World record: West Indies become first team ever to bowl 50 overs of spin in an ODI innings

All spin, no seam

After losing the first match on a pitch that looked dark and assisted spin, West Indies went all-in with the spin strategy themselves for the second game. The colour of the pitch was no different, nor was the character. The visitors dropped fast bowlers Jayden Seales and Romario Shepherd and brought in spinner Akeal Hosein and debuting batter Ackeem Auguste.

Bowling first after losing the toss, West Indies opened with Hosein and captain Roston Chase. The only seamer in the XI – Justin Greaves – wasn't given the new ball. In fact, as it turned out, he wasn't given the ball at all.

Left-arm spinner Khary Pierre came on first change, while another left-arm orthodox – Gudakesh Motie – was the fourth bowler to be introduced in the 11th over of the innings. 

After Motie was hit for a six in the 17th over, Chase turned to part-timer Alick Athanaze in the 18th. Athanaze had only bowled four overs in two ODIs before this, but he started with a wicket in his first over, that of former Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. The off-spinner completed his 10 overs unchanged, bowling three maidens and conceding just 14 runs for his two wickets. 

The four other spinners then closed off the innings, with Greaves not being required to bowl even at the death.

Figures of West Indies' five spinners

A world record

This is the first time that spinners have bowled 50 overs in an ODI innings, men's or women's. 

The previous record in men's ODIs belonged to Sri Lanka, whose spinners had sent down 44 overs on three separate occasions – vs West Indies in 1996, vs New Zealand in 1998, and vs Australia in 2004. 

Sri Lanka also hold the record in women's ODIs, having bowled 47 overs of spin vs India in a game in 2004. In fact, the top four entries in the list for women's ODIs all belong to Sri Lanka.

That West Indies became the first team to bowl 50 overs of spin in an ODI is all the more surprising. Before this game, they had never bowled more than 34 overs of spin in a men's ODI. 

The world record for most overs of spin bowled in a men's ODI across both innings is 78.2, bowled by Afghanistan and Ireland spinners in 2019. The corresponding record in women's ODIs is 84 overs, when Bangladesh and Pakistan spinners combined to bowl 504 balls in a match at the same venue where West Indies have created the world record. 

With Bangladesh also heavily reliant on spin, it wouldn't be a surprise if these records are broken as well by the end of the game.

Most overs bowled by spinner in an ODI innings