Hyderabad: Bowlers ought to maintain discipline with their line and lengths in international cricket to not leak runs in the form of extras. Still, very few manage to bowl precisely and deliver wides or no balls in international cricket. However, such errors can prove to be too costly for the bowling team as sometimes the small margins of extras are near the margin by which the teams win. However, there are bowlers who haven’t bowled a single wide ball throughout their international career and the list includes star veteran cricketers like Imran Khan of Pakistan.
Here are the legendary bowlers who didn’t bowl a single wide ball in international cricket.
Ian Botham: Botham. Known as one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of cricket didn’t bowl a single wide ball in 218 international fixtures. He was a match-winner for England with both bat and ball in Tests and ODIs. Botham also became the first player to score a hundred and take Ten wickets in a Test match.
During his international career, Botham featured in 102 Tests and 116 ODIs. He scalped 383 wickets and 145 wickets and scored 5200 and 2113 runs respectively. Botham was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009 for his incredible services to the game and his brilliant performance on the global stage.
Richard Hadlee: The former New Zealand cricketer, also known as one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of cricket also maintained precision to not bowl a single wide in international cricket. He single-handedly carried the burden of New Zealand’s bowling for more than 17 years. Hadlee ended his illustrious career with 431 wickets from 86 Tests. Notably, he didn’t bowl a single wide in the international matches he featured.
Lance Gibbs: A former Caribbean player, who is also known as one of the elite spinners in the world of cricket had an economy of less than two. He was the first spinner to take 300 Test wickets. The off-spinner represented West Indies in 79 Tests and three ODIs taking 311 wickets in total. He showed impeccable control throughout his career not bowling a single wide ball.
Garry Sobers: Sir Garfield Sobers is a former West Indies cricketer who played for the West Indies side for over two decades. He is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest all-rounders to serve the game of cricket. Out of 20,660 balls he bowled in international cricket, there was not a single extra run he gave the opposition in the form of a wide. Sobers played in 93 Tests and a solitary ODI for West Indies taking 236 wickets and amassing 8032 runs with an average of 57.78.
Imran Khan: The Pakistan all-rounder was also one of the elite cricketers to contribute with both bat and the ball in world cricket. Imran took over the captaincy of the national side in 1982 and became the first Pakistan skipper to beat India in their own backyard in 1987. Pakistan’s sole ODI World Cup victory in 1992 also came under his leadership. The charismatic leader never bowled a wide while playing in 88 Tests and 175 ODIs for Pakistan. He racked up 3807 and 3709 runs taking 362 and 182 wickets respectively.
Dennis Lillee: The right-arm pacer from Australia is widely considered one of the greats to grace the sport of cricket. He was a vital cog of the Australian team in the 1970s and early 1980s. Lilee suffered several stress fractures but he bounced back from them to return to international cricket. At the time of his bidding farewell to the sport, Lilee was the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.
Lilee played 70 Tests and 63 ODIs in international cricket and didn’t bowl a single wide throughout his international career. He picked 355 and 103 wickets respectively. He also had 23 five-wicket hauls and seven ten-wicket hauls to his name in Test cricket.
Fred Trueman: Trueman represented the English side in Test cricket for over two decades. He, along with Brian Statham, formed one of the fiercest bowling duos in the 1950s. From his 67 Test appearances, he picked up 307 wickets. Also, the right-arm fast bowler took 2304 wickets from 603 first-class matches.
