Most Expensive Spell in ODI World Cup History

The ODI Cricket World Cup has produced some brutal batting assaults. Even elite international bowlers can lose control when a batter is seeing the ball clearly, boundaries are short and a flat pitch offers almost no assistance. One poor over can quickly become an expensive spell, while a captain may have little choice but to keep returning to the same bowler during a 350-plus or 400-run innings.

Bas de Leede holds the unwanted record for the most runs conceded by a bowler in a men’s ODI World Cup innings. The Netherlands all-rounder finished with 2/115 from 10 overs against Australia in Delhi in 2023, moving past Rashid Khan’s previous record of 0/110 against England in 2019.

Several of the most expensive World Cup spells have come during extraordinary batting performances. Eoin Morgan’s record six-hitting assault hurt Rashid in 2019, AB de Villiers dominated Jason Holder in 2015, and Glenn Maxwell’s 44-ball 106 helped push de Leede beyond every previous World Cup bowling mark.

Most Expensive Bowling Spells in ODI World Cup History

The table below lists the most runs conceded by a bowler in a single men’s ODI World Cup innings through the latest completed tournament in 2023.

The modern era dominates the list. Nine of the top 12 entries came from World Cups played from 2007 onward, reflecting faster scoring rates, Powerplay restrictions, smaller effective boundary areas at some venues and the influence of T20 batting.

Bas de Leede – 2/115 vs Australia

Bas de Leede became the most expensive bowler in ODI World Cup history when the Netherlands faced Australia in Delhi during the 2023 tournament.

Australia reached 399/8, and de Leede conceded 115 runs from his full 10-over allocation. He did take two wickets, but the late stages of the innings became exceptionally costly.

David Warner had already scored 104 before Glenn Maxwell launched one of the tournament’s most destructive attacks.

Maxwell reached his hundred from only 40 balls and finished with 106 from 44. Australia’s middle and lower order continued looking for boundaries, leaving de Leede with figures of 2/115.

Those figures were also, at the time, the most expensive 10-over spell in ODI history.

Australia then bowled the Netherlands out for 90 and won by 309 runs.

De Leede’s spell shows how misleading bowling analysis can sometimes be. He still took two wickets, but the sheer volume of runs conceded pushed him above every other World Cup bowler.

Rashid Khan – 0/110 vs England

Before de Leede’s 2023 spell, Rashid Khan held the World Cup record.

Afghanistan’s star leg-spinner conceded 110 runs from only nine overs against England at Old Trafford in 2019.

Rashid entered the match as one of the world’s leading limited-overs spinners, but England captain Eoin Morgan attacked him relentlessly.

Morgan scored 148 from 71 balls and hit 17 sixes, which was then a world record for the most sixes in an ODI innings.

England struck 25 sixes in total and reached 397/6.

Rashid finished with 0/110, an economy rate of 12.22. ICC records from the tournament identified the 110 runs as the most conceded in a World Cup innings at that point.

Morgan repeatedly targeted Rashid’s length, particularly when the spinner missed full enough to challenge him at the crease.

Afghanistan eventually lost by 150 runs.

The spell was shocking precisely because of Rashid’s reputation. He was normally one of the hardest bowlers in international cricket to attack.

Logan van Beek – 0/107 vs India

Logan van Beek moved into third place on the list during the Netherlands’ final league match of the 2023 World Cup against India in Bengaluru.

India’s batting lineup attacked almost throughout the innings.

Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli all scored fifties before Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul added a huge fourth-wicket partnership.

Iyer finished unbeaten on 128, while Rahul scored 102 from only 64 balls.

India reached 410/4.

Van Beek bowled his complete 10 overs but went wicketless and conceded 107 runs.

The Netherlands faced an almost impossible task because India’s top five all passed fifty.

India later won by 160 runs.

Van Beek’s spell was one of several expensive performances produced by the extraordinary scoring levels of the 2023 World Cup.

Martin Snedden – 2/105 vs England

Martin Snedden’s 2/105 against England at The Oval in 1983 stood as the World Cup’s most expensive bowling spell for 36 years.

The historical context makes the figures especially interesting.

World Cup matches still lasted 60 overs per side in 1983, so Snedden bowled 12 overs rather than the modern maximum of 10.

England scored 322/6, a huge total for that period.

Snedden took two wickets but conceded 105 runs at 8.75 per over.

In the early 1980s, when ODI scoring rates were far lower than today, an economy rate approaching nine was extraordinary.

New Zealand could only make 216 in reply and lost by 106 runs.

Snedden’s record survived every World Cup from 1987 through 2015 before Rashid Khan finally conceded more runs in Manchester in 2019.

Jason Holder – 1/104 vs South Africa

Jason Holder’s 1/104 came during one of AB de Villiers’ greatest ODI innings.

West Indies faced South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground during the 2015 World Cup.

South Africa were well placed entering the final part of the innings, but de Villiers turned the match into a batting exhibition.

He smashed an unbeaten 162 from only 66 deliveries.

South Africa finished on 408/5.

Holder was repeatedly targeted during the closing overs and finished with 1/104 from 10 overs.

His spell included two maidens, making the final figures even more unusual. He had periods of control but suffered heavily once de Villiers accelerated. The 104 runs remain among the five most expensive World Cup bowling returns.

West Indies were then bowled out for 151, losing by 257 runs.

Most Expensive Spell in an ODI World Cup Final

Javagal Srinath holds the record for the most runs conceded by a bowler in a men’s ODI World Cup final.

The Indian fast bowler finished with 0/87 from 10 overs against Australia in Johannesburg in 2003.

Australia produced one of the greatest World Cup final batting displays.

Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden started quickly before Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn took complete control.

Ponting finished unbeaten on 140, while Martyn scored 88 not out.

Australia reached 359/2, which remains the highest team total in a men’s ODI World Cup final.

Srinath conceded 87 runs without taking a wicket. Zaheer Khan also had a difficult match, giving away 67 from seven overs.

India were dismissed for 234, and Australia won the final by 125 runs.

For Srinath, it was a painful ending to an excellent international career. The 2003 final was his last ODI.

Most Expensive World Cup Spells by Pacers

Fast bowlers occupy many places near the top of the unwanted leaderboard.

Bas de Leede’s 2/115 is the most expensive World Cup spell by a pace bowler and the overall record.

Logan van Beek’s 0/107 ranks next among modern seamers, followed by Martin Snedden’s 2/105 and Jason Holder’s 1/104.

Dawlat Zadran conceded 101 against Australia in 2015, when David Warner scored 178 and Australia reached 417/6.

Tim Southee became another member of the 100-run group in the 2023 semi-final against India.

He finished with 3/100 from 10 overs as India scored 397/4.

Southee’s figures demonstrate an important point: expensive does not always mean ineffective.

He still dismissed Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer, but India’s aggressive batting forced New Zealand’s bowlers to accept considerable risk.

Most Expensive World Cup Spells by Spinners

Rashid Khan’s 0/110 is the most expensive spell by a specialist spinner in men’s ODI World Cup history.

He remains the only specialist spinner to concede more than 100 runs in a single World Cup innings.

Dwayne Leverock is another spinner near the top of the list.

The Bermuda left-arm orthodox bowler conceded 96 from 10 overs against India in 2007.

India scored 413/5, the first 400-plus team total in men’s World Cup history.

Leverock did claim one wicket, but India’s batting attack gave almost every Bermuda bowler a difficult day.

The comparison between pacers and spinners is interesting because expensive spells can happen for different reasons.

Pacers are frequently targeted at the death when they have to bowl yorkers under extreme pressure. Spinners can suffer when a batter decides to attack their full allocation and conditions provide little turn.

Rashid’s experience against Morgan is the clearest example.

Expensive Spells in the Modern Powerplay Era

The modern World Cup has become much harder for bowlers.

Batters now attack through all three phases of an ODI innings rather than preserving wickets for a final assault.

Powerplay restrictions leave only two fielders outside the circle during the first 10 overs.

Teams then frequently target spin during the middle overs before attacking pace with specialized finishing methods at the death.

T20 cricket has also changed the range of shots available to modern batters.

Ramps, reverse sweeps, switch hits and powerful straight hitting make traditional defensive fields less effective.

The 2023 tournament demonstrated the change clearly.

Bas de Leede conceded 115, Logan van Beek 107, Tim Southee 100 and Matheesha Pathirana 95. Marco Jansen also conceded 94 against India and 92 against Sri Lanka.

Even established international bowlers found it difficult to control batters once momentum shifted.

Bowlers Who Bounced Back After Expensive World Cup Spells

One terrible spell does not define a bowler’s career.

Rashid Khan is the clearest example.

His 0/110 against England remains one of the hardest days of his international career, but he continued to establish himself as Afghanistan’s premier bowler. His overall ODI career record remained outstanding, and he later returned to World Cup cricket in 2023 as a central figure in Afghanistan’s strongest campaign.

Tim Southee’s 3/100 also needs context.

The spell came in New Zealand’s 2023 semi-final defeat against India, but Southee had already built a long World Cup career containing one of the best spells in tournament history: 7/33 against England in 2015.

That contrast is striking. The same bowler owns both a seven-wicket World Cup spell and a 100-run World Cup spell.

Jason Holder also continued to contribute heavily for West Indies after conceding 104 against South Africa in 2015. He developed into a long-term international captain and one of the team’s leading all-rounders.

These examples show why bowling figures should be judged in context. Conditions, opposition batting, match phase and tactical demands can all produce an expensive analysis even for high-quality bowlers.

Why Some Expensive Spells Still Include Wickets

A bowler can concede 90 or 100 runs and still take important wickets.

Bas de Leede took two while conceding 115.

Tim Southee took three while giving away 100.

Martin Snedden, Dawlat Zadran and Andre Russell each took two wickets in their expensive spells.

That often happens because batters are taking greater risks against the bowler.

A player attempting sixes can offer more wicket-taking opportunities, but if those shots repeatedly clear the boundary, the bowler’s runs conceded rise rapidly.

Death bowling creates the same problem.

Captains often keep their strike bowlers for the final overs precisely because wickets are valuable. Those bowlers may dismiss batters but still concede 15 or 20 runs in an over.

Therefore, the “most expensive” list measures runs conceded, not necessarily overall bowling quality.

How the Record Changed Over Time

Martin Snedden’s 105 runs conceded in 1983 looked almost impossible to surpass for decades.

His record survived the high-scoring 1996 World Cup, the rise of aggressive opening batting and the 2007 tournament that produced the first 400-plus World Cup total.

Rashid Khan finally moved past Snedden in 2019 by conceding 110.

Only four years later, Bas de Leede pushed the record to 115.

That rapid progression reflects modern ODI scoring.

Team totals above 350 are much more common than they were during Snedden’s era. Individual batters are also capable of scoring at strike rates above 150 for extended periods.

The unwanted record could therefore rise again in a future World Cup.

Conclusion

Bas de Leede holds the record for the most expensive bowling spell in ODI World Cup history after conceding 115 runs from 10 overs against Australia in Delhi in 2023.

Rashid Khan is second with 0/110 against England in 2019, followed by Logan van Beek’s 0/107 against India in 2023.

Martin Snedden’s 2/105 against England in 1983 ranks fourth and remains remarkable because his record stood for 36 years. Jason Holder completes the top five with 1/104 against South Africa in 2015.

Javagal Srinath holds the unwanted World Cup final record after conceding 87 runs from 10 overs against Australia in 2003.

These spells also show the pressure modern bowlers face. Flat pitches, aggressive Powerplay batting, deep batting lineups and T20-influenced stroke play can turn even an elite bowler’s day into a record-breaking batting assault.

FAQs

Who bowled the most expensive spell in ODI World Cup history?

Bas de Leede holds the record after taking 2/115 from 10 overs for the Netherlands against Australia in Delhi during the 2023 World Cup.

### How many runs did Rashid Khan concede against England in the World Cup?

Rashid Khan conceded 110 runs from nine overs without taking a wicket against England in Manchester during the 2019 World Cup.

Who conceded the most runs in an ODI World Cup final?

Javagal Srinath conceded 87 runs from 10 overs without taking a wicket against Australia in the 2003 World Cup final.

What is the most expensive World Cup spell by a spinner?

Rashid Khan’s 0/110 from nine overs against England in 2019 is the most expensive spell by a specialist spinner in men’s ODI World Cup history.

### Which bowler was the first to concede more than 100 runs in a World Cup spell?

Martin Snedden conceded 105 runs from 12 overs for New Zealand against England in 1983, becoming the first World Cup bowler to give away more than 100 runs in an innings.

Can an expensive bowler still take wickets?

Yes. Bas de Leede took two wickets while conceding 115 runs, and Tim Southee took three wickets while conceding 100 against India in the 2023 semi-final.