In a day, when most of the wickets around the globe are flat and have become every batsman's paradise, bowling a maiden over is a rare occasion. Maybe not so much in Tests, but how often do we see a bowler bowl 6 successive dot balls in an over in the limited-overs formats of the game?
Batsmen around the world are creating havoc with their knocks and destroying the bowling opposition every now and then. It is every captain's dream to have an economical bowler amongst his ranks, so as to check the run flow.
When a batsman is stranded at one end and has played a number of consecutive dot balls, he is likely to take more risks and try and hit the odd-ball in order to up the ante. That gives the bowling side an opportunity to take advantage of the batsman's vulnerability and maybe prise out his wicket. So it is important to have a bowler on your side who can maybe bowl a few maiden overs and pressurise the opposition.
It is a well-known fact that Muttiah Muralitharan has the most number of maiden overs in a Test career and that Shaun Pollock holds the record for ODIs. But who is the bowler with most maiden overs across all formats, viz. Tests, ODIs and T20Is?
Here we make a list of the top 5 bowlers who hold the all-time record for most number of maiden overs bowled in International matches.
#5 Shaun Pollock: 1536 maidens
Former South African fast-medium bowler Shaun Pollock is regarded by many as one of the best bowling all-rounders the Proteas have ever had.
The nephew of legendary South African cricketer Graeme Pollock and the son of former South African fast bowler Peter Pollock, has 421 Test wickets, 393 ODI wickets and 15 T20I wickets to his name.
Pollock also holds the record for the most number of maiden overs bowled in an ODI career. He has as many as 313 maidens in 303 ODI matches, which in itself is an incredible feat to achieve.
However, he comes 7th on the list of most maiden overs bowled in a Test career with 1222 maiden overs in 108 Test matches and has only one maiden over in the T20Is that he has featured in.
So, overall the 43-year-old bowler has 1536 maiden overs in 423 International matches and comes 5th on this list.
#4 Anil Kumble: 1685 maidens
The current Indian cricket team coach, Anil Kumble was one of the greatest leg-break-bowlers the country has ever produced.
The former Indian Test captain is the highest wicket-taker for India in the longer format of the game with 619 wickets. He has claimed 337 ODI wickets and has never featured in a T20 International match.
Jumbo, as he is popularly known by his team-mates, holds the 3rd position for highest number of maiden overs bowled in a Test career with 1576 maiden overs in 132 Test matches. In 271 ODIs, he has managed 109 maidens.
Thus, combined Kumble has bowled 1685 maiden overs in 403 International appearances. He takes the 4th position on this list.
#3 Glenn McGrath: 1749 maidens
Legendary cricketer Glenn McGrath was a fast-medium bowler and is considered one of the greatest bowlers in cricketing history and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of the sport from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century.
The Aussie is the all-time leading wicket holder in Test cricket among fast bowlers with 563 wickets having amassed 381 wickets in ODIs.
Known throughout his career for maintaining an accurate line and length, McGrath's consistency enabled him to be one of the most economical and dangerous fast bowlers of his time.
In ODIs, only Pollock is above him on the list of highest number of maidens. The Aussie has 279 maiden overs in 250 ODIs and comes fourth in Test matches with 1470 maidens in 124 matches. He has featured in only two T20Is and has failed to bowl a single maiden over.
Altogether, McGrath has bowled 1749 maiden overs in only 376 International caps and is placed 3rd in this list.
#2 Shane Warne: 1871 maidens
Along with Aussie great Genn McGrath, another pioneer of the Australian Cricket team that won the 50-overs World Cup in 1999, was Shane Warne. The wily leg-spinner bowled the ball of the century to dismiss Mike Gatting in the 1993 Ashes series in England.
He is the second highest all-time wicket taker in Test matches with 708 wickets and has 293 ODI wickets.
The former Australian vice-captain has 1761 maidens in 145 Test matches and holds the 2nd position in the list of most number of maiden overs bowled in a Test career. He has bowled 110 maiden overs in 194 ODI matches.
Overall, he has bowled 1871 maiden overs in his cricketing career featuring in only 329 matches and comes 2nd on this list.
#1 Muttiah Muralitharan: 1992 maidens
Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan is one of the living legends of the game of cricket. The 1996 50-overs World Cup winner, was rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002.
He holds the incredible record of having the highest number of dismissals in both Test and 50-overs cricket. The offie has 800 Test wickets and 534 ODI wickets, a ridiculous achievement.
The bowler with a controversial bowling action, has an outrageous 1794 maiden overs in 133 Test matches, second to none. He has bowled 198 maidens in 350 ODI matches in his career and takes the fifth position in the list of highest ODI maidens. However, he does not have any maidens in the shortest format of the game, having featured in only 12 T20Is.
In all, he has amassed 1992 maiden overs in 495 International matches, a record that is not likely to be broken in the near future, and he takes the top spot on this list.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
