Most wickets to spinners in an ODI in Australia
What's the story
South Africa defeated Australia by 98 runs in the first ODI of the three-match series. The match was played at Cairns, where left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj's brilliant bowling performance helped South Africa secure a comprehensive win. The Proteas posted a total of 296/8 before bundling out the Aussies for just 198. Here we decode the ODIs on Australian soil that saw spinners scalp 11 or more wickets.
#1
11 - AUS vs SA, Cairns (2025)
Maharaj was the star of the aforementioned match, picking up five wickets for just 33 runs in his 10 overs. His fellow spinner Prenelan Subrayen, an offie, dismissed a solitary batter as Australia's innings never got going. The SA team also struggled against Australia's spin attack, with part-time off-spinner Travis Head claiming 4/57 from nine overs. As leg-spinner Adam Zampa also dismissed a solitary batter, both teams lost 11 wickets to spin in the game.
#2
11 - AUS vs PAK, Sydney (1997)
The 1997 Sydney ODI between Australia and Pakistan was a low-scoring affair. Spinners dominated that day as 11 of the 16 fallen wickets belonged to them. Legendary off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq (3/23) and left-arm spinner (2/33) shared five wickets as the hosts were folded for 199 batting first. Leg-spinners Mushtaq Ahmed and Shahid Afridi took a wicket each. Though Pakistan (203/6) eventually crossed the line, Aussie leg-spin legend Shane Warne claimed a four-wicket haul (4/37).
#3
12 - AUS vs PAK, Adelaide (1996)
The 1996 Adelaide affair between Australia and Pakistan remains the only ODI in Australia that saw 12 wickets fall to spin. Warne took a four-fer in this game as well. Michael Bevan's part-time left-arm wrist-spin resulted in a couple of wickets. Their combined efforts restricted the visitors to 223/10. Meanwhile, the hosts were folded for 211 in response, thanks to a fifer from Saqlain Mushtaq. Shahid Afridi's solitary scalp took the spinners' tally to 12 in the game.