorised South Africa into submission defending a score of just 232. Australia were in more than a spot of bother, when Wahab dismissed David Warner in the quarter-final and then bullied Michael Clarke with some short-pitched bowling of the highest quality.

Two catches were dropped as well – one of Shane Watson and another of Glenn Maxwell. Had those been held, it would have been, could have been a different story for Pakistan as well as for the World Champions Australia. His over to Shane Watson when the ball constantly hovered around Watson’s nose at close to 150kph was part of one of the best fast bowling spells ever witnessed in cricket, winning the hearts of one and all. Wahab Riaz like Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka didn’t deserve to exit the World Cup so early.

#4 Mohammad Shami

Wickets: 17 Economy: 4.81

Average: 17.29 Strike-rate: 21.5

Shami’s numbers were largely dented in one bad game, India’s last, the semi-final against Australia. He went wicket-less, conceding 68. In six games before that, he managed to pick 17 wickets, once reaching the top of the wicket-takers’ chart as well, in spite of missing a game at the league stage against UAE. He was the spearhead of the Indian bowling attack, providing them early breakthroughs in every game. His bouncer to get rid of Younis Khan in India’s opening game, where he took four wickets including that of Misbah-ul-Haq, set the tone for India’s march in the tournament.

He repeated the performance against South Africa as well bowling at an economy of just 3.75 in a game that proved that the defending champions were back in contention. He also picked the two crucial wickets against Bangladesh in the quarter final of the in-form Mahmudullah and Soumya Sarkar that broke their back in the chase.

#3 Umesh Yadav

Wickets: 18 Economy: 4.98

Average: 17.83 Strike-rate: 21.4

Umesh Yadav was at the forefront of India’s bowling resurgence at this World Cup. Boasting of a strike-rate better than Trent Boult’s, Yadav bowled quicker than any Indian bowler has ever bowled in an international tournament, clocking 149kph on more than one occasion. He also became the first Indian bowler to pick two 4-wicket hauls in World Cup knockout games, although his second effort came in a losing cause against Australia. The magnitude of his impact can also be noted from the fact that he was one of only four bowlers at this World Cup to take four or more wickets in a game twice.

Yadav managed to complement Shami in every game, also showing how good he was at using the short ball. A tad expensive at times, he also showed his ability to swing the ball away from the batsmen picking two crucial wickets, in India’s opening game against Pakistan and then retaining that form right through. With many double-strikes, Yadav helped India bowl out its opponents in an unprecedented seven consecutive games, even accounting for Australia’s No.1, 2 and 3 in the semi-final to help pull the Australian onslaught back.

#2 Trent Boult

Wickets: 22 Economy: 4.36

Average: 16.86 Strike-rate: 23.1

Trent Boult went neck and neck with Mitchell Starc right through the tournament, picking a five wicket haul against Australia in the same game where Starc picked six. He consistently bowled at over 140kph and was lethal because of the swing that he generated with the new ball. He gave New Zealand decisive wickets in his first spell in all three knock-out games, picking Aaron Finch in the final and Johnson Charles in the quarter-final against West Indies, in his very first over.

He bowled 10 on the trot against West Indies ensuring they never had a chance with the chase even on a small ground, picking a 4-wicket haul. In the semi-final against South Africa, he picked both the openers cheaply. New Zealand were undone a little by Tim Southee’s form tapering off in the big games, but Boult kept up the intensity, missing out on the big prize as Starc edged him out with a better average and economy rate. Nevertheless, Boult who has played just 25 ODIs showed a maturity beyond his age and rose up to the occasion bowling on small grounds right through until the finals. T

#1 Mitchell Starc

Wickets: 22 Economy: 3.5

Average: 10.18 Strike-rate: 17.4

A 6 foot 6 inch left-arm fast bowler is deadly. A 6 foot 6 inch left-arm fast bowler, who can swing the ball with great accuracy is like Aragorn and Legolas combined into one. But, what about a 6 foot 6 inch left-arm fast bowler, who can swing it at a speed of over 145kph consistently? Gandalf and Dumbledore combined into one probably? Man of the Tournament, Mitchell Starc showed that it is possible to contain modern batsmen even in the age of big bats and short boundaries if you have swing and pace.

Despite the usage of two new balls, this young man found reverse swing consistently. His first over of the final will go down as one of the best ever hurled in a final, getting Brendon McCullum out after beating him twice, sounding a death knell that New Zealand never recovered from. He gave away just 10 runs for every wicket he took, picked a wicket once every three overs, mostly on flat pitches and ensured Australia got early breakthroughs in every big game.