Keshav Maharaj: 3 ODI matches, where spinners showed their strength. Let us tell you about these three occasions
Keshav Maharaj: Playing more than one main spinner in ODIs in Australia has always been considered risky, as the pitches here have historically been seen helping fast bowlers more than spinners. Fielding more than one main spinner in ODIs in Australia is considered a risky move.
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Keshav Maharaj: However, there have been some matches where the spinners proved the fast bowlers wrong by bowling brilliantly. So, today in this news we are going to tell you about 3 such occasions when spinners took more than 10 wickets in ODIs in Australia:
1 Australia vs South Africa 2025: Keshav Maharaj
In the match played in Cairns, South Africa batted first and scored a strong score of 296/8. Chasing this target, Keshav Maharaj bowled brilliantly in Australia’s innings. He dismissed batsmen from number 3 to 7 and brought the host team to 89/6 in the 17th over itself. Maharaj took five wickets in this match, while Travis Head took 4 and Adam Zampa took 1 wicket from Australia’s side.
Keshav Maharaj reflects on a spell to remember. 🎙
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) August 20, 2025
A composed and clinical performance under pressure saw him claim his maiden ODI five-wicket haul against Australia in the series opener. 🔥🇿🇦 #WozaNawe pic.twitter.com/6Mpw8gYTtx
2 Australia vs Pakistan 1996: Saqlain Mushtaq
In the 1966 Adelaide ODI match, Pakistan was all out for 223 runs in 49.5 overs. Only Aamir Sohail and Mohammad Wasim’s batting was successful in the match. Shane Warne was the best bowler for Australia.
However, in response, Saqlain Mushtaq defeated the opposition team and took his second five-wicket haul in ODIs (5 wickets for 29 runs in 8.5 overs), when the host team was all out for only 211 runs. With this successful performance, he was also the most economical bowler among both the teams. This was the first time in Australia that spin bowlers took more than 10 wickets in a match.
3 Australia vs Pakistan 1997: Shane Warne
In the 1997 Sydney ODI, the Australian team was bowled out for a low score in the first innings. Saqlain performed brilliantly like his previous performance against Australia and took 3 wickets for 23 runs in 7.1 overs, which also included two maiden overs.
Let us tell you that, while batting, Shane Warne scored 11 runs in 20 balls, but despite taking 4 wickets for 37 runs, he could not stop Pakistan and they won by four wickets with 27 balls remaining. But, Warne was chosen as the Player of the Match for his aggressive performance. In this match also, more than 10 wickets were taken by spin bowlers.
