Cricket players with a first ball wicket in ODI career
Cricket players whether batsmen or the bowlers usually take enough time to make their International debut. Generally the players being selected into the national sides are those having appeared in lower age groups sides as well. Playing at U-19 or U-16 level not only sharpens a future star’s talent but also make him able to absorb the pressure. And when it comes to the day they represent the top level side of their respective countries, they still feel nervous. Usually it takes two to three matches for a new-comer to get used to the pressure. The nervousness International cricket arena offers is not easy to absorb. However there are a few exceptionally talented players groomed from the grass root level that offer no languor when it comes to International debut.
Being a batsman these players show great temperament from early on as well as the right style of play. While in bowling department they impress the whole world with their impressive line and length. Although players with a first ball wicket are not necessarily meant to be the great bowlers but the feat is quite unique in itself and often they are considered beautifully skilled bowlers. Overcoming the nervousness of an International game and then getting a batsman out on the very first ball deserves to be praised no matter how ordinary a bowler gets in the end.
As a matter of fact when a cricket bowler makes his international debut, playing him in initial matches does not get easier. Contingent he has a reasonable bowling talent, a fresh bowler always makes a good impression in his early few matches troubling the batsmen with his unique line and length. So bowlers with a first ball wicket cannot be given much credit. At present there are more than 20 bowlers with wicket on their first ever ball of the ODI career. Let’s have a look.
Cricket players with a first ball wicket in ODI career
| Player | Match | Venue | Year |
| GG Arnold | England v Australia | Manchester | 1972 |
| CH Lloyd | West Indies v England | Oval | 1973 |
| Shahid Mahboob | Pakistan v India | Lahore | 1982/83 |
| SA Thomson | New Zealand v India | Dunedin | 1989/90 |
| Inzamam-ul-Haq | Pakistan v West Indies | Faisalabad | 1991/92 |
| EZ Matambanadzo | Zimbabwe v Pakistan | Peshawar | 1996/97 |
| S Ramesh | India v West Indies | Singapore | 1999/2000 |
| WW Hinds | West Indies v India | Singapore | 1999/2000 |
| JS Ababu | Kenya v Zimbabwe | Nairobi | 1999/2000 |
| TCB Fernando | Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe | Sharjah | 2001/02 |
| M van Jaarsveld | South Africa v Bangladesh | Kimberley | 2002/03 |
| M Zondeki | South Africa v Sri Lanka | Bloemfontein | 2002/03 |
| KS Lokuarachchi | Sri Lanka v Kenya | Sharjah | 2002/03 |
| R Clarke | England v Pakistan | Manchester | 2003 |
| FH Edwards | West Indies v Zimbabwe | Harare | 2003/04 |
| KJ O’Brien | Ireland v England | Belfast | 2006 |
| E Otieno | Kenya v Canada | Nairobi (Gym) | 2007 |
| MTT Mirando | Sri Lanka v West Indies | St Lucia | 2007/08 |
| PA Desai | Canada v West Indies | Jamaica | 2009/10 |
| B Kumar | India v Pakistan | Chennai | 2012/13 |
| K Kamyuka | Canada v Netherlands | King City (NW) | 2013 |
| AW Mathieson | New Zealand v England | Chester le Street | 2015 |
