First impressions last. That’s what we have heard time and again. A great impression in your first outing is something every player aspires to have. So there cannot be a greater debut for any bowler than taking a wicket on the very first ball of their career in a format. There have been a few bowlers who took a wicket off the very first ball of their career. In this article, we will take a look at 5 such bowlers who did so in the ODI format.
Inzamam-Ul-Haq:
In his legendary career, Inzamam has picked four wickets in ODIs. His first wicket, however, is a memorable one. Brought in by the skipper to try to break a destructive partnership between Brian Lara and Carl Hopper, Inzamam fulfilled the captain’s expectations by wrapping up the legendary Brian Lara. Haq returned with the figures 1-24 in his three overs as Pakistan lost the match by 17 runs. Despite being on the losing side, the explosive batsman got the prized wicket of one of the all-time greats of the game.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar:
Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a dream debut in Tests as well as ODIs. The talented bowler showed a knack of picking wickets in the very first over itself. The Meerut pacer got the dangerous Mohammad Hafeez as his first scalp in the format. Hafeez was clean-bowled by an in-swinging delivery. Bhuvi went on to take one more wicket in the match. Despite losing the game, India had won in the bowling department. Bhuvneshwar Kumar had arrived.
3. Sir Clive Llyod:
The legendary captain also got his first wicket in an ODI on his very first ball. West Indies were battling England at the Oval when Lloyd came into bowl. His medium-paced deliveries flummoxed the batsmen as he dismissed Mike Smith and the opposing captain, Mike Denness. Lloyd didn’t bowl much later in his career, taking 10 wickets from the 87 ODIs that he played. History will always remember this legend for his captaincy.
4. Kevin O’Brien:
Kevin O’Brien is one of Ireland’s greatest players. It also seems fitting that the Irish player achieved this feat on a historic date. Ireland was playing their very first One Day International, that too against arch-rivals England. His medium-pace deliveries got better of the England captain Andrew Strauss, dismissing him for just four runs. While the Irish lost the match in a well-fought defeat, they would get their redemption in the 2011 World Cup a few years later.
5. Keemo Paul:
Keemo Paul is one of West Indies biggest young prospects at the moment. The Guyanese all-rounder made his debut in an ODI against minnows Afghanistan at Harare. He got Javed Ahmad out LBW on his very first ball in the ODIs. It was a dream debut for the youngster, who has only gone from strength to strength since then. While the West Indies lost the game, Paul made a huge splash on the international scene and grabbed attention from the people watching.
