Australia lifted the men’s ODI World Cup for the sixth time when they defeated India by six wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19. Here are Wisden’s top five bowling spells from the World Cup.

The 2023 World Cup saw as many as seven five-wicket hauls. If you reduce the cut-off to four or more wickets in an innings, the number of instances jump up to 25.

Here are Wisden’s top five individual bowling performances of the 2023 World Cup.

Mohammed Shami

7-57 vs New Zealand, semi-final, Mumbai

Shami stole the show in the first semi-final with the best figures ever by an Indian in ODI cricket, single-handedly taking out the top five batters of New Zealand who were threatening to take the run-chase of 398 away from India at one point. His two wickets in three balls in his return spell broke the game open for India, after which there was no looking back.

Pat Cummins

2-34 vs India, final, Ahmedabad

Cummins rocked up to the final and bowled an unglamorous spell as he had done all through the World Cup. Figures may not reflect the quality of impact of his bowling, but the two big wickets of Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli in the final went a long way in restricting India to a below par total which Australia chased down easily to win their sixth World Cup.

Josh Hazlewood

2-12 vs South Africa, semi-final, Kolkata

Hazlewood found the ideal conditions for his style of bowling in the semi-final in Kolkata: overcast skies and a lively surface with nip and carry. He exploited them to perfection, not letting the South African top order off the hook. In his first spell, of six overs, he accounted for the wickets of Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen. He bowled two more overs, both maidens, to finish with 2-12 from eight overs.

Gerald Coetzee

2-47 vs Australia, semi-final, Kolkata

The 23-year-old speedster only got to feature in the World Cup due to an injury to Anrich Nortje. He rose to the occasion in the semi-final, bowling an unchanged eight-over spell in the middle overs to keep South Africa in the hunt in defence of a low total. Coetzee showed immense heart, coming round the wicket to right-handers and often peppering them with short balls before dismissing them with fuller ones. His two wickets, of Steve Smith and Josh Inglis, kept South Africa’s hopes alive before they were eventually buried.

Adam Zampa

4-53 vs Pakistan, Bengaluru

Zampa took three or more wickets in a match five times at the World Cup, but his most impactful spell came against Pakistan in Bengaluru. Chasing 368, Pakistan were placed nicely at 175-2 in the 27th over when he removed Babar Azam. Later, he dismissed Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammed Rizwan, and Mohammad Nawaz to get through the crux of Pakistan’s middle order and set up a 62-run victory for Australia.

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