Top 10 ODI Bowlers of 2015

Though Narine managed just 6 victims in 5 encounters in the T20 Cup in Bangladesh, he made a significant impact with his parsimonious economy rate, which created wickets at the other end. With the emergence of Benn, Narine found himself out of the Test side, but was still the first option when it came to ODIs and T20Is. However, during the 2014 Champions League, Narine was reported for a suspect bowling action by the ICC and since then he has been working on it to get it right. The selectors though, believe that he would have corrected his action by then and selected him for the 2015 World Cup.

Starc had a splendid 2015 World Cup and he finished as the leading wicket-taker in the competition with 22 wickets. The tall Australian swung the new ball at high pace and returned to wreak havoc with the old, and his dismissal of Brendon McCullum in the final was a signature Starc delivery of the tournament. He was also named Man of the Series and rose to the No.1 spot in the ICC ODI bowler rankings for his efforts.

Interesting stat: During the third Test of the 2013 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Starc became the first recorded instance of a No. 9, 10 or 11 surviving 100 balls in both the innings.

Boult finished the joint-highest wicket-taker in the 2015 World Cup with 22 scalps, enhancing his reputation as one of world cricket's exciting new talents with the ball. His high point came in the group stage victory over Australia, where he demolished the eventual champions with 5 for 28.

In November 2014, Shakib joined Imran Khan and Ian Botham, becoming only the third player in the history to have scored a hundred and taken 10 wickets in the same Test. He achieved this feat against Zimbabwe. He performed admirably in the ODI series that followed, as well. In December 2014, the BCB finally ended the restriction on non-objection certificate, leaving him free to participate in overseas tournaments. In the same month, he was signed by the Melbourne Renegades to play in the Big Bash League.

He has been South Africa's frontline spinner in the ODI format for a while and his variations with the ball, could come in handy for South Africa at the 2015 World Cup.

Steyn had a mediocre 2015 World Cup. He picked only 11 wickets in the tournament and was not as effective as was expected. In the semi-final against New Zealand, he failed to defend 12 runs off the last over and South Africa bowed out of the tournament.

With his status as the premier fast bowler of his generation being undisputed, now the interest has shifted to debating his position in the list of all-time greats.

Johnson picked up 15 wickets in the 2015 World Cup but he played second fiddle to Mitchell Starc, who proved to be Australia's best bowler in the tournament. His best figures came against Afghanistan, as he ripped through their top-order picking up 4 for 22. Johnson is also well known for his batting in the death overs. He proved his mettle against India in the semi-final, hitting 27 off just 9 deliveries and pushed Australia past the 300-mark.

Morkel even registered a five-wicket haul against Australia in their own backyard to register career-best ODI figures of 5/21 in Perth. With his ability to generate extra bounce with his height, those bouncy pitches in Australia and New Zealand are tailor-made for him and he is one of the bowlers to watch out for at the 2015 World Cup.

Ajmal had a fantastic start to 2014 as he picked up 11 wickets in the Asia Cup, including three crucial ones in the final against Sri Lanka but ended up on the losing side. Ajmal had a mixed 2014 T20 WC, he picked up 4 wickets in 4 games but was expensive in the crucial match against West Indies. In the end, Pakistan lost that game and failed to qualify for the semi-finals.

shwin's performance in the 2015 World Cup was greatly appreciated because of his disciplined and accurate bowling. He picked up 13 wickets in the tournament and also registered his best ODI bowling figures of 4/25 against United Arab Emirates.