All spin & no pace – USA and Oman make ODI history
Nosthush Kenjige took a career-best 5-11
USA and Oman made history by not bowling a single ball of pace during their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 match in Al Amerat on Tuesday.
All 61 overs were bowled by spinners, making it the first time in 4,671 men’s one-day internationals that no pace or seam was bowled.
The USA beat hosts Oman by 57 runs after being bowled out for 122 in 35.3 overs – making it the lowest total successfully defended in a full men’s ODI.
The previous record in a full unaffected match was India’s 125 against Pakistan in 1985, when they won by 38 runs.
USA bowler Nosthush Kenjige took a career-best 5-11 as Oman were bowled out for 65 in 25.3 overs.
The total of 19 wickets that fell to spin also matched the record, set in a Bangladesh-Pakistan match in 2011, for the most wickets claimed by spinners in an ODI. The other wicket was a run out.
The combined 187 runs is the second-lowest aggregate score in a full men’s ODI, behind the 163-run match between India and Bangladesh in 2014.
It follows Paarl Royals becoming the first side to bowl 20 overs of spin
, external
in a T20 during their SA20 win over Pretoria Capitals in January.
Get cricket news sent straight to your phone
Bangladesh accelerate after rebuilding well from 35-5
Champions League reaction: Real Madrid dump Man City out & Liverpool draw at Aston Villa
‘Man City’s surrender in Madrid marks end of an era’
Watch the UEFA Champions League highlights on iPlayer
All the goals and unmissable moments from Europe’s greatest football club competition
New, offbeat comedy with Stephen Mangan
Visit the island from Desert Island Discs, where the former guests have gone a bit ‘Lord of the Flies’
The highly anticipated Motherland spin-off
Lucy Punch returns as ‘alpha mum’ Amanda to face downsizing and the horror of modern teens
How has science fiction shaped Elon Musk?
Jill Lepore untangles sci-fi’s influence on Silicon Valley’s superstar ‘techno-futurist’
‘Man City’s surrender in Madrid marks end of an era’
Mbappe ‘flying’ high at Real and now wants to ‘make history’
Marvellous Mbappe sends Man City crashing out of Europe. Video
Marvellous Mbappe sends Man City crashing out of Europe
‘Not happy’ – how title race looks as Slot rues Liverpool draw
Lookman says penalty criticism by own coach ‘deeply disrespectful’
Dad told me aged six I’d be world champion – Dubois. Video
Dad told me aged six I’d be world champion – Dubois
‘A modern classic’ – Real Madrid & Man City’s European rivalry
Why have Townsend’s Scotland had hex on England?
‘I signed Barcelona deal – then had a stroke at 24’
Hamilton ‘invigorated’ by Ferrari move at F1 launch
Discipline, injuries & family – how Dembele turned career around
US superfan jets in to UK for four games in 48 hours
Russell has ‘no intention’ of speaking to Verstappen
All spin & no pace – USA and Oman make ODI history
‘No-one has improved at Man Utd over the last decade’ Video
‘No-one has improved at Man Utd over the last decade’
It’s time for us to address the anti-doping system – Djokovic. Video
It’s time for us to address the anti-doping system – Djokovic
Joshua, Fury & Dubois – a look at the heavyweight landscape
Why is Jude Bellingham facing such a long suspension after red card? Video
Why is Jude Bellingham facing such a long suspension after red card?
‘They shot my dad in front of me’ – African refugees eye Olympics
‘It’s out of this world’ – Everton fans get first glimpse of new stadium
Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.
Related topics
Top stories
Elsewhere on the BBC
Elsewhere in Sport
USA break India’s 1985 record for lowest total defended in a men’s ODI
BAN
IND
Bangladesh chose to bat.
OMA
USA
U.S.A. need 94 runs in 53 balls.
VIDAR
MUM
Day 4 – Mumbai need 323 runs.
KER
GUJ
Day 4 – Gujarat trail by 28 runs.
For the first time in 4671 completed ODIs, fast bowlers did not bowl a single ball in the game
Left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige took 5 for 11 in 7.3 overs against Oman • ICC/Getty Images
USA have broken the record for the lowest total successfully defended in a full men’s ODI. They beat Oman by 57 runs after scoring just 122 in their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 match in Al Amerat.
The previous lowest total successfully defended in a full ODI (not reduced) was India’s 125 against Pakistan in the Rothmans Four-Nations Cup in 1985. They won that match by 38 runs in Sharjah.
USA’s fixture against Oman was dominated by spin. All nine bowlers used in the game were spinners, making it the first completed men’s ODI ever – after 4671 matches – without a single ball bowled by a fast bowler.
The 19 wickets that fell also equalled the record for most wickets taken in an ODI by spinners, level with a Bangladesh-Pakistan ODI in Chattogram in 2011. Nosthush Kenjige took a career-best of 5 for 11 as Oman were dismissed for 65 in 25.3 overs.
USA and Oman scored a total of only 187 runs in 61 overs, the second-lowest aggregate in an ODI where both teams were dismissed. The 41-over game between India and Bangladesh in 2014 had an aggregate of 163 runs.
The dominance of spinners and low totals have been a trend at Al Amerat in this tournament, especially in games involving the hosts Oman. Teams batting first have been dismissed for fewer than 170 in all eight of Oman’s matches , while the other four games had 240-plus totals.
In the previous match at Al Amerat on Sunday, Oman lost eight wickets in their chase of 96 against Namibia. JJ Smit was the only fast bowler in that game who bowled an over. Three of the four men’s ODIs where spinners took 17 or more wickets have been at Al Amerat.
Sampath Bandarupalli is a statistician at ESPNcricinfo
Shami opens up about his struggles and recovery after injuries and a surgery sidelined him from international cricket for over a year
Who makes it to India’s pace attack against Bangladesh?
Mohammed Shami feared that his career was over when a lengthy rehabilitation kept him out of cricket throughout 2024. Now leading India’s pace attack in the Champions Trophy, Shami compared his comeback to “a toddler learning how to walk”.
“I always wondered when I would be able to put my feet on the ground again, as someone who is used to running on the field constantly was now in crutches,” Shami, 34, told icc.tv. “A lot of thoughts used to run through my mind. Will I be able to do it again? Will I be able to walk without a limp? For the first two months, I often doubted whether I would be able to play again as an injury like this followed by a 14-month break can pull you down.
“My first question to the doctor was ‘how many days until I can be back on the field’. He said, ‘my priority is to get you to walk, then jog, and then run and thinking about playing competitive cricket is still a distant goal’.
Doubt over India’s world-beaters as they enter Champions Trophy
What can India expect from Dubai’s Champions Trophy pitches?
Rohit Sharma says India are ready for any conditions
Is Rohit India’s best contemporary ODI batter at ICC tournaments?
“After 60 days, when they asked me to put my feet on the ground, you won’t believe me, but I have never been more scared to put my foot on the ground. It felt like I was starting over, like a toddler learning how to walk, and I was worried about any complications.”
After overcoming an ankle injury, Shami underwent surgery in March 2024. He subsequently faced issues in his knee, further delaying his return. After returning to the Bengal team for the domestic season, Shami rejoined India’s white-ball squad during the home series against England, and proved his fitness for the Champions Trophy.
Shami was the highest wicket-taker of the last ICC tournament he played – the 2023 ODI World Cup – despite being on the field for only seven fixtures. He now finds himself needing to play another big role with Jasprit Bumrah out with an injury.
“The desire to wear the India badge on my chest kept me going,” he said. “You endure the pain and take it one step at a time without complaints or bitterness. It was tough and there was pain, but with resilience and patience I made it through. My motivation has always been to serve my country for as long as possible. Because once you step away, you’re just like anyone else.”
Shami on long rehab: ‘Felt like a toddler learning how to walk’
ODI record broken in USA’s defiant Al-Amerat defence
First Innings : Bangladesh elected to bat
Second Innings : USA need 94 runs in 53 balls in 10.64 rpo
Bahrain beat Indonesia by 10 wickets
New Zealand beat Pakistan by 60 runs
Bahrain beat Indonesia by 63 runs
By Daniel Beswick
Records have been rewritten in Cricket World Cup League 2 action in Oman, with the USA defending 122 against the tri-series hosts – the lowest successfully defended totals in men’s ODIs and excluding matches with a revised target or reduced overs.
Oman v USA, League 2 ODI, Scorecard
In conditions heavily favouring spin, it was the metronomic work of Nosthush Kenjige that led the American charge, claiming figures of 5/11 from 7.3 overs to sink the hosts for just 65. The score is Oman’s lowest in the men’s international format.
While the surface at the Oman Cricket Academy has shown more zip in previous years, most notably at the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup, the recent ODI tri-series which forms part of Cricket World Cup 2027 qualification has seen conditions suit slower bowlers.
Not a single over of pace was bowled in the match, with Oman’s five-pronged spin attack matched by USA’s Milind Kumar, Harmeet Singh, Yasir Mohammad and Kenjige.
Electing to bowl in the hope of emulating their spin success against Namibia two days prior, the hosts stifled Monank Patel’s side, with the skipper (0) one of the five baters to fall inside the first 13 overs.
Aaron Jones (16) and Sanjay Krishnamurthi (16) fought in spite of the elements, though it was Milind (47*) on a solo mission, hitting six boundaries to move the score past three figures.
The Americans lasted just 35.3 overs with Shakeel Ahmad’s 3/20, the best for the Omanis, though the effort would be usurped by their opposition’s spin quartet.
Milind’s off-spin (2/17) claimed the key wicket of Oman captain Jatinder Singh (7), and the men from the Sultanate showed little resolve in their chase. Harmeet (1/25) and Yasir’s 2/10 complimented Kenjige, who wrapped up proceedings by trapping No.11 Siddharth Bukkapatnam (0).
Watch Cricket World Cup League 2 live and FREE on ICC.tv (in select regions)
ODI record broken in USA’s defiant Al-Amerat defence
Pakistan fined for slow over-rate against New Zealand at ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025
Tom Banton determined to grasp opportunity after late Champions Trophy call-up
Imam-ul-Haq approved as replacement for Fakhar Zaman in Pakistan squad
