Bowling a wide is more common than bowling a no ball because different circumstances force bowlers to bowl wide or outside the leg stump, so they bowl wide. So not bowling a single wide ball is admirable.
This article looks at bowlers who never bowled a wide ball in their career. The discipline they displayed while still picking up so many wickets attests to their greatness.
The bowlers on this list are some of the greatest of all time, and their consistency was impeccable. Many of these bowlers were also on the list for zero no balls bowled in their careers, so their discipline and ability to pick up so many wickets is a testament to their greatness. So, here are the ten bowlers who have never bowled a wide ball in their careers.
Wide Ball
Sir Richard Hadlee
Nobody since him has been able to match his level of fast bowling in New Zealand, and certainly not without bowling a single wide ball in their careers. Richard Hadlee played 86 Tests and 115 ODIs, for a total of 201 international matches without bowling a wide ball. That level of discipline is no longer possessed by any bowler.
Sir Garfield Sobers
The second name on this list is also an all-time great in the history of cricket, and he played 93 Test Matches and a few ODIs in his career, bowling a total of 20660 balls with not a single wide ball. He was truly Mr Everything, capable of doing it all, and this record will not be broken by any future West Indian bowler.
Sir Ian Botham
The third player on our list is also an all-time great from England, and we can see that only the greatest players of all time have been featured on this list until now, and Sir Ian Botham played 100 matches for England in both formats of the game, which will be 102 Test Matches and 116 ODI Matches, and in these 218 Matches, he did not bowl a single wide ball, which is an incredible achievement and proves that if you show discipline in line and length
Clarrie Grimmett
He is the first player on this list who many cricket fans may not have heard of, but don’t worry, I will introduce him to our readers because he is also a bowler who has never bowled a wide ball in his career. He was born in New Zealand, but after playing some domestic cricket, he represented Australia in international cricket. He bowled 14453 balls in 37 test matches for Australia, with not a single wide ball.
Lance Gibbs
Lance Gibbs, another great bowler in cricket history, finds his name on this list. He was a key member of the West Indies team that dominated the 1970s, and he played 79 ODIs in his career, which equates to nearly 1000 overs as 60-over matches were the norm back then, and still not bowling a single wide ball is a remarkable achievement in his career.
Derek Underwood
Another great England cricketer on this list, he has played over 100 international matches for England, including 86 Test matches and 26 One-Day Internationals, and he used to bowl regularly for England, never bowling a wide ball in his long career.
Dennis Lillee
Dennis Lillee is one of the greatest Australian fast bowlers of all time and a genuine fast bowler at that, and he is one of the few people on this list who has never bowled a no ball or a wide ball, which is incredible. He appeared in 70 Tests for. Australia took over 350 Test wickets but did not bowl a single wide ball.
Bob Willis
Former English bowlers appear to have been among the most disciplined bowlers, as another all-time great, Bob Willis, has been mentioned in this list, and the fact that he played over 170 International matches for England over 13 years with not a single wide ball. He bowled thousands of balls in 90 Tests and 80 One-Day Internationals and did not bowl a single wide ball.
Imran Khan
The ninth person on this list is the greatest bowler in Pakistani history, and he is also one of the few bowlers who have never bowled a no ball or wide ball. Imran Khan played 88 Tests and 175 ODIs for Pakistan, and the shocking fact is that he never bowled a wide ball in his entire career. Young bowlers will learn a lot from him.
Fred Trueman
The last and final name on our list is yet another great English bowler who played 67 international matches and 603 domestic matches and did not bowl a single wide ball in his career. Today’s bowlers may be perplexed as to how these ten greats of the game took so many wickets and troubled batters without throwing a single wide ball. Discipline is lacking these days, and hopefully today’s bowlers can learn from these legends.
