One of the most depressing things ever for a bowler is conceding runs off his bowling. Every boundary that is being hit in their bowling affects them in one way or another.
It may motivate them to bowl better in the following deliveries, or they might go for more runs. The motive of every bowler would be to limit the runs off his bowling if at all they are not picking wickets.
In ODI cricket, a bowler prefers to have an economy rate of 6 or fewer runs per over, but there are instances of bowlers conceding over 100 runs in ODI cricket. We will list the top 10 most expensive bowling figures in the history of ODI cricket.
Most Expensive ODI Bowling Figures
| Player | Bowling Figures | Overs Bowled | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bas de Leede (NED) | 2/115 | 10.0 | Australia | Delhi | 25 Oct 2023 |
| Mick Lewis (AUS) | 0/113 | 10.0 | South Africa | Johannesburg | 12 Mar 2006 |
| Adam Zampa (AUS) | 0/113 | 10.0 | South Africa | Centurion | 15 Sep 2023 |
| Wahab Riaz (PAK) | 0/110 | 10.0 | England | Nottingham | 30 Aug 2016 |
| Rashid Khan (AFG) | 0/110 | 9.0 | England | Manchester | 18 Jun 2019 |
| Philippe Boissevain (NED) | 0/108 | 10.0 | England | Amstelveen | 17 Jun 2022 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar (IND) | 1/106 | 10.0 | South Africa | Wankhede | 25 Oct 2015 |
| Nuwan Pradeep (SL) | 0/106 | 10.0 | India | Mohali | 13 Dec 2017 |
| Martin Snedden (NZ) | 2/105 | 12.0 | England | The Oval | 09 Jun 1983 |
| Tim Southee (NZ) | 0/105 | 10.0 | India | Christchurch | 08 Mar 2009 |
| Brian Vitori (ZIM) | 1/105 | 9.0 | New Zealand | Napier | 09 Feb 2012 |
#11 Brian Vitori (Zimbabwe) | 1/105 in 9 overs vs New Zealand, Napier 2012
Brian Vitori had a dream start to his ODI career, picking up 2 five-wicket hauls in the first 2 games. But post that, things didn’t go well for him, and he endured one of his forgettable days as an international player in the game against New Zealand at Napier in 2012.
He gave away a whopping 105 in the 9 overs he bowled. New Zealand batters, especially their top-order, took him on the journey as the hosts piled up a massive 373 on the board.
#10 Tim Southee (New Zealand) | 0/105 in 10 overs vs India, Christchurch 2009
Tim Southee is one of the biggest names when it comes to New Zealand cricket, but he has a record that he may not be proud of. The pacer has the dubious record of conceding the most runs in an innings by a Kiwi player.
Indian batters took him the distance on a batting surface at Christchurch in their successful 2009 tour of the country. Sachin made a famous 163 as India amassed a massive 392 runs, batting first.
#9 Martin Snedden (New Zealand) | 2/105 in 12 overs vs England, The Oval 1983
This was the first time in the history of ODIs that a bowler conceded 100 or more runs in an inning, and the player to initiate this club was New Zealand pacer Martin Snedden. He did so against England at the iconic Oval in the first game of the World Cup in 1983
Since it was before the normalisation of ODI cricket, it was played as 60 over-a-side games, and Snedden bowled 12 of those. England eventually scored 322 in their quota of overs.
#8 Nuwan Pradeep (Sri Lanka) | 0/106 in 10 overs vs India, Mohali 2017
It was a famous game in Mohali where Rohit Sharma, India’s captain for the game, smashed the third of his ODI double century, and Sri Lanka was the recipient of his brilliance yet another time.
Nuwan Pradeep, one of the lead pacers of the Sri Lankan team at the time, endured the brunt of the damage done by Rohit Sharma. He went for 106 runs in his 10 overs quota, and it became the most expensive figures ever registered by a Sri Lankan bowler in this format.
#7 Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India) | 1/106 in 10 overs vs South Africa, Wankhede 2015
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, known for his swinging capabilities and as an economical pacer, especially in powerplays and at death overs, went for plenty in what was a belter of a surface at Wankhede against South Africa in 2015.
It was an odd game for Bhuvneshwar as he was taken to the cleaners by South African batters AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock, and Faf du Plessis as the visitors had a field day scoring 438 runs. Bhuvi’s figures remain the highest-ever runs conceded by an Indian bowler in this format.
#6 Philippe Boissevain (Netherlands) | 0/108 in 10 overs vs England, Amstelveen 2022
England, the 2019 ODI World Cup champions, smashed the highest-ever ODI score in history against the hapless Netherlands team in 2022. While all the bowlers of the home team faced the brunt of England’s batting might, it was leg spinner Phillipe Boissevain who faced most of the damage done by the English batters.
Three of England’s batters scored a ton each, with Jos Buttler leading the pack with a sensational 162* from just 70 balls. The visiting side walloped 498 runs in 50 overs.
Also Read | The Fastest Five 150 Scores in ODI Cricket
#5 Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) | 0/110 in 9 overs vs England, Manchester 2019
Rashid Khan, like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, is a surprising feature on this list as he is usually economical and the batters will find it hard to score against him. Rashid bowled the most expensive bowling figures by an Afghanistan bowler in ODI history when he gave away 110 off his 9 overs against England at Manchester.
England batters, particularly Eoin Morgan, were severe on the champion leggie in that particular game. This is the fourth expensive figure in ODI cricket and the most ever in a World Cup game.
#4 Wahab Riaz (Pakistan) | 0/110 in 10 overs vs England, Nottingham 2016
Wahab Riaz, the tearaway Pakistan pacer, was a genuine wicket-taker and was known for bowling hostile spells. But he was very quick and had a tendency to go for a lot of runs when he missed his target.
This is what happened in the uneventful match at Nottingham when Pakistan faced a rampant England side in 2016. The left-arm pacer went for a staggering 110 runs in his 10 overs as England piled up 444/3, their second-highest total in ODIs.
#3 Adam Zampa (Australia) | 0/113 in 10 overs vs South Africa, Centurion 2023
The most recent entrant on this list is Australian leg spinner Adam Zampa, who became the joint most expensive bowler of all time in ODI cricket when he conceded a whopping 113 in his 10 overs against South Africa at Centurion.
Zampa, a prolific wicket-taker in the middle over phase for Australia, was subjected to punishment by the South African batters, especially by Heinrich Klassen and David Miller, who smashed him to all parts of the ground.
#2 Mick Lewis (Australia) | 0/113 in 10 overs vs South Africa, Johannesburg 2006
Australia’s Mick Lewis also conceded 113 runs in his 10 overs. It was the famous match where South Africa chased down the record score of 435 set by Australia at Johannesburg in 2006.
It remains the highest run chase by any team in ODI cricket, and freak innings are etched in the memories of millions of cricket followers across the globe.
#1 Bas de Leede (NED) | 2/115 in 10 overs vs Australia, Delhi 2023
The record for the most expensive figures in ODI cricket goes to Bas de Leede of the Netherlands, who conceded 115 runs against the mighty Australian in the 2023 ODI World Cup match.
The last spell of the bowler’s over went for 28 runs, in which the major credit goes to Glenn Maxwell, who hit the fastest World Cup century in that game.
