Top 10 Bowlers Who Have Taken More Wickets Than Runs Scored in ODIs

The bowlers have always been instrumental in the success of their respective teams. In fact, it is a famous saying that batsmen win you games whereas bowlers win you the tournament. Meanwhile, there are bowlers who have taken more wickets in their One Day International career than the runs they have scored.

These bowlers have generally batted at number 10 or 11 and they don’t have an impressive batting record. In fact, there are some world-class bowlers in the list who had a great career in the 50-overs format.

We take a look at 10 bowlers who scalped more wickets than the runs they scored. In fact, we take the bowlers who have snared a minimum of 100 wickets in their career.

10. Mustafizur Rahman – 107 wickets, 78 runs.

Bangladesh’s talisman fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has taken giant strides since making his international debut. Rahman is well known to mix his pace and uses off-cutters to outfox the batsmen. Furthermore, the southpaw seamer has a good bouncer and hits the block hole accurately on regular intervals. However, Rahman has scored only 78 runs with the bat whereas he has taken 107 wickets in only 56 One Day Internationals for the Tigers

9. Junaid Khan: 110 wickets, 68 runs.

Pakistan’s southpaw fast bowler Junaid Khan has scalped 110 wickets. The left-arm pacer has played 76 One Day Internationals and he has bowled with an average of 29.24. However, Junaid Khan who gets a chance to bat in the lower order has only scored 68 runs, which is even less than the number of matches he has played. The right-handed batsman has scored his runs at an average of 4.86 in the 31 innings he has batted.

Meanwhile, Junaid Khan was excluded from Pakistan’s World Cup squad. He was named in the provisional squad but had to make way for Mohammed Amir.

8. Ishant Sharma – 115 wickets, 72 runs.

India’s lanky fast bowler Ishant Sharma has scalped 115 wickets in his One Day career. The right-arm pacer has played 80 One Day matches and he has bowled with an average of 30.97. Meanwhile, Ishant Sharma is well known for his compact technique with the bat and has the skills to hold one end as he has a good defensive technique.

The right-handed batsman has scored his runs at an average of 4.8 as he mostly batted at number 11 for the Indian team.

7. Ewen Chatfield: 140 wickets, 118 runs.

New Zealand’s fast-medium Ewen Chatfield scalped 140 wickets in the 114 matches he played. The Kiwis pacer bowled with an average of 25.84 and gave his runs at an economy rate of 3.58.

On the other hand, the right-handed batsman 118 runs in the 48 innings he played. In fact, he remained unbeaten on 37 occasions out of the 48 times he had a chance to bat. He scored his runs at an average of 10.73.

6. Ashish Nehra: 157 wickets, 141 runs.

India’s former southpaw seamer Ashish Nehra was not known for his batting credentials. The left-arm pacer had to deal with a lot of injuries during his long career of 19 years. Nehra scalped 157 wickets and scored 141 runs in 120 matches he played for the Indian team.

Nehra bowled with an average of 31.73 and he is well known for his spell of 6-23 in the 2003 World Cup match against England. However, Nehra scored only 141 runs in 46 innings he batted. The right-handed batsman remained not out on 21 occasions.

5. Trent Boult: 164 wickets, 154 runs.

New Zealand’s pack leader Trent Boult has scalped 164 wickets in the 89 One Day matches he has bowled. The southpaw seamer, who has the skills to move the ball at great speed has bowled with an average of 25.06.

On the other hand, Trent Boult had made the headlines with his bat when he defended the ball in the flamingo style. Boult has thus far scored 154 runs for New Zealand in the 39 innings at an average of 9.62.

4. Imran Tahir: 173 wickets, 157 runs.

South Africa’s talisman spinner Imran Tahir is well known for his cloud nine celebrations. The leg-spinner has snared 173 wickets in his One Day career. The 40-year old veteran spinner has played 107 matches and he has bowled with an average of 24.83 and impressive economy rate of 4.65.

On the other hand, Imran Tahir has scored 157 runs in the 36 innings he has batted. The right-hander has scored his runs at an average of 7.85.

3. Makhaya Ntini: 266 wickets, 199 runs.

Another South African bowler makes the list. Makhaya Ntini was known for his good speed and he had the skills to trouble the batsmen. Ntini scalped 266 in the 173 matches he played in his career. The gun fast bowler bowled with an average of 24.66 and economy rate of 4.53.

On the other hand, Ntini scored 199 runs in the 47 innings he had played. In fact, one of the most important singles out of those 199 runs was when Ntini gave the strike to Mark Boucher, who finished off the famous 434 run-chase against Australia.

2. Allan Donald: 272 wickets, 95 runs.

South Africa’s gun fast bowler Allan Donald scalped 272 wickets in his illustrious career. The White lightning played 164 One Day matches and bowled with fire throughout his career. He bowled with an average of 21.79 and economy rate of 4.15.

On the other hand, the right-hander could only score 95 runs in 40 innings as he batted with an average of 4.32. In fact, Donald is well known for not responding to Lance Klusener call in the semi-final contest against Australia in the 1999 World Cup.

1. Glenn McGrath: 381 wickets, 115 runs.

Australia’s legendary fast bowler Glenn McGrath had the skills to bowl at one particular spot for all day long. McGrath was always right on the money with his line and length and he breathed down the neck of the opposition batters. The lanky fast bowler scalped 381 wickets in 250 matches he had played. He bowled with an impressive average of 22.02 and economy rate of 3.88.

On the other hand, Glenn McGrath didn’t have a great record with the bat. He could only score 115 runs in the 68 innings he played.

(All Stats Updated Till 8th February, 2020)