Top 5 ODI Bowling Performances of 2016

Player - John Hastings
Runs - 45
Wickets - 6
Team - Australia
Opposition - Sri Lanka
Ground - Dambulla
Match Date - 31 August, 2016

Going into the game, Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews had said that the wicket would be slow and wore a dry look. This very statement returned to haunt the Lankans as they won the toss and decided to bat first. What hit them next is something that Mathews & Co. will remember for some time to come. Opening the bowling with Mitchell Starc, John Hastings picked six wickets to derail the Lanka innings as they finished with just 212. Even though Starc picked the first wicket, it was the Hastings show from then on. He used the slow pace in the wicket to mix his line and length. In the end, Australia romped home with six wickets in hand.

Player - Mashrafe Mortaza
Runs - 29
Wickets - 4
Team - Bangladesh
Opposition - England
Ground - Dhaka
Match Date - 9 October, 2016

It was once again a valiant display of fast bowling by a pacer on a wicket that hardly had anything for them. No longer in his prime, Mortaza is known more for his change of pace and variations nowadays and he put them to good effect again that night at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Defending Bangladesh’s total of 238, thanks largely to Mortaza’s knock of 44, not only did Mortaza lead like a champion -- making important bowling changes and placing fielder in the right places -- but also picked the crucial wickets of Jason Roy and Ben Stokes to derail England’s chase. It was only poetic justice that he took the last wicket of Jake Ball as the players ran in to join their skipper in the team celebrations.

Player - Amit Mishra
Runs - 18
Wickets - 5
Team - India
Opposition - New Zealand
Ground - Visakhapatnam
Match Date - 29 October, 2016

With R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja being India’s frontline spinners, Amit Mishra doesn’t often get to play for India. But with both Ashwin and Jadeja rested for the ODI series, Mishra got his due and bowled splendidly right through the series to win the Man of the Series award. But his best spell came in the deciding ODI in Vizag. Batting first, India had put on 269 and the Kiwis looked quietly confident going into the dinner break. But Mishra had other ideas. Using the slowness of the wicket to good effect, Mishra literally ran through the NZ batting as he finished with a fifer. He bowled the perfect length and his variations made the Kiwi batsmen look like novices. In the end, NZ managed just 79 as Mishra finished with his second fifer in his ODI career.

Player - Imran Tahir
Runs - 45
Wickets - 7
Team - South Africa
Opposition - West Indies
Ground - Basseterre
Match Date - 15 June, 2016

The present West Indies team might not command the respect that the older ones did, but even then, picking up seven wickets in an ODI is no mean feat. The pitch at the Warner Park in St. Kitts was gripping and Imran Tahir took full advantage. Known to be a cunning limited-overs cricketer, he used his variations to brilliant use as the Windies batsmen looked all at sea. Having a total of 343 to defend also meant that Tahir could experiment better and give the ball more air and loop. His best wicket had to be that of Carlos Brathwaite. WI’s T20 superstar looked to heave Tahir across the line, only for the googly to go through bat and pad and disturb the timber.

Player - Sunil Narine
Runs - 27
Wickets - 6
Team - West Indies
Opposition - South Africa
Ground - Providence
Match Date - 3 June, 2016

Back in the national fold after working on his bowling action, Sunil Narine showed his caliber in the first game of the tri-series between West Indies, South Africa and Australia. Having missed the World T20 as he felt he needed more time to rework his action, the pressure was on Narine to deliver and deliver he did. Picking six wickets against a South Africa side that boasted of quality players against spin – AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla and JP Duminy among others – showed that Narine’s confidence was back. The way Narine used the knuckle ball and his other variations, it was evident that the spinner had recovered completely from the shock of being called for a faulty action. His knuckle ball that caught Amla plumb in front had to be his best delivery in the match