Bowlers with Most Left-Handed Batters Dismissals in ODIs
| Player | Innings | LHB Wickets | Average | Total Career Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brett Lee (AUS) | 193 | 126 | 20.76 | 380 |
| Lasith Malinga (SL) | 197 | 113 | 25.03 | 338 |
| Mitchell Johnson (AUS) | 131 | 93 | 17.39 | 239 |
| Zaheer Khan (IND) | 165 | 90 | 30.83 | 282 |
| Kyle Mills (NZ) | 152 | 89 | 25.98 | 240 |
| James Anderson (ENG) | 162 | 81 | 30.64 | 269 |
| Mitchell Starc (AUS) | 121 | 81 | 21.02 | 247 |
| Chaminda Vaas (SL) | 152 | 80 | 26.31 | 400 |
| Harbhajan Singh (IND) | 159 | 78 | 34.16 | 269 |
| Mashrafe Mortaza (BAN) | 176 | 76 | 39.00 | 270 |
| Kuldeep Yadav (IND) | 109 | 75 | 23.80 | 194 |
| Mohammad Hafeez (PAK) | 147 | 75 | 27.52 | 139 |
| Shoaib Akhtar (PAK) | 125 | 75 | 23.06 | 247 |
| Shahid Afridi (PAK) | 214 | 73 | 43.54 | 395 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) | 163 | 70 | 29.08 | 534 |
Guess: Who tops the same chart in Test cricket?
Key Insights on Most Successful Bowlers Against Left-Handed Batters in ODIs
Individual Milestone Records for Wickets Against Southpaws
Australia’s Brett Lee has taken the most wickets against left-handed batters in ODIs, with 126 scalps to his name.
Harbhajan Singh has dismissed the most left-handed batters among spinners in ODIs, having picked up 78 scalps in 159 innings.
Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez claimed nearly 54 per cent of his ODI career wickets against left-handed batters, dismissing 75 southpaw batters out of his 139 total scalps.
Mitchell Johnson has the lowest bowling average against left-handed batters in ODIs (minimum 1000 balls), dismissing 93 batters at an average of 17.39 in 131 innings.
Most Dismissed Single Left-Handed Batter by a Bowler in ODIs
India’s Zaheer Khan has dismissed two left-handed batters—Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga—eight times each in ODIs. Here’s a video of an ODI match where Zaheer picks up both Jayasuriya and Tharanga in his fiery first spell.
Josh Hazlewood (vs Quinton de Kock), Chaminda Vaas (vs Stephen Fleming), Nuwan Kulasekara (vs Gautam Gambhir), and Shahid Afridi (vs Kumar Sangakkara) have also dismissed a specific southpaw batter eight times each.
Brett Lee has dismissed Stephen Fleming and Chris Gayle seven times each in ODIs.
Performance Analytics by Dismissal Type vs Left Handers
84 of Brett Lee’s 126 wickets against left-handed batters were caught-out dismissals, the most by any bowler in ODIs.
Lasith Malinga clean bowled 41 southpaw batters out of his 113 dismissals against them, marking the highest such tally.
Mohammad Hafeez and Rashid Khan are the only two bowlers to trap 25 or more left-handed batters LBW in ODIs.
Muttiah Muralitharan and Ravichandran Ashwin have recorded 10 stumpings each against left-handed batters in the format.
Historical Calendar Year and Consistency Records for Left-Handers Dismissals
Brett Lee is the only bowler to claim 20 or more wickets against left-handers in two separate calendar years (2003 and 2006).
Saeed Ajmal and Kuldeep Yadav hold the record for the most wickets against left-handers in a single calendar year, both dismissing 23 southpaw batters in 2013 and 2023 respectively.
Check: Most ODI Wickets in a Calendar Year
