Left-arm spinners with best figures on Australian soil (ODI cricket)
What's the story
South Africa have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against Australia after winning the first match by a whopping 98 runs at Cazaly's Stadium, Cairns. The star of the match was left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, who delivered an impressive performance with a career-best figure of 5/33 in his 10 overs. His brilliance helped South Africa defend a total of 296 runs. On this note, let's decode the best ODI bowling figures by a left-arm spinner in Australia.
#3
5/33 - Keshav Maharaj in Cairns, 2025
Maharaj exploited the spin-friendly conditions to wreak havoc in the aforementioned Cairns match. His tally included the scalps of Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey, and Aaron Hardie. All these batters were dismissed for single-digit scores as South Africa dismissed Australia for just 198 runs. Meanwhile, Maharaj's 5/33 from 10 overs are now the third-best ODI figures by a left-arm spinner Down Under.
#2
Brad Hogg - 5/32 in Melbourne, 2005
At number two, we have Australia's Brad Hogg, who was on a roll in the 2005 Melbourne game against the West Indies. Chasing a massive 302, the visitors were folded for just 185 as Hogg returned with 5/32 from 10 overs. Hogg dismissed the talismanic Brian Lara to end a 98-run partnership. The left-arm spinner then ripped apart the batting order as WI went from 131/4 to 185/10.
#1
Ravi Shastri - 5/15 in Perth, 1991
Former Indian all-rounder Ravi Shastri tops this list thanks to his heroics in the 1991 Perth ODI against the hosts. Chasing 209 for victory, the Aussies lost wickets at regular intervals and were eventually all out for 101. Shastri's left-arm spin dismantled the lower order as he claimed each of the final five wickets to finish with 5/15 from just 6.5 overs.