5 lesser known bowlers with a match-winning performance in ODIs

Cricket is a very competitive game with several international games being played every year. A lot of players come, and several players go every year but only a handful of names remain with us for long. Only a few lucky ones are able to cement their legacy and leave a mark of greatness on the world of cricket for us, the fans, to remember for years to come.

In this world of competition, there have been instances where players showed glimpses of their incredible talent but couldn't sustain it over a greater period of time and thus hardly anyone remembers them now. In this issue, we would be looking at some of those bowlers who are not remembered a lot by cricket fans, but they at least have a match-winning performance to their names.

The list includes players from four different continents and five cricketing nations. There are two players from Asia and one each from Africa, Australia, and the American side. The one thing common about these stars is that they all clicked when even the most famous names in their sides failed to deliver but, unfortunately, hardly anyone remembers them today.

#5 Rana Naved-ul-Hasan: 6-27 vs India, 2005

The Pakistani pacer gained attention back in 2005 during Pakistan's tour of India where the Green shirts managed to win the series by a margin of 4-2. His big day came during the third ODI of the series held at Jamshedpur where he picked up a six-wicket haul against a strong batting lineup consisting of names like Tendulkar, Sehwag, Dravid, Ganguly, and Dhoni.

Naved-ul-Hasan's performance was the turning point of the series for Pakistan as the team managed to grab their first win of the six-match series which was also their last chance to win the series. Rana grabbed the Man of the Match award for his performance which helped Pakistan in attaining a big victory by a margin of 106 runs. His economy rate during the innings was 3.12 which was way better than his career economy rate of over 5.5 in ODIs.

Overall, Rana played 74 ODIs for Pakistan but failed to repeat the same performance again. In fact, that was the only five-wicket haul for the speedster in his ODI career. He ended up with 110 wickets at an average of over 29 and a strike rate of over 31. He last played an ODI for Pakistan in 2010 against Australia at Perth.

#4 Bryan Strang: 6-20 vs Bangladesh, 1997

Bryan Strang of Zimbabwe

Strang represented the Zimbabwean side in 49 ODIs. He picked up 46 wickets for the African side at a not-so-good average of over 37. His best day came back in 1997 when he managed a 6 for 20 against Bangladesh, which wasn't a test nation by then, in the 4th game of the President's Cup held at Nairobi.

His performance earned Zimbabwe a victory by a huge margin of 192 runs. His economy rate in the innings was 2.00 and he bowled a couple of maidens as well. The left arm medium bowler was once described as the "most boring bowler" on the planet. His brother Paul Strang also represented the national side. He last played an ODI for Zimbabwe back in 2001 against the West Indies.

#3 Stuart Binny: 6-4 vs Bangladesh, 2014

Stuart Binny of India

India's Stuart Binny, the medium pacer produced one of the most incredible bowling performances in recent times against Bangladesh back in 2014 when he picked up 6 wickets against just four runs at an economy rate of less than 1. His performance saved Team India from a humiliating defeat against Bangladesh.

Batting first, Indian side could only manage a total of just 105 runs. In response, Binny wasted no time and in just 4.4 overs managed a six-wicket haul to halt the Bangladeshi march towards the target at just 58 to earn a convincing victory for Team India.

Overall, the 34-year-old has played a total of just 14 ODIs for the Men in Blue. He last played an ODI for India back in 2015 against South Africa at Kanpur.

#2 Winston Davis, 7-51 vs Australia, 1983

Winston Davis - second from the left

The fast bowling star might've played a lot more if he had taken birth in some other territory. The West Indian star of the 80s got a chance to represent the incredibly strong fast bowling unit on just 35 occasions in ODIs and his big day came at the 1983 World Cup against Australia where he picked up a seven-wicket haul to help his side humiliate the 1975 finalists by 101 runs. His performance also earned him Player of the match award.

Davis picked up a total of 39 wickets for the West Indies at an average of over 33 and an economy rate of around 4. He last played for the Caribbean side back in 1988 during their tour of India.

#1 Andy Bichel: 7-20 vs England, 2003

Andy Bichel of Australia

The Australian star occupies the first spot for his heroic performance against the English side back in 2003 at the World Cup in South Africa. His Man of the Match performance was nothing short of a fairy tale. Replacing the injured Jason Gillespie, Bichel managed one the best bowling performances ever in World Cup history to halt the English side at a fair total of 204.

In response, he contributed with the bat too to earn a victory for the Australian side by just two wickets. Overall, he represented Australia in over 67 ODI games and picked up a total of 78 wickets at an average of around 31. He last played an ODI for Australia in 2004 against India.