Cricket is a game of uncertainties, and no matter how much experience a player has, they can never be certain of the outcome. One moment you can be on top, and the next, you can be down and out. The same holds true for Women’s ODI cricket. While the game is stil very much skewed in batters favours, over the years, we’ve seen some exceptional spells of bowling by the women’s cricketers, which have left the opposition stunned. Here, we take a look at the top three spells in Women’s ODI.
1. Sajjida Shah‘s 8-5-4-7 vs. Japan Women (21 July 2003)
Pakistan’s Sajjida Shah’s spell against Japan Women in 2003 is undoubtedly the best spell of bowling by a woman cricketer in an ODI. She bowled eight overs, out of which five were maidens, and conceded only four runs while picking up seven wickets. Her exceptional bowling performance helped Pakistan bundle out Japan Women for just 28 runs. In the end, Pakistan won the match by a huge 153 runs.
Shah took 51 ODI wickets in 60 matches additionally making 863 runs with the bat as well.
2. Jo Chamberlain‘s 9-1-8-7 vs. Denmark Women (19 July 1991)
England’s Jo Chamberlain’s spell against Denmark Women in 1991 is the second-best spell of bowling in women’s ODI cricket. She bowled nine overs, out of which one was a maiden, and conceded only eight runs while picking up seven wickets. Her incredible performance helped England bundle out Denmark Women for just 47 runs, which England chased down with ease winning the match by 9 wickets.
Chamberlain went on to play 39 ODI matches and took 49 wickets.
3. Anisa Mohammed‘s 8.3-1-14-7 vs. Pakistan Women (26 November 2011)
West Indies’ Anisa Mohammed’s spell against Pakistan Women in 2011 is the third-best spell of bowling in women’s ODI cricket. She bowled 8.3 overs, out of which one was a maiden, and conceded only 14 runs while picking up seven wickets. Her impressive performance helped West Indies bundle out Pakistan Women for just 120 runs. As a result for West Indies’ incredible first inning score (250/5) and Mohammed’s brilliant spell with the ball, West Indies beat Pakistan by 130 runs.
Anisa Mohammed went on to play 141 ODI matches for West Indies, taking 180 wickets with an impressive strike rate of 34.7.