Cricket players with a first ball wicket in ODI career

Cricket players with a first ball wicket in ODI career

Cricket players whether batsmen or the bowlers usually take enough time to make their International debut. Generally the players being selected into the national sides are those having appeared in lower age groups sides as well. Playing at U-19 or U-16 level not only sharpens a future star’s talent but also make him able to absorb the pressure. And when it comes to the day they represent the top level side of their respective countries, they still feel nervous. Usually it takes two to three matches for a new-comer to get used to the pressure. The nervousness International cricket arena offers is not easy to absorb. However there are a few exceptionally talented players groomed from the grass root level that offer no languor when it comes to International debut.

Being a batsman these players show great temperament from early on as well as the right style of play. While in bowling department they impress the whole world with their impressive line and length.  Although players with a first ball wicket are not necessarily meant to be the great bowlers but the feat is quite unique in itself and often they are considered beautifully skilled bowlers. Overcoming the nervousness of an International game and then getting a batsman out on the very first ball deserves to be praised no matter how ordinary a bowler gets in the end.

As a matter of fact when a cricket bowler makes his international debut, playing him in initial matches does not get easier. Contingent he has a reasonable bowling talent, a fresh bowler always makes a good impression in his early few matches troubling the batsmen with his unique line and length. So bowlers with a first ball wicket cannot be given much credit. At present there are more than 20 bowlers with wicket on their first ever ball of the ODI career. Let’s have a look.

Cricket players with a first ball wicket in ODI career

Player	Match	Venue	Year
GG Arnold	England v Australia	Manchester	1972
CH Lloyd	West Indies v England	Oval	1973
Shahid Mahboob	Pakistan v India	Lahore	1982/83
SA Thomson	New Zealand v India	Dunedin	1989/90
Inzamam-ul-Haq	Pakistan v West Indies	Faisalabad	1991/92
EZ Matambanadzo	Zimbabwe v Pakistan	Peshawar	1996/97
S Ramesh	India v West Indies	Singapore	1999/2000
WW Hinds	West Indies v India	Singapore	1999/2000
JS Ababu	Kenya v Zimbabwe	Nairobi	1999/2000
TCB Fernando	Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe	Sharjah	2001/02
M van Jaarsveld	South Africa v Bangladesh	Kimberley	2002/03
M Zondeki	South Africa v Sri Lanka	Bloemfontein	2002/03
KS Lokuarachchi	Sri Lanka v Kenya	Sharjah	2002/03
R Clarke	England v Pakistan	Manchester	2003
FH Edwards	West Indies v Zimbabwe	Harare	2003/04
KJ O’Brien	Ireland v England	Belfast	2006
E Otieno	Kenya v Canada	Nairobi (Gym)	2007
MTT Mirando	Sri Lanka v West Indies	St Lucia	2007/08
PA Desai	Canada v West Indies	Jamaica	2009/10
B Kumar	India v Pakistan	Chennai	2012/13
K Kamyuka	Canada v Netherlands	King City (NW)	2013
AW Mathieson	New Zealand v England	Chester le Street	2015