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Keshav Maharaj Scripts History With Clinical Bowling Spell To Rattle England In 1st ODI

Debashis Sarangi

Keshav Maharaj bagged four wickets [Source: @Saabir_Saabu01/X]Keshav Maharaj bagged four wickets [Source: @Saabir_Saabu01/X]

Keshav Maharaj had a dream outing in South Africa's first ODI against England at Headingley in Leeds. Maharaj derailed the English innings with his guile and variations, playing a handy role in restricting the hosts to a paltry 131-run total, their fourth-lowest against the Proteas. 

Maharaj Records Best ODI Figures As A SA Spinner Vs England

After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, South Africa had a magnificent start to the first half, with Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi dismissing Ben Duckett and Joe Root, respectively. Although Jamie Smith smashed a blistering half-century, his departure off Wiaan Mulder's bowling opened the floodgates for the Englishmen. 

Keshav Maharaj exploited the English batters' vulnerability to quality spin bowling. The left-arm spinner removed the explosive duo of Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks before cleaning up the English tail by getting rid of Adil Rashid and Sonny Baker on consecutive deliveries. 

He finished the game with magical figures of four for 22 runs, recording the best-ever spell by a South African spinner against England in ODI history. He went past Imran Tahir, who has a sublime 4 for 38 as his best-ever figure. 

Best ODI figures by SA spinners vs England

  • Keshav Maharaj - 4/22, Leeds, Today
  • Imran Tahir - 4/38
  • Robin Peterson - 3/22
  • Paul Adams - 3/26
  • Tabraiz Shamsi - 3/38

As mentioned above, Maharaj claims the top spot with his excellent bowling spell in today's match. Meanwhile, Tahir, Robin Peterson, Paul Adams and Tabraiz Shamsi occupy the subsequent spots with impressive numbers against their English counterparts. 

Maharaj and Mulder shared seven wickets between themselves, as South Africa bowled England out for 131 inside 25 overs. Considering they have a star-studded lineup, a comfortable win seems to be on the cards for the touring party.