Stuart Broad ripped the heart out of the South African batting at Trent Bridge with sensational figures of five for 23 in his ten overs to set up a comprehensive ten-wicket triumph for England. So - having examined the top Test innings, how about giving One-day bowlers their due.
It is always more tricky to compare ODI bowling efforts - for instance - how does five for 50 in ten overs compare with none for 20 in the same ten overs. With the help of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings computer, we can obtain some answers. So - here is a countdown of the top ten One Day international bowling performances
| 10= | Farveez Maharoof | SL | 9-2-14-6 | v WI | Mumbai | 14/10/2006 |
Taking advantage of the Brabourne's pitch and some woeful choices of strokes, he cut a swathe through the must-vaunted West Indian batting line-up to rout them for just 80 and set up a nine-wicket triumph.
| 10= | Andrew Bichel | AUS | 10-0-20-7 | v ENG | Port Elizabeth | 02/03/2003 |
This was a must-win game for Australia and Bichel's figures stood out like a sore thumb as his colleagues took one for 181 in their forty overs. Not satisfied with that, he then starred made an unbeaten 34 as Australia scraped home by two wickets with two balls to spare.
| 9 | Terry Alderman | AUS | 10-2-17-5 | v NZ | Wellington | 20/02/1982 |
Better known for his Test exploits, Alderman certainly had his days in the shorter form of the game. New Zealand collapsed to the Aussie pace attack at the Basin Reserve for just 74, with Alderman the pick of the bunch with five top order wickets.
| 8 | Stuart Broad | ENG | 10-3-23-5 | v SA | Nottingham | 26/08/2008 |
A new entry to the top ten, Broad was helped by four catches by keeper Matt Prior as South Africa were bundled out in just 23 overs - the shortest all-out innings in their ODI history. He removed five of the top seven batsmen as England won with more than 35 overs to spare.
| 7 | Mike Hendrick | ENG | 12-6-15-4 | v PAK | Leeds | 16/06/1979 |
With a career ODI economy rate of 3.27, Hendrick could certainly bowl a metronomic line and length. With England defending just 165 in this World Cup match, he reduced Pakistan to 34 for six to send England into the semi-finals.
| 6 | Farveez Maharoof | SL | 10-5-9-3 | v WI | Dambulla | 02/08/2005 |
A second entry for Maharoof, who certainly seems to enjoy bowling against the West Indies. This time his miserly new-ball spell set up a fifty-run victory for Sri Lanka as the tourists never recovered from a number of early setbacks which saw them slump to 39 for five.
| 5 | Chaminda Vaas | SL | 9.3-1-14-5 | v IND | Sharjah | 29/10/2000 |
Somewhat overshadowed by team-mate Sanath Jayasuriya's innings of 189 which helped set India a daunting target of 300, Vaas set about them immediately with four wickets in his first five overs to hasten them towards their lowest ever ODI total of just 54.
| 4 | Glenn McGrath | AUS | 10-4-8-4 | v IND | Sydney | 14/01/2000 |
Having won the toss and decided to bat, India would soon be ruing that fact as the King of line-and-length bowled an astonishingly accurate spell removing the big top three of Ganguly, Tendulkar and Laxman before twenty had been posted on the board.
| 3 | Sunil Joshi | IND | 10-6-6-5 | v SA | Nairobi | 26/09/1999 |
Ironically the only spinner on the list, and who would have picked him? Bowling first-change, he spun a web around the South Africans who were powerless to hit him of the square. They subsided to a mere 117 all out and defeat by eight wickets.
| 2 | Phil Simmons | WI | 10-8-3-4 | v PAK | Sydney | 17/12/1992 |
Given the new ball ahead of Patrick Patterson and Kenny Benjamin, Simmons did not disappoint as he bowled what is still the most economical ten-over spell in ODI history. Pakistan were only chasing 215, but found Simmons irresistible under the Sydney lights.
| 1 | Gary Gilmour | AUS | 12-6-14-6 | v ENG | Leeds | 18/06/1975 |
In just the 31st ODI ever played, left-armer Gilmour bowled Australia into the World Cup final with an astonishing spell. England's first six wickets fell for just 36 - all to Gilmour - as they were all out for 93.
So - no Wasim Akram, no Murali, no Waqar Younis and no Shaun Pollock, but can anyone honestly argue with any of the above?