Bowling a no ball in limited overs can prove to be costly as it can ruin the economy of the bowler and change the momentum of the game. In ODI cricket, there have been many instances where bowlers bowled a no ball in a crucial moment of the game that took the match away from their team.
However, bowling a no ball hasn’t always been costly for the team, but there are some great bowlers who have bowled many no balls in their career. In the following listicle, we will discuss the 10 bowlers to bowl the highest number of no balls in ODI cricket.
Most no balls in ODI cricket
10. James Franklin - 80 no balls
Former New Zealand pacer James Franklin is the 10th player in the list to bowl most no balls in ODI cricket. The left-arm fast bowler has played 110 ODI matches for the Black Caps, taking 81 wickets in the format. Apart from that, Franklin has bowled 80 no balls in his ODI career.
9. Chaminda Vaas - 82 no balls
Chaminda Vaas has been among the best fast bowlers for Sri Lanka in ODI cricket, taking 400 wickets in 322 matches. He was a part of the Sri Lankan team that won their maiden Cricket World Cup title in 1996. Vaas also finished as the leading run-scorer in the 2003 World Cup. However, he has also bowled 82 no balls in ODI cricket coming ninth in the list.
8. Zaheer Khan - 93 no balls
Zaheer Khan is one of the best left-arm pacers to play for India. Khan played a monumental role in India’s 2011 ODI World Cup triumph, being the second highest wicket-taker of the tournament. However, he also holds an unwanted record to bowl most no balls in ODI cricket for India. The former cricketer has bowled 93 no balls from 200 ODI matches in his career.
7. Shoaib Akhtar - 100 no balls
Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar is regarded as the fastest bowler in international cricket who used to clock the speed of over 150 kmph in almost every match. However, he also couldn’t control his foot to stay inside the crease while bowling on most occasions. The right-arm pacer has bowled 100 no balls in 163 ODI matches of his career.
6. Naved-ul-Hasan - 105 no balls
Former Pakistan fast bowler Naved-ul-Hasan has more no balls than number of matches in his ODI career. The right-arm pacer has taken 110 wickets from 74 matches in the 50-over format for the Shaheens. Apart from that, he has also bowled 105 no balls in ODI cricket.
5. Shaun Pollock - 118 no balls
Former South African all-rounder is the fifth player in the list to bowl highest number of no balls in ODI cricket. The right-arm fast bowler has played 303 ODI matches in his career, taking 393 wickets. Apart from that, he has bowled 118 no balls in the 50-over format for the Proteas.
4. Mohammad Sami - 140 no balls
Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Sami is the fourth player to bowl most no balls in ODI cricket. He has taken 121 wickets from 87 matches in the 50-over format. However, he has 140 no balls to his name in his ODI career.
3. Abdul Razzaq - 152 no balls
Abdul Razzaq was among the best fast bowling all-rounders to play for Pakistan, scoring 5080 runs and taking 269 wickets from 265 matches in ODI career. However, he also comes third in the list of players to bowl most no balls in the 50-over format, bowling 152 no balls in ODIs for Pakistan.
2. Dilhara Fernando - 175 no balls
Dilhara Fernando is a former fast bowler from Sri Lanka who was known for his pace and swing during his playing days. He is the second player to bowl highest number of no balls in ODI cricket. The right-arm pacer has bowled 175 no balls in 147 matches of his ODI career for Sri Lanka.
1. Brett Lee - 249 no balls
Brett Lee has been among the best fast bowlers to play for Australia and is the all-time second highest wicket-taker for the country in ODI cricket with 380 wickets from 221 matches. He was the second highest wicket-taker in 2003 World Cup and played a monumental role for Australia to win their third title in that edition. However, among all these, Brett Lee also tops the list to bowl most number of no balls in ODI cricket with a record-249 no balls.
