Expensive bowling is a bowler who concedes a large number of runs from their overs. That is a high economic rate. There is no doubt that white-ball cricket is in favor of the batsmen. But the bowlers still have a fair chance to create an impact with their variations and skills.
The conditions are too difficult for the bowlers to find a way to contain the batsmen at times, which often results in expensive spells. Here we will see the top most expensive bowlers in ODI, T20, and test cricket.
List of Most Expensive Bowlers in Cricket Explained
Top 9 most expensive bowlers in cricket:
- Mick Lewis (Australia)
- Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)
- Wahab Riaz (Pakistan)
- Nuwan Pradeep (Sri Lanka)
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India)
- Tim Southee (New Zealand)
- Martin Snedden (New Zealand)
- Jason Holder (West Indies)
- R Vinay Kumar (India)
T20s
The most distinct characteristic of T20 cricket is that batters pile on bowlers through their big-hitting. The darting sixes and towering fours might be entertaining for the audience, but the bowlers get smacked for plenty of runs. Some added to the undesired list of most runs conceded by a bowler in T20 cricket.
Test
The most expensive bowling figures in a Test match are in the name of Chuck Fleetwood-Smith from Australia, the left-arm Chinaman bowler, who conceded 298 runs for 1 wicket in 87 overs in a Test against England at The Oval played from August 20-24 in 1938.
This was the same match:
- Len Hutton scored a then-record 364.
- Maurice Leyland made 187.
- Joe Hardstaff Jr, an unbeaten 169 as England posted a mammoth 903 for 7 declared.
The hosts beat Australia by an innings and 579 runs. Fleetwood-Smith never played Test cricket again.
India’s Rajesh Chauhan is second on the list, the former off-spinner who conceded 276 runs in 78 overs with just one wicket to slow against Sri Lanka at Colombo in a Test played from August 2-6 in 1997.
ODIs
The bowling figures in one-day internationals are in the name of Aussie pacer Mick Lewis. He picked up 113 runs in 10 overs in a match against South Africa at Johannesburg on March 12, 2006. This was the same game where the Proteas chased down 435 to create a new world record.
Lewis gave away 13 fours and 4 sixes in his quota of 10 overs as South Africa won the contest with one ball to spare Herschelle Gibbs stood out for South Africa with 175 while Mark Boucher remained unbeaten on 50, and skipper Graeme Smith made 90.
Aussie skipper Ricky made 164 as the Aussies set for a victory before South Africa did the unimaginable.
Most Expensive Bowlers In ODI
#1 Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one of the two bowlers who have given away more than 100 runs in a single ODI game for India; he was the right-arm swing bowler and currently is the spearhead of the Indian attack.
He registered an unwanted record to his name in the final ODI of the ODI series against South Africa in 2015 as he gave away 106 runs in his quota of 10 overs, and India lost that series by 3/2. He is the top expensive bowler for India in ODI.
#2 Nuwan Pradeep
The Indian opener Rohit Sharma was captaining the side in the 3-match series against Sri Lanka in the absence of Virat Kohli. This match was referred to as Hit-Man’s day in the history book.
Which came out from Rohit Sharma’s bat as an anniversary gift to his wife, Ritika Sajdeh, turned out to be a harsh punishment for the Lankan bowler, Nuwan Pradeep, who scored his 3rd double-century and led his side to a 141-run win, leveling the 3 match series to 1-1. Nuwan Pradeep conceded a total of 106 runs in his 10 wicketless overs.
#3 Wahab Riaz
Wahab Riaz is one of the better-known bowlers in the world and once had to face the nightmare of English cricket at its best. It was the 3rd ODI between Pakistan and England in Nottingham(2016). England placed the second-largest ODI total on the back of Alex Hales’s 122-ball 171.
Morgan’s 27-ball 57 and Buttler’s 51-ball 90 came in handy for the massive score of 444/3. Wahab Riaz picked up 110 runs in the 10 wicketless overs that he bowled. The man even had sleepless nights after this nightmare on the field. This match also ended the series for England as they were 3-0 in the 5-match series.
#4 Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan is the world’s no.3 ODI bowler and registered the most expensive figures in World Cup history. On Tuesday, he smashed 110 runs off 9 overs in the first inning of the league match between Afghanistan and England at Old Trafford.
England scored 397/6 with the help of Eoin Morgan, England’s captain, in an explosive inning. The left-hander scored 148 runs in just 71 balls at a staggering strike rate of 208.45, and he also broke the record for most sixes in an innings.
He became the first spinner to concede 100 runs in an innings, hitting eleven sixes. Seven of them were hit by the captain himself, and the four were Moeen Ali’s contribution to the massive English total.
#5 Mick Lewis
He is one of the lesser-known bowlers of Australia who was the latest of the late bloomers. He made his debut at the age of 31 years, and the day went down in the history of cricket as the day when it impossibly happened.
It was 2006, 12th March, and South Africa hosted Australia in a 5-match ODI series. South Africa and Australia were missing their star bowlers, Shaun Pollock and Glenn McGrath.
Australia had 434/4 in 50 overs on the back of Ricky Ponting’s 105-ball 164. This was the first time a team scored more than 400 runs in an ODI. Gibbs scored the highest South African score of 175 runs off 111 balls, and Mich Lewis picked 113 runs in the 10 overs he had to bowl.
The South African team pulled off the most fantastic successful chase and scored in ODI cricket, and Lewis remains the most expensive bowler in an ODI inning.
Most Expensive Bowlers in T20
#1 Kasun Rajitha
Kasun Rajitha is the most expensive bowler in T20. He holds the unwanted record as he gave 75 runs against Australia in his 4 overs. David warner made use of him and scored a century in that match.
#2 Chris Sole
Scotland’s Chris Sole is the second most expensive bowler in the T20s. He gave 72 runs in his quota of 4 overs against New Zealand. Finn Allen was the only reason for Chris Sole’s unwanted record. His only console is that he took a wicket in the last over.
#3 Tunahan Turan
Tunahan Turan gave the most runs in a T20 match in the Continental Cup 2019. During the 6th match of the tournament, the Czech Republic scored 278 runs in 20 overs. They used Turan’s 4 overs and scored 70 runs in those.
#4 Barry McCarthy
Ireland’s Barry McCarthy is the fourth most expensive bowler in T20s. He has given 69 runs in 24 balls against Afghanistan. He opened the bowling for them, and from the beginning, he was shattered across the ground by Shahzad and Nabi.
#5 Kyle Abbott
South Africa’s Kyle Abbott is known for his pace and line. But he is the fifth most expensive bowler, giving 68 runs against West Indies. West Indian legend Chris Gayle took him for granted, scoring 90 runs in just 41 balls.
Most Expensive Bowlers In Test Cricket
#1 Keshav Maharaj
In the 1st Test match between India and South Africa, Keshav Maharaj became the most expensive bowlers in test cricket. In that match, India won the toss and elected to bat first. Both openers of the Indian team made use of the spinner and scored centuries. Maharaj gave expensive bowling innings, 189 runs in 1st and 129 runs in 2nd.
#2 Nathan Lyon
Nathan Lyon became the 2nd most expensive bowlers in test matches. He made this embarrassing record during the 4th test between South Africa and Australia. South Africa scored 488 runs in the 1st and 344 runs in the 2nd innings of that match. Lyon, an economical and wicket-taking bowler, failed to replicate the same and leaked 182 and 116 runs. Australia lost that match by mammoth 492 runs because of this bowling.
#3 Yasir Shah
Pakistan’s mystery spinner Yasir Shah, known for his crucial wickets, holds the 3rd most expensive bowlers record. He made this against Australia during the 3rd test in Sydney. Matt Renshaw and David Warner didn’t allow him to settle, as they started thrashing him from the beginning. Though bowling expensive, Yasir Shah failed to take wickets to contain the opposition. He gave 167 runs in the 1st and 124 runs in the 2nd innings.
#4 Anil Kumble
India’s leading wicket-taker, Anil Kumble, is also one of the most expensive bowlers in test history. He also holds the record in Sydney, which is a nightmare ground for most spinners. Batting first Indian batsman Sachin and Laxman took the Indian team score to 705 runs in 1st innings. Defending this total, Kumble failed to contain runs as he gave 141 runs in the 1st and 138 runs in the 2nd innings. The match ended in a draw as Indian bowlers failed to pick the wickets.
Most Expensive Bowlers FAQ
1. Who bowled the most expensive overs in Test Cricket?
Stuart Broad bowled the most expensive over in test cricket and conceded 35 runs in an over during the second day of the rearranged fifth test between India and England.
2. Who is the most expensive bowler in the Indian cricket team?
Deepak Chahar, an Indian cricketer, who conceded 67 wickets in his IPL career so far becomes the top player in the list of most expensive bowlers in the IPL 2022 mega auction.
3. Who is the No.1 bowler in the Test?
Pat Cummins is the No.1 bowler in test cricket.
Conclusion – Most Expensive Bowlers
I have listed all the most expensive bowlers in ODI, Test, and T20 cricket. Also, you can see a detailed explanation of the most expensive bowlers. Modern cricket has been promoting violent forms of batting and risk-taking character in all forms of cricket.
With the introduction of the T20 format, ODI format, and Test format, this trait became more popular and broke all the high score records quicker than one would have imagined. The game includes more batsmen and bowlers facing the burden in the new era of cricket.
