SL vs ZIM 3rd ODI: Wanindu Hasaranga Returns In Style, Claims Fifth Best Bowling Figures In ODI History

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Spin sensation Wanindu Hasaranga marked his return to international cricket in style as Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe by 8 wickets in the rain-affected third ODI on Thursday (January 11) to seal the three-match series 2-0.

Hasaranga, who last featured for the national side in July 2023, announced his return to action with splendid figures of 7 for 19, which was the fifth best bowling figures in ODI cricket history.

Hasaranga came on in the ninth over of the reduced 27-over match and claimed the wicket of Takudzwanashe Kaitano with the final ball of his first over before taking another three scalps in his next two overs.

Zimbabwe struggled to play the googly as the spinner went on to take three of the final four wickets to restrict the visitors to just 96 in 22.5 overs. Joylord Gumbie (29 in 34 balls, with four boundaries) was the top scorer for Zimbabwe.

SL chased the target down with ease as skipper Kusal Mendis (66* in 51 balls) scored a half-century to seal an eight-wicket win with 10.2 overs to spare at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

The figures are the second-best by a Sri Lanka bowler with Chaminda Vaas's 8/19, against the same opposition at the same venue 23 years ago, the best in men's ODI history.

Shahid Afridi's figures of 7 for 12 is the best by a spinner in the ODI format, while Glenn McGrath's 7/15 remains the best figure in an ICC Men's Cricket World Cup. Here is a look at the top 10 figures in ODI cricket:

Best Bowling Figures In ODI History

1. 8/19 by Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka) vs Zimbabwe in 2001
2. 7/12 by Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) vs West Indies in 2013
3. 7/15 by Glenn McGrath (Australia) vs Namibia in 2003
4. 7/18 by Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) vs West Indies in 2017
5. 7/19 by Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka) vs Zimbabwe in 2024
6. 7/20 by Andy Bichel (Australia) vs England in 2003
7. 7/30 by Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) vs India in 2000
8. 7/32 by Ali Khan (USA) vs Jersey in 2023
9. 7/33 by Tim Southee (New Zealand) vs England in 2015
10. 7/34 by Trent Boult (New Zealand) vs West Indies in 2017

With a fifer, Hasaranga also claimed his fourth five-wicket haul in ODIs. He is just three behind Lasith Malinga and six behind Muttiah Muralitharan in most five wickets by Sri Lankan bowlers in ODI.

The two teams next play a three-match T20I series starting January 14 in Colombo. SL has won the three-match ODI series 2-0, with the first one not being able to produce a result. Hasaranga will lead Sri Lanka for the first time in the T20 series.