Hansie Cronje was probably the greatest South African captain of all time. Under his reign, SA won its maiden and only title in Cricket when they won the inaugural ICC Knockout Trophy in 1998. Cronje ensured that SA remained at the top of the world right from the start of their readmission into cricket post-apartheid era. He led SA from the front both as a batter and as a bowler on numerous occasions.
As a batter, he was good in the lower middle order. He could add runs at a good pace and could anchor the innings when required. But as a bowler, he was often underestimated. The medium pacer troubled some of the best batters in the world like Sachin Tendulkar. Especially in ODIs, he often broke big partnerships and changed the momentum of the matches. It’s time to look at his best bowling performances in ODIs.
3. 3/26 vs New Zealand in Auckland, 1999
It was the sixth ODI of the series between SA and NZ. The match took place in Auckland’s Eden Park. The visiting side batted first and posted a great total of 290/5 on the board. Cronje did not have to do anything big with the bat as Gary Kirsten, Jacques Kallis, and Daryl Cullinan took care of the score. 291 was a bit too difficult to chase, especially against the peak South African team.
It proved to be one as the home side’s batters feel like a pack of cards. As usual, Cronje cleaned up the lower middle order and the lower order well. In his 6 overs, Hansie claimed 3 wickets by conceding just 26 runs. He claimed the wickets of Adam Parore, Chris Harris, and Daniel Vettori. SA dismissed NZ for just 147 and won the match by 143 runs.
2. 3/10 vs West Indies in Cape Town, 1999
At Newlands, Cape Town in 1999, SA took on WI in an ODI. It was the 5th ODI of the series between South Africa and the 2-time world champions. Batting first, SA posted 221/8 on the board. The home side needed an inspirational bowling effort to defend the total. Their bowlers didn’t disappoint and bowled in a disciplined way. Hansie ran through the lower middle and the lower-order batters.
The South African skipper dismissed the likes of Keith Semple, Darren Ganga, and Curtly Ambrose. In his spell of 9 overs, Cronje was highly miserly and gave away just 10 runs at an economy rate of astonishing 1.11. He claimed 3 wickets and showed the ability to win matches as a bowler. SA dismissed WI for just 132 runs and won the match comfortably by 89 runs.
1. 5/32 vs India in Cape Town, 1992
It was the first ODI of the series between India and South Africa in 1992. Batting first, India had a pathetic display of batting. They were dismissed for a paltry total of 184 runs on the board. Hansie stepped up as a bowler and claimed his first and only fifer in ODIs. Despite being the sixth bowler, he was terrific. In his spell of 10 overs, Hansie conceded just 32 runs and claimed 5 wickets.
He got the wickets of the likes of Ajay Jadeja, Sanjay Manjrekar, Praveen Amre, Manoj Prabhakar, and WV Raman. Having to chase 185, SA needed a bit of finishing towards the end. In Newlands, Hansie provided it by scoring 12 runs in 5 balls. The home side won the match by 6 wickets and Cronje was awarded with the Player of the Match honor.
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