In international cricket, Muttiah Muralitharan has the most combined Test and ODI wickets. He took 800 Test wickets and also has the most five-wicket hauls (67) and ten-wicket match hauls (22). His 16 for 220 against England in 1998 is one of the best match figures in cricket. Anil Kumble took 10 for 74 against Pakistan in 1999, the second-best innings figures in Tests, behind Jim Laker’s 10 for 53 in 1956.
Richard Hadlee became the first bowler to reach 400 Test wickets in 1990. Courtney Walsh was the first to reach 500 in 2001. Shane Warne was the first bowler to reach 600 and 700 wickets, doing so in 2005 and 2006. Warne took 96 wickets in 2005, the highest in any calendar year.
In ODIs, Muttiah Muralitharan has the most wickets with 534 and also has 10 five-wicket hauls. Glenn McGrath has the best bowling average among bowlers with 300 or more ODI wickets. Chaminda Vaas took 8 for 19 against Zimbabwe in 2001, the only time a bowler has taken eight wickets in an ODI. Waqar Younis has the most ODI five-wicket hauls with 13.
Most wickets by a left-arm pacer in international cricket
Wasim Akram of Pakistan is the highest, taking 916 wickets in 460 matches between 1984 and 2003. He had an average of 23.57 runs per wicket, an economy rate of 3.17, and a strike rate of 44.5 balls per wicket. He also took 31 five-wicket hauls and 5 ten-wicket match hauls.
Chaminda Vaas from Sri Lanka took 761 wickets in 439 matches from 1994 to 2009. His bowling average was 28.44, economy 3.30, and strike rate 51.7. He achieved 16 five-wicket hauls and 2 ten-wicket match hauls.
Mitchell Starc of Australia has taken 746 wickets in 297 matches between 2010 and 2025. His average is 25.23, economy 4.09, and strike rate 36.9. He has 27 five-wicket hauls and 3 ten-wicket match hauls. Starc also became the top left-arm fast bowler in Test cricket history after taking his 415th wicket. He passed Wasim Akram, who had 414. Starc achieved the record in his 102nd Test. He took the record-breaking wicket at Brisbane by dismissing Harry Brook for 31.
Trent Boult from New Zealand claimed 611 wickets in 253 matches from 2011 to 2024. He has an average of 25.60, an economy of 3.75, and a strike rate of 40.8. He has 16 five-wicket hauls and 1 ten-wicket match haul.
Zaheer Khan of India took 610 wickets in 309 matches between 2000 and 2014. His bowling average was 31.14, economy rate 3.89, and strike rate 47.9. He recorded 12 five-wicket hauls and 1 ten-wicket match haul.
Mitchell Johnson took 590 wickets in international cricket as a left-arm or fast-medium bowler. He played from 2005 to 2015 in 256 matches and 320 innings. His best innings figures were 8/61, and his best match figures were 12/127. He took 15 five-wicket hauls and 3 ten-wicket match hauls.
| Bowler | Wickets | 5-Wicket Hauls | 10-Wicket Match Hauls |
| Wasim Akram | 916 | 31 | 5 |
| Chaminda Vaas | 761 | 16 | 2 |
| Mitchell Starc | 746 | 27 | 3 |
| Trent Boult | 611 | 16 | 1 |
| Zaheer Khan | 610 | 12 | 1 |
| Mitchell Johnson | 590 | 15 | 3 |
FAQs
Q. Who has taken the most wickets among left-arm bowlers in Test cricket?
A. Rangana Herath from Sri Lanka has the most wickets among left-arm bowlers in Test cricket. He took 433 wickets in 93 Tests between 1999 and 2018.
Q. Who is the fastest Indian pacer to reach 200 Test wickets?
A. Jasprit Bumrah became the fastest Indian pacer to reach 200 wickets in Test cricket.
Q. Which bowler has taken more than 1,000 wickets at the international level?
A. Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka has taken a total of 1,347 wickets across all formats.
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