Top 5 expensive figures for Mohammed Siraj in ODI cricket feat. 2023 World Cup

Mohammed Siraj, who has etched his name amongst some of the finest bowlers India has seen in the recent past, has the tendency to go for runs in the one-day format.

Although his skills with swinging the ball both ways are unparalleled, he is also known to hit the good length spot way too much in the latter stages of the game. This makes him extremely vulnerable to being struck all over the park.

One of the prime examples of this was during India's second game in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup against Afghanistan in Delhi on Thursday. This was a match in which Siraj tried to swing the ball when it was new but was taken apart when he did not quite hit the desired lengths.

We look at five of the most expensive spells Siraj has bowled in ODIs:

#1 0-76 vs Australia, 2019

Siraj made his ODI debut in Adelaide in 2019.

Leading the ranks on this list is the 0-76 Siraj conceded on his ODI debut against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in January of 2019. This was back when he had barely been out of the Hyderabad system.

Siraj had impressed the selectors owing to his performances for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL but could not quite find his rhythm with the white ball in international cricket. He was torn into by Shaun Marsh (who scored a century) and Glenn Maxwell as Australia ran up 298-9 in their fifty overs.

It took a special ton from Virat Kohli to guide India home in a famous win.

#2 0-73 vs Afghanistan, 2023

The second figure on this list is the 73 runs Siraj conceded without any success at the Feroz Shah Kotla (now known as the Arun Jaitley Stadium) in New Delhi against Afghanistan in the World Cup on Wednesday.

Siraj tried his best to swing the ball early on in the innings but pitched it way too full in the hope of extracting some swing. When he corrected his mistake, he bowled it way too short and gave the Afghan batters too much time and room to play their shots.

This was a day where virtually nothing went Siraj's way, with even edges flying to the boundary.

#3 2-73 vs Bangladesh, 2022

Siraj was taken to the cleaners by the Bangladesh batsmen in a One Day International in Mirpur in December 2022. Although he managed to pick up two wickets in that game, Siraj was carted all over the ground by Mahmudullah and Mehidy Hasan Miraz.

The Hyderabadi had picked up the big wickets of Anamul Haque and Litton Das early on in the innings to give India a headstart. However, he could not quite control his lengths in the back end of the innings even as Mehidy scored a fabulous century.

#4 1-68 vs Australia, 2023

Siraj was treated harshly by the Australians in the third ODI played in Rajkot just before the World Cup began. However, he was not India's most expensive bowler on that occasion.

This distinction went to the leader of the attack Jasprit Bumrah as he conceded 81 runs in his ten overs despite picking up three wickets.

David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne all played havoc with Siraj's lengths in that game. Siraj could smile, nonetheless, as he picked up Smith's wicket when the latter was on 76.

#5 2-66 vs England, 2022

Mohammed Siraj in action against England.

The last performance on this list is the 2-66 he picked up against England at Old Trafford in Manchester in July of 2022. With an economy of 7.33, the Hyderabadi failed to get much advantage over the hosts despite the conditions being helpful.

Although he did end up picking up the wickets of Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root- both for respective ducks, he could not quite polish the performance off in the end.

Chasing 260 to win the third ODI, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant stepped up to the plate to hammer a stroke-filled century that sealed the deal for the Men in Blue. Siraj's performance, although not terrible, was not quite up to his usual standards.