West Indies' spin mayhem: List of most overs bowled by spinners in an ODI innings

Arnav Chopra

Kaleem, Muralidaran, Chandana, Dharmasena and Motie (Source: @ICC/X.com)Kaleem, Muralidaran, Chandana, Dharmasena and Motie (Source: @ICC/X.com)

Cricket has always been a balance between batting and bowling, pacers and spinners, but not always. As this sport continues to evolve rapidly, there have been multiple instances in the past when teams have opted for a slightly different strategy in different formats of the game.

In the ongoing second ODI between Bangladesh and West Indies in Dhaka, the visitors opted to bowl all their overs using only spin. Therefore, in this article, we will look at the most overs bowled by spinners in an ODI innings.

5) 43.3 overs by Oman vs Netherlands, Al Amerat, 2024

Featuring in fifth position on this list is a tally of 43.3 overs of spin, bowled by Oman against the Netherlands back in 2024 at Al Amerat Cricket Ground. Batting first, Oman could only post 155 runs as they were cleaned up in just 44.2 overs, and in return, the Netherlands had to face 43.3 overs of spin from the Oman spinners, as only two overs were bowled by the pacer Muzahir Raza; the rest were bowled by the tweakers.

The Netherlands lasted 45.3 overs and were bowled out, just one run short of Oman's score, losing the game by a bare margin of just one run. Thanks to Oman's top-class spinners, all the wickets in this game of the Netherlands batters were taken by spinners from Oman. This spin fest turned out to be a cliffhanger where Aamir Kaleem from Oman picked up a four-wicket haul, putting the Dutch in deep trouble from which they could never come out.

2) 44 overs by Sri Lanka vs Australia, Dambulla, 2004

At joint-second position on this list is Sri Lanka's tally of 44 overs bowled against Australia back in 2004 in Dambulla. Sri Lanka, in this encounter, were chasing 263 as Australia put up 262 runs on the board for the loss of six wickets, with Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Kulasekara the only exceptions, each with three overs in this innings. The rest of the bowlers utilised by the Sri Lankan skipper, Marvan Atapattu, were all spinners.

Despite that, Australia reached a total of 262, which they defended successfully in the end, as Sri Lanka ended up scoring just 178, handing the visitors a comfortable victory by 84 runs in the first ODI of the series. From this Australian lineup, left-arm spinner Brad Hogg was the player of the match for picking up excellent figures of 5 for 41 in his 9.3 overs.

2) 44 overs by Sri Lanka vs New Zealand, Colombo, 1998

Another instance of Sri Lanka utilising 44 overs of spin came against New Zealand, this time in the Nidahas Trophy in 1998, in Colombo. New Zealand, who were batting first in this encounter, reached 200 for the loss of nine wickets after completing all their 50 overs, where Pramodya Wickramasinghe was the only pacer who delivered six overs of pace; the rest of the bowlers were all spinners for the Sri Lankan Lions.

The BlackCaps were in turmoil, facing the spinners on a turning pitch, as they could only manage an under-par total at this venue. Chasing 201 for victory, Sri Lanka finished the game in just 40 overs thanks to an outstanding 83 from Marvan Atapattu. In the end, Sri Lanka easily won with seven wickets to spare, as they demonstrated pure class, first with their spin masterclass, and then with their batting ability.

2) 44 overs by Sri Lanka vs West Indies, Port of Spain, 1996

Another joint second incident of Sri Lanka opting for 44 overs of spin in an ODI game also came from Sri Lanka. This time, against the West Indies back in the year 1996, in the only ODI at Port of Spain. In this match, Sri Lanka, batting first, were cleaned up for just 251 after 48.3 overs. In return, the West Indies, chasing 252 for victory, were able to reach only 216 for nine after 50 overs, as Sri Lanka saw as many as six spinners being utilised, where Chaminda Vaas was the only pacer who bowled six overs in this game.

Apart from him, the rest of the 44 overs were handed to spinners who made very good use of the conditions, halting the West Indies, the home side, to just 216, handing Sri Lanka a victory by 35 runs in the end.

1) 50 overs by West Indies vs Bangladesh, Dhaka, 2025*

Finally, the innings which takes the charge is the ongoing encounter between West Indies and Bangladesh, happening in Dhaka, the second ODI of the series. Bangladesh, in this encounter, reached 213 for seven after just 50 overs, where they had to face 50 overs of spin, as West Indies opted to use only five of their bowlers, as all of them turned out to be spinners.

With this being the very first instance of a team using all 50 overs of spin in one-day cricket, Bangladesh still managed to put up a decent total on the board, considering the conditions in Dhaka, where spinners are generally favoured.

In spite of that, the Bangladesh side managed to play their full quota of 50 overs, losing only seven wickets on the way, as they put up an above-par total, considering the previous game at this very venue. Gudakesh Motie was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets to his name, while Alick Athanaze and Akeal Hosein grabbed two each to their names.