The final curtains have been drawn on the 2017 ODI calendar and, like previous years, it has been primarily the willow wielders who have been in the news. One Day games are so bent towards the batsmen these days that bowling performances often go unnoticed. The bowlers, however, aren’t a tribe that gives up easily and along with the great batting efforts that we have seen over the last 12 months we have also witnessed some outstanding bowling performances. Seasoned campaigners have shown their might while youngsters have made big announcements on the international stage. Here is our look back at the best bowlers in One Day Internationals in 2017y as we meet the men who showed their class.
10 – Chris Woakes
The English medium pacer had a terrible run of luck during the Champions Trophy when he had to leave the field after bowling merely 2 overs during his team’s first encounter versus Bangladesh and was out of the tournament. Yet it was quite an exciting year for Warwickshire bowler who bowled impressively in the 12 ODIs that he played in the year. Woakes claimed 22 wickets at an impressive average of 20.63 and grabbed four wickets on three occasions. His best bowling performance came against the South Africans at Leeds where he claimed 4 for 38 on a flat pitch where other bowlers went for plenty of runs.
9 – Mitchell Santner
At No. 9 we have the Kiwi left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner. It is quite astonishing that New Zealand, with its green wickets and small grounds, produces one good spinner after another. Santner who has shown promise since his debut in 2015 announced himself on the world stage in 2017. In 17 innings where he got a chance to bowl, Santner picked up 26 wickets at an average of 26.38. This included a career best 5 for 50 against Ireland in Dublin. What made his performances even more exciting is that he managed an economy rate of 4.6 which a the dream for any bowler in modern day high-scoring ODIs.
8 – Adil Rashid
The Yorkshire spinner hasn’t had it easy in his international career. After making debut at the young age of 19 in 2009, Adil Rashid has spent most of his time outside the radar of an international comeback. But in 2017 he has just shown the world that all the years of toil in domestic cricket have helped him mature and become a better spin bowler. In 2017 Rashid claimed 26 wickets in 15 innings at an average of 25.84 which includes a five-wicket haul and one four-wicket haul. His best performance came against the Irish in Bristol where he picked up 5 wickets for 27 runs.
7 – Kagiso Rabada
The 22 year old fast bowler from South Africa has been seen as a special talent since his debut. He kick-started his international career picking 6 wickets for 16 runs against Bangladesh in Dhaka. His bowling performance in 2017 bears testimony that he is in for a long and successful career at the highest level. In the 18 ODIs he played, Rabada has picked up 27 wickets at 27.62 apiece with an outstanding economy rate of 4.8 runs per over. He also claimed two four-wicket hauls and was one of the key contributors for many of South Africa’s wins during 2017.
6 – Imran Tahir
A spinner leading the bowling rankings for South Africa is surely one of the most amazing things in world cricket! Imran Tahir, though, has always lived up to the high expectations that his team has for him. Not one of those spinners who merely tries to contain runs, he regularly tosses up the ball in search for wickets. In the 17 innings that he bowled in this season, Tahir picked up 27 wickets at an average of 24.88 and had one four wicket match haul to his credit. Given he is often bowling on green tops alongside some of the best fast bowlers in the world, Tahir should take great pride in his 2017 performances.
5 – Trent Boult
This left-arm fast bowler from New Zealand seems to be adding new weapons to his armoury every season and has become the most dangerous opening bowler in ODIs. Capable of demolishing the opposition within a short spell he constantly bowls at the right channels and gives nothing away. He is fifth in the list of leading wicket takers this year and has taken 31 wickets in 16 games at a good strike rate of 27.9. He also claimed two five-wicket hauls and one four-wicket haul in the season. His 7 for 34 against the West Indies was the second best bowling figures in ODIs in 2017.
4 – Jasprit Bhumra
The Indians have finally found a bowler who can deliver toe-crushing yorkers at will and tighten things up at the end of the innings. The 24-year-old Bhumra who is only in his second season representing the national side has emerged as the leading wicket-taker for the country. He has become the go-to man for his captain in the ODI format. The fact that he has mostly bowled on placid tracks of the sub-continent makes his achievement even more special. In 23 games that he played Bhumra picked 39 wickets at a strike rate of 30.6 and also picked up a five-wicket and one four-wicket haul.
3 – Liam Plunkett
The Englishmen had a great 2017, ending the year as the most successful team in terms of winning percentage, and Liam Plunkett consistently performed during this period, testing the very best batsmen in the game. The Yorkshire speedster was the most successful bowler for his side picking up 36 wickets in 17 innings that he bowled. His wickets came at a healthy strike-rate of 23.9 and these included one five-wicket haul and three four-wicket hauls. His best performance was 5 for 52 at Bristol where he demolished the West Indian middle-order in a high scoring game.
2 – Hasan Ali
Pakistan had a successful year in ODIs winning 12 of its 18 encounters and the 23-year-old medium pacer Hasan Ali played an important hand in most of those victories. Not blessed with as much pace and swing as some of his illustrious bowling partners, he has kept to the basics and earned his results. With 45 wickets in 18 games he was the leading wicket-taker for 2017. This includes 3 five-wicket hauls – a rare achievement, which puts him in a select list of bowlers. He also had an impressive strike rate of 20.3 which would make any frontline bowler proud.
1 – Rashid Khan
This leg-break-googly bowler was surely the most exciting story to have emerged in international cricket in 2017. A talented 19-year-old kid representing a war-ravaged nation is enough to make headlines, but Rashid Khan foxed batsmen like no other bowler in 2017. With 43 wickets to his credit he may be second on the list behind Hasan Ali but played a lesser number of matches and earned his scalps at a strike rate of 16.4 and outstanding economy rate of 3.8. This includes two five wicket hauls and two four wicket hauls. His 7 for 18 against the West Indies is the best figure for 2017 and 4th in the list of all-time best bowling figures in ODIs.
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