5 Bowling records held by batsmen in professional cricket

3. Best average and strike rate in ODI cricket

Mohammad Yousuf has created various records with the bat for Pakistan but one of them which is not often spoken is his record with the ball. Yousuf picked up a wicket with the only ball he bowled in the ODI World Cup. He got the wicket of Zimbabwe’s Chris Mpofu in 2007 which brought an end to their disastrous campaign. Mpofu’s lofted shot was caught by Inzamam-ul-Haq while fielding at the covers.

It was Mohammad Yousuf’s last of 13 appearances in the ODI World Cups. This meant the off-spinner held the record for best average (0) and best strike rate (1) in the history of ODI World Cup. It was only the 2nd ball Yousuf bowled in all his ODI career. The other instance of him bowling in ODI format was during the 2004 Champions Trophy semi-final against West Indies when the Caribbean team were a run away from a win.

Yousuf was given the ball in the 29th over to complete the formalities and Ramnaresh Sarwan picked up a single on the very first ball. He ended his ODI career with a bowling average of 1.0 which is the best for any player. Yousuf’s bowling strike rate reads 2.0 which is the joint best for any player. Former England player Derek Randall also took a wicket in the two balls he bowled in ODI cricket. Randall is also a specialist batsman and has bowled as few as 18 balls in his 96-match International career.