5 instances when bowlers picked up 7 wickets for 20 runs or less in ODIs

Picking up wickets in One Day International cricket is a difficult art to master. With flat wickets, bigger bats and smaller boundaries, it is the batsmen who have continued to stamp their authority over bowlers across various formats of the game. Hence, the bowlers are under tremendous pressure to pick up wickets and help their sides to victories.

A bowler picking up 7 wickets in an ODI is considered to be a memorable achievement. However, if a bowler picks up a seven-wicket haul and concedes very few runs, the feat is nothing but extraordinary.

Out of the 4142 ODIs played till date, only twelve bowlers have managed to pick up 7 wickets or more in a game out of which just five of them have managed to achieve the feat by conceding twenty runs or less.

Here we have a look at the elite list of bowlers who have single-handedly won the match for their respective sides with some top flight performances.

#5 Andy Bichel- 7/20 against England

Andy Bichel made brilliant use of the limited opportunities he got.

Andy Bichel was one of the finest fast bowlers to have come out of Australia. He represented Australia in 67 ODIs in a career spanning seven years from 1997 to 2004. During that period, he bowled 3257 deliveries, conceding 2463 runs and picked up 78 wickets at an average of 31.58 including 2 five-wicket hauls and one seven-wicket haul.

In a World Cup game against England at Port Elizabeth on 2nd March 2003, his sensational spell of fast bowling saw him pick up 7 wickets for 20 runs, the second-best bowling figures in World Cup history that helped the Australian to restrict England to 204. Later in the day, he stitched an important 73-run partnership along with Michael Bevan for the ninth wicket to steer Australia home. Needless to say, Bichel was a unsung hero of the victorious 2003 World Cup campaign.

#4 Rashid Khan- 7/18 against West Indies

Rashid Khan is slowly climbing up the ranks to become the best wrist-spinner of this generation.

Arguably one of the leading wrist spinners going around in world cricket at the moment, the 20-year old from Afghanistan has had the better of several top quality batsmen across the world with his accuracy and subtle variations.

Till date, he has picked up 125 wickets in 58 games at an average of 15.34 which includes three five-wicket hauls apart from his terrific seven-wicket haul against West Indies. His bag of tricks against West Indies at Gros Islet, St.Lucia on 9th June 2017 saw him finish with figures of 7 for 18 from 8.4 overs that enabled his side to bundle out the mighty West Indies for 149.

His deceptive variations makes it increasingly difficult for the batsmen to pick him and that has seen the leg-spinner manifest as the go-to man for his captains in crunch situations. Rashid Khan could be expected to perform similar feats in the upcoming World Cup and help his side cause a few upsets.

#3 Glenn McGrath- 7/15 against Namibia

Glenn McGrath has made a significant contribution to the baggy green side whenever he has stepped on the field.

One of the greatest fast bowlers to have ever played the game, Glenn McGrath was one of the chief contributors of Australia's dominance in world cricket in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He represented Australia in 250 ODIs in a career spanning fourteen years from 1993 to 2007. During that period he bowled 12970 deliveries, conceding 8391 runs and picked up 381 wickets at an average of 22.02 including six five-wicket hauls and one seven-wicket haul.

During a World Cup game against Namibia at Potchefstroom on 27th February 2003, he finished with figures of 7 for 15 off his 7 overs which enabled the Aussies to bundle out minnows Namibia for just 45 in fourteen overs.

The pacer finished with 21 wickets from eleven matches and ended the edition as the third-highest wicket-taker of the tournament and the second-highest wicket-taker for Australia.

#2 Shahid Afridi- 7/12 against West Indies

Shahid Afridi appeals for a wicket against West Indies

Shahid Afridi was the crowd-puller that every cricket fan would love to watch. He shot into limelight in the second match of his ODI career when he smashed the Sri Lankan bowlers at Nairobi on 4th October 1996 en route to his 40-ball 102, which included 6 fours and 11 mighty sixes.

Afridi's best bowling figures came during a game against West Indies at Providence Stadium, Guyana on 14th July 2013 when he finished with staggering figures of 7/12 from nine overs that enabled his side to bundle out the opposition for just 98 during their chase of 225.

An aggressive batsman, Afridi also contributed was his quick leg-spinners and astute leadership skills that labeled him as one of the best all-rounders in the sport. The all-rounder called time on his 19-year old career with 8064 runs and 395 wickets from 398 matches.

#1 Chaminda Vaas- 8/19 against Zimbabwe

Chaminda Vaas- Probably the best bowler for Sri Lanka after Muttiah Muralitharan.

Chaminda Vaas was a seasoned new-ball bowler for the island nation. He destroyed opponents with his quality swing bowling which enabled him to pick up more than 750 wickets across the three formats. Vaas represented Sri Lanka in 322 ODIs and picked up 400 wickets at an average of 27.54 including 9 four-wicket hauls and 4 five-wicket hauls.

A prime exponent of the inswinger to the right-handers, Vaas recorded the best-bowling figures in ODI cricket when he picked up 8 wickets for 19 runs off his 8 overs in the first match of the LG Abans Triangular Series at Colombo on 8th December 2001.

The eight-wicket haul included a hat-trick as his tremendous bowling efforts meant that the Zimbabweans were bundled out for just a paltry 38 from 15.4 overs. Vaas' effort remains as the best ever figures in ODI cricket till date.