5 Popular Players Who Took A Wicket On Their First International Ball In ODIs
Making an instant impact is important, but a few cricketers have taken it to the next level. These bowlers took a wicket in their very first International ball in ODIs, thereby not wasting much time in showcasing their potential. So far, 29 bowlers have achieved this feat, including three in 2021. In this article, we take a look at the list of five popular players who took a wicket on their first International ball in ODIs.
1) Clive Lloyd (West Indies)
Opposition: England || Player who got out: Mike Smith || Year: 1973 || Venue: London
It was seven years after he had made his Test debut that Clive Lloyd played his first ODI game. Although he had collected a few wickets in the longer format, in the first delivery of his ODI career itself, the right-arm medium pacer collected a scalp.
While he bowled Mike Smith for his first wicket, he later got England’s captain Mike Denness out, too. This triggered a collapse, and West Indies was able to restrict the opposition to 189. West Indies then chased the total comfortably.
2) Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan)
Opposition: West Indies || Player who got out: Brian Lara || Year: 1991 || Venue: Faisalabad
Inzamam-ul-Haq is one of the popular players who took a wicket on their first International ball. In 378 ODI games that he played, the former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq bowled a total of 9.4 overs only. Out of this, he collected three wickets, one of which was on his very first delivery in the format.
In fact, Inzamam’s only scalp was a special one. It was Brian Lara, who gave a catch to Moin Khan. However, although Inzamam then scored 60 runs, his team was not able to chase the target set by West Indies.
3) Fidel Edwards (West Indies)
Opposition: Zimbabwe || Player who got out: Barney Rogers || Year: 2003 || Venue: Harare
Fidel Edwards is also one of the popular players who took a wicket on their first International ball. There is something about Edwards which makes batsmen struggle to face him, especially when they have not faced the West Indian before.
This was the case when the pacer first came on to the scene. West Indies had made 256 runs in the first innings, and Zimbabwe had a decent batting line-up to chase the target. However, including a wicket on his first delivery, Fidel Edwards picked a total of six wickets which eventually helped his team to win the encounter.
4) Kevin O’Brien (Ireland)
Opposition: England || Player who got out: Andrew Strauss || Year: 2006 || Venue: Belfast
Kevin O’Brien has been a terrific all-rounder for Ireland in recent years. Although he is known for his big-hitting skills, Kevin also picked wickets often, which helped his team. In fact, in 153 ODI games so far, Kevin has collected a total of 114 wickets.
The Irishman’s first wicket, though, happened on the first delivery of his career. English captain Andrew Strauss, who was batting at No.3 in that game, was Kevin’s first victim. Ireland lost the game, but Kevin made a name with a good all-round performance on his debut.
5) Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India)
Opposition: Pakistan || Player who got out: Mohammad Hafeez || Year: 2012 || Venue: Chennai
It was in 2012 that Bhuvneshwar Kumar was selected for Team India. He had been performing well in domestic cricket and rightly earned his spot. However, it took only delivery for Bhuvi to show what was to come in his career.
He opened the bowling for India, and thanks to his ability to swing the ball, Mohammad Hafeez was caught LBW in the very first delivery of Pakistan’s batting innings. However, Pakistan still won the game after they chased down the target of 228 easily.
