Bowlers are very important in any format of cricket. Batsmen can win you matches but to win any tournament or series, it is considered very important for the bowlers to perform well. If the bowling of a team is good then its chances of winning increase.
Pakistan team was very famous for its bowling and even now there are many great bowlers in Pakistan. Keep on taking names like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Qadir, Aaqib Javed but this list will not end. If we talk about other teams like this, bowlers like Shane Warne, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble, Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Heath Streak were quite famous.
If there is a great bowler in a team, he bowls his full overs and gets a chance to play in consecutive matches. The regular bowlers of the team have to do a lot of bowling as the onus is on them. For this reason, such bowlers bowl a lot in their career. We will tell you about the top 3 bowlers who have bowled the most balls in ODI history.
Top 3 bowlers who bowled the most balls in ODI cricket history
3. Shahid Afridi 2nd One Day International: South Africa v Pakistan
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi is at number three in this list. Afridi was a tremendous attacking batsman but he also used to bowl spin very well. Often by taking wickets on crucial occasions, he led the Pakistani team to victory. That’s why he became a regular bowler in the team and bowled consistently.
Shahid Afridi played a total of 398 ODIs in his ODI career from 1996 to 2015 and bowled 17670 balls during this period. Shahid Afridi spent 13632 runs in his ODI career and also took 395 wickets.
2.Wasim Akram; Ponting XI v Gilchrist XI
Wasim Akram is one of the greatest bowlers in the world. Whenever there is talk of swing, Wasim Akram’s name is taken with great respect. He was part of the Pakistani team that won the World Cup in 1992. He won many matches in his career to the Pakistani team on the basis of his bowling.
Wasim Akram played a total of 356 ODIs for Pakistan from 1984 to 2003 and bowled 18186 balls during this period. Wasim Akram took 502 wickets in his career and spent 11812 runs.
1. Muttiah MuralitharanSri Lanka v India – Commonwealth Bank Series
Former Sri Lankan veteran spinner Muttiah Muralitharan holds the record for throwing the most balls in ODI cricket. In his career from 1993 to 2011, Muralitharan bowled 18811 balls in 350 ODIs. During this, he took maximum 534 wickets. Muttiah Muralitharan also holds the record for taking the most 800 wickets in Tests and he did this feat against India in his last Test match.