365 Sporting Days

There was a lot of talk in the media about the magic 500 runs being scored for the first time in an ODI during this World Cup. England had played 5 warm up matches against Pakistan. The first at the Oval was rained off the rest were high scoring affairs –

• The Rose Bowl, Southampton – England 373/3 – Pakistan 361/7
• The County Ground, Bristol – Pakistan 358/9 – England 359/4
• Trent Bridge, Nottingham – Pakistan 340/7 – England 341/7
• Headingley, Leeds – England 351/9 – Pakistan 297

With the exception of the final game every innings saw over 300 runs scored and that final Pakistan innings was pretty close. I was at Trent Bridge last year when England scored 481 against Australia, it was an amazing thing to witness but as a game it was a non event. Personally I didn’t want to see one sided runs fest. What those in the media hadn’t taken account of was the fact that the ICC had a say in how the wickets were prepared.

That meant the highest scored was actually England’s 397/6 against Afghanistan at Old Trafford. There were 48 matches, with 4 rained off totally or mostly, that means 88 innings, of those 88 there were only 27 scores of 300 or over. We had a World Cup with a good balance between bat and ball which can only be a good thing for the game. With that in mind here are the Top 10 wicket takers.

1. Mitchell Starc – Australia – 27 wickets for 502 runs on 10 innings at an average of 18.59. Starc fulfilled his potential in this competition taking 5 for 26 against New Zealand and 4 for 46 against the West Indies. In his ODI career Starc has bowled 4315 balls conceding 3611 runs, taking 172 wickets at an average of 20.99.

2. Lockie Ferguson – New Zealand – 21 wickets for 409 runs in 9 innings at an average of 19.47. Within a team choc full of great bowlers Ferguson tops the pile for his team. In his ODI career he’s bowled 1902 balls and conceded 1719 runs, taking 67 wickets at an average of 25.65

3. Joffra Archer – England – 20 wickets for 49 runs in 12 innings (including THAT Super Over) for 491 runs. Not a bad return for a player who made his ODI debut in that Pakistan series after becoming eligible just before it started. Archers’ career ODI stats aren’t therefore that plentiful but, he has bowled 737 balls, conceding 569 runs and taken 23 wickets at an average of 24.73.

4. Mustafizur Rahman – Bangladesh – 20 wickets for 484 runs in 8 innings at an average of 24.2. I saw Bangladesh 3 times, their rained off match was one I was due to be at. They were a revelation and their fans a delight, I saw them beat South Africa and run New Zealand close. In his ODI career Mustafizur has bowled 2705 balls conceding 2333 runs, taking 103 wickets at an average of 22.65.

5. Jasprit Bumrah – India – 18 wickets for 371 runs in 8 innings at an average of 20.61. My usual seat of choice is behind the bowlers arm, I watched Bumrah a lot last summer but I hadn’t seen him sideways on until the World Cup match at Old Trafford between India and Pakistan, his run up is really quite remarkable, he barely gets any pace up, yet he’s an incredibly effective bowler, bowling at an average speed of 142km/h! His overall ODI record is – 3009 balls bowled, 2254 runs conceded with 103 wickets taken at an average of 21.88.

6. Mark Wood – England – 18 wickets for 463 runs in 9 innings at an average of 25.72. Alongside Chris Woakes who also features here Wood comes across as one of the real nice guys of cricket, it was great to see him have such a good tournament. He’s player who carries injuries so has missed out at times, but a change to his run up has hopefully alleviated the risk. In his ODI career Wood has bowled 2585 balls, conceding 2385 runs, taking 61 wickets at an average of 39.09.

7. Trent Boult – New Zealand – 17 wickets for 479 runs in 10 innings at an average of 28.17. The New Zealand paceman took the responsibility for the Super Over in the Final, conceding 15 runs, that must’ve taken nerves of steel! Ihis ODi career Boult has bowled 4884 runs, conceding 4111 runs, taking 164 wickets at an average of 25,06.

8. Mohammad Amir – Pakistan – 17 wickets for 358 runs in 8 innings at an average of 21.05. Amir wasn’t included in Pakistans original squad, but with his experience in England, including his demolition of India’s top order in the Champions Trophy Final, his inclusion was a no brainer for me. Chickenpox during the England series meant he didn’t feature but the selectors took a punt and included the man who would be their top wicket taker. In his ODI career Amir’s bowled 2911 balls, conceding 2329 runs, taking 77 wickets at 30.24 runs.

9. Shaheen Afridi – Pakistan – 16 wickets for 234 runs in 5 innings at an average of 14.63. Shaheen was nothing less than a sensation during this tournament, at just 19 he has the best average of those in the Top 10. He has a very famous name, but isn’t related to Shahid, his older brother Riaz did however play one test for Pakistan. In his short career Shaheen has bowled 924 balls, conceding 847 runs, taking 40 wickets at an average of 21.17.

10. Chris Woakes – England – 16 wickets for 450 runs in 11 innings at an average of 28.12. England’s most consistent bowler, remarkably he also batted at 3 against the West Indies scoring 40 from 54 balls, proving his credentials as an all rounder. In his ODI career Woakes has bowled 4638 balls, conceding 4327 runs, taking 142 wickets at an average of 30.47.