Top 3 bowling performances of Nathan Bracken in ODIs

Joining the Australian team to fit in as a Test bowler, Nathan Brackens, celebrating his 47th birthday today, could only play five matches in the longest format. However, his career changed course when he returned to the team after an injury hiatus in the ODI setup during World Cup 2003 when Jason Gillespie was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury. 

Interestingly, Bracken made his ODI debut in 2001 and was considered for Tests after that. However, he went on to play 116 ODI matches, picking 174 wickets. Here, we look at Nathan Bracken’s top performances in ODI Cricket. 

Here are Nathan Bracken’s top 3 performances in ODI Cricket

3. 19/4 vs Sri Lanka, 2007

In the ODI World Cup 2007 Super 8 match against Australia, Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bat first. Despite Mahela Jayawardene and Chamara Silva scoring half-centuries, they could only manage 232 runs. Nathan Bracken was the star of the game as he picked up four wickets for just 19 runs. 

In the chase, Australia was on song as all the top-order batters combined to get the team over the line. They chased the target in under 43 overs, with Ricky Ponting (66 runs in 80 balls) scoring the most runs. 

2.  67/5 vs South Africa, 2006

In the series decider of the five-match series in their tour of South Africa, Australia won the toss and decided to bat first. With Ricky Ponting scoring 164 runs, and Adam Gilchrist, Simon Katich, and Michael Hussey each scoring half-centuries, Australia put on a mammoth total of 434 on the board. 

In a chase that will always be remembered for Herschelle Gibbs’ heroics, Nathen Bracken had a role to play with the ball for Australia. He picked up a five-wicket haul and conceded 67 runs while all the other batters were taken for big runs. However, Gibbs’ 175  not only helped South Africa win the series but also registered history with the highest chase total in ODI Cricket.

1. 47/5 vs Sri Lanka, 2008

In the 3rd match of the Commonwealth Bank Series, Australia locked horns with Sri Lanka and batted first. Michael Clarke’s 77 off 86 balls and Adam Gilchrist’s 61 off 81 balls helped Australia set a target of 254. 

In the chase, Sri Lanka failed to get a good start thanks to Australia’s fast bowling unit. While Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson were good, it was Nathan Bracken who did wonders for the team. He picked a five-wicket haul to keep Sri Lanka restricted to a meagre total of 125 runs. He received the Player of the Match award for his performance.

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