Amidst all the record breaking achievements of batsmen like Virat Kohli and Steve Smith in the limited overs format, it seems like we might not have given enough credit to the bowlers, who have been just as exceptional. Despite the beginning of the year being dominated by T-20 internationals, we saw a lot of excellent ODI matches as well in the second half of the year. With the increasing number of batsmen friendly pitches being produced all over the world, these bowlers have been extremely impressive.
Extra Cover: Sportskeeda Awards: T-20 batsman of the year
As we approach the end of yet another memorable year, we have sat down and come up with a system to rank the bowlers for our annual awards. We conducted a poll and counted the number of votes by the fans all over the world and combined it with our expert’s picks to pick out the best bowler in ODIs this year.
Fans’ votes
The candidates were narrowed down to 5 with Australia having three nominees in the form of John Hastings, Adam Zampa and Mitchell Starc. South Africa’s Imran Tahir and India’s Jasprit Bumrah were the other two nominees based on their performances in 2016.
The final tally:
It was an extremely close fight between Australian spearhead Starc and India’s new addition Bumrah. While Starc received the maximum number of votes, Bumrah fell short by a small margin.
After combining these votes with our expert’s pick, the final results are as follows
#5 Adam Zampa
Boasting a similar action to the legendary Shane Warne, Adam Zampa, who made his debut this year has quickly risen up the ranks and has become one of the go-to bowlers for Australia in the limited overs format. Consistent performances for domestic sides South Australia and Melbourne Stars led to an Australian call-up for the youngster and he will be looking to emulate Warne’s success as he progresses through his career.
| Matches | Wickets | Average | Econ. | BBM |
| 19 | 30 | 27.80 | 5.36 | 3-16 |
He played a grand total of 19 ODIs for Australia this year, which is the most amongst the bowlers on this list and has bagged 30 wickets at an average of 27.80 with a best bowling figure of 3-16.
#4 Imran Tahir
Over the years, the only thing missing from the South African team was a good spinner and in the form of Imran Tahir, it looks like they have finally ended their search. Having made his debut in 2011, he has played an integral role in the Proteas success over the years and established himself as a limited overs specialist. In 64 matches he has taken 111 wickets at an average of 23.44
| Matches | Wickets | Average | Econ. | BBM |
| 15 | 27 | 25.00 | 5.15 | 7-45 |
This year was no different for the leggie. In 15 matches, he took 27 wickets at an average of 25 with one five-wicket haul to his name. His best bowling figures of 7-45 against West Indies earlier this year were the best figures by a South African bowler in ODIs breaking Kagiso Rabada’s record. It was also the third best figures overall for a spinner and 9th best in overall bowling stats.
#3 John Hastings
This talisman from New South Wales received the lowest number of votes amongst the fans, but John Hastings’s numbers say another story. After making his debut back in 2010 against India, Hastings has established himself as a consistent all-rounder. His ODI bowling performances for the Kangaroos have been quite exceptional this year and that puts him no. 3 on our list.
| Matches | Wickets | Average | Econ. | BBM |
| 15 | 29 | 24.13 | 5.32 | 6-45 |
He featured in 15 One Day Internationals for Australia this year and bagged 29 wickets at an average of 24.13 and conceded 600 runs at an economy rate of 5.32. His best bowling figures of 6-45 came against Sri Lanka at Dambulla earlier this year.
#2 Mitchell Starc
Arguably the most fearsome out of the current crop of international bowlers, Mitchell Starc has been one of the most effective bowlers for Australia over the past few years. His exceptional performance in the 2015 World Cup will not be forgotten for years to come where he picked up 22 wickets in the tournament and at a brilliant average of 10.18.
| Matches | Wickets | Average | Econ. | BBM |
| 13 | 26 | 19.69 | 4.49 | 3-32 |
Due to an injury, he did not feature in all of Australia’s ODIs this year but was effective enough in the 13 ODIs he played to place him 2nd on this list. He picked up 26 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 19.69. He ended up with the most number of votes amongst the fans but considering his performance this year, there is one bowler who has performed better than him.
#1 Jasprit Bumrah
It looks like India have finally found an answer to their death-bowling woes in the form of this 23-year-old from Ahmedabad. Jasprit Bumrah, who made his debut earlier this year grabbed eyeballs due to his unorthodox round-arm action but that has been his deadly weapon which has troubled all the opposition batsmen.
| Matches | Wickets | Average | Econ. | BBM |
| 8 | 17 | 14.64 | 3.63 | 4-22 |
Despite playing the least number of matches amongst the 5 bowlers on this list, Bumrah has done enough to prove himself as the best of the lot. In the 8 matches which he played, he picked up 17 wickets at an average of 14.64 and a phenomenal economy rate of 3.63. He has also been India’s leading bowler in T-20 internationals this year and proved to be one of the best bowlers in the World T-20 held earlier this year in Bangladesh
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