Cricket is a funny game. A player who performs well can have a bad day. That is why this game is very unpredictable. And since the evolution of T20 cricket, the change in batting approach has made batters go hard after the bowling. And it has made life difficult for the bowlers irrespective of the format of the game.
Nowadays, a batting side looks to score as many runs as possible in their innings to put pressure on the opposition. Especially in the white-ball format, teams tend to take more risks to collect more boundaries and score runs. That is the reason, not just in T20s, bowlers are conceding runs in ODIs as well. In this article, we will discuss the top most expensive spells in ODI cricket.
List of Most Runs conceded in an Innings at ODI
| Player | Overs | Runs | Econ | Team | Against | Ground | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bas de Leede | 10 | 115 | 11.5 | Netherlands | Australia | Delhi | 25 Oct 2023 |
| Mick Lewis | 10 | 113 | 11.30 | Australia | South Africa | Johannesburg | 12 Mar 2006 |
| Adam Zampa | 10 | 113 | 11.30 | Australia | South Africa | Centurion | 15 Sep 2023 |
| Wahab Riaz | 10 | 110 | 11.00 | Pakistan | England | Nottingham | 30 Aug 2016 |
| Rashid Khan | 9 | 110 | 12.22 | Afghanistan | England | Manchester | 18 Jun 2019 |
| Philippe Boissevain | 10 | 108 | 10.80 | Netherlands | England | Amstelveen | 17 Jun 2022 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 10 | 106 | 10.60 | India | South Africa | Wankhede | 25 Oct 2015 |
| Nuwan Pradeep | 10 | 106 | 10.60 | Sri Lanka | India | Mohali | 13 Dec 2017 |
| Martin Snedden | 12 | 105 | 8.75 | New Zealand | England | The Oval | 9 Jun 1983 |
| Tim Southee | 10 | 105 | 10.50 | New Zealand | India | Christchurch | 8 Mar 2009 |
| Brian Vitori | 9 | 105 | 11.66 | Zimbabwe | New Zealand | Napier | 9 Feb 2012 |
| Jason Holder | 10 | 104 | 10.40 | West Indies | South Africa | Sydney | 27 Feb 2015 |
| Cameron Green | 10 | 103 | 10.3 | Australia | India | Indore | 24 Sep 2023 |
Rashid Khan (0/110) against England at Manchester
Rashid Khan is arguably one of the best spinners that the game has seen. But the best bowlers also go through tough days. That is why he is 5th on the list. In fact, he has bowled the joint-second most expensive spell in ODI cricket. It was the 24th match of the 2015 World Cup against England in Manchester. England won the toss and batted first. The top-order batted really well, and Jonny Bairstow (90) and Joe Root (88) scored half-centuries.
But the storming innings came from the bat of skipper Eoin Morgan. The left-hander scored a quick century and made 148 runs off 71 balls, with four boundaries and 17 sixes. He just took every Afghan bowler to the cleaners. But Rashid had a horrible performance. He bowled nine overs and gave away 110 runs at an economy of 12.22 without any wickets. England made 397/6 in their 50 overs. In response, Afghanistan scored 247/8 and lost the match by 150 runs.
(Fun Fact: Eoin Morgan made a record of hitting the most sixes (17) in this match)
Wahab Riaz (0/110) against England at Nottingham
Another bowler that suffered the hammering of England was Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz. It was the third match of the five-match series between Pakistan and England. Eoin Morgan won the toss and batted first. Apart from Jason Roy (15), all the other batters batted really well. Joe Root (85), Jos Buttler (90* off 51) and Morgan (57* off 27) made half-centuries. And the opener, Alex Hales, went on to score a big century.
He made 171 runs off 122 balls with 22 fours and four maximums. England made the third highest score of 444/3 and every Pakistani bowler went for plenty in that innings. But Wahab Riaz registered the unwanted record of bowling the second most expensive over as he gave away 110 runs in 10 overs without any wickets. In reply, Pakistan got all out for 275 runs and lost the match by 169 runs.
Mick Lewis (0/113) against South Africa
The second most expensive spell is registered under the name of an Australian bowler, Mick Lewis, and it came in the most historic match when both teams scored over 430+ runs. This match was a complete nightmare for the bowlers of both teams. It was the final match of the five-match ODI series in Johannesburg. Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. The top four batters made vital contributions. Adam Gilchrist (55), Simon Katich (79) and Michael Hussey (81) all scored half-centuries.
Skipper Ricky Ponting made a big century and scored 164 runs. Australia made 434/4 in 50 overs, and it was the first time that any team crossed the 400-run mark. South Africa appeared to be doomed, but Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs have other ideas. Smith made 90 runs off 55 balls, and Gibbs made 175 off 111 balls. In the end, a half-century from Mark Boucher (50*) helped South Africa register the biggest chase in ODI history. They made 438/9 in 49.5 overs to win the match. All the bowlers gave away conceded runs. But Mick Lewis bowled the most expensive spell as he gave 113 runs in his 10 overs without any wickets.