Top 10 Bowlers With Most Wickets In Test Cricket Ft. Mitchell Starc, Anil Kumble

The first ever Test match was played in 1877 at the MCG between England and Australia, the two oldest rivals in the game of cricket.

Many bowlers are remembered for their historic feats and memorable spells. The sport has seen only a handful of cricketers who have walked into the pantheon of celebrated bowlers by dominating the field for over a dozen years.

Over the almost 150 years’ history of Test cricket, only nine bowlers have picked up 500 or more wickets, only five have gone past 600 wickets, only three have collected 700 scalps, and only one touched the 800-wicket milestone.

On top of the list of wicket-takers in Test cricket is Sri Lankan legend Muthiah Muralidaran (Muttiah Muralitharan), who retired with 800 Test wickets and 67 five-wicket hauls, both records in the longest format. And following the Sri Lankan spinner is another spin wizard, Australia’s Shane Warne, who claimed 708 Test wickets in his illustrious career.

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Which fast bowler has taken the most wickets in Test cricket?

Former England pacer James Anderson is the highest wicket-taker among pacers and third-highest after Muralidaran and Warner. The Englishman took 704 Test wickets, retiring as the only fast bowler with over 700 Test scalps.

Which Indian bowler took the highest number of Test wickets?

Anil Kumble is India’s highest wicket-taker in Test cricket with 619 wickets. The former leg-spinner is the fourth-leading wicket-taker in Test matches. Kumble is one of the only three bowlers in the history of Test cricket to claim 10 wickets in an innings, a feat he achieved against Pakistan in 1999 in Delhi.

The next three men, following Kumble, are Ashes rivals: Stuart Broad (604 wickets), Nathan Lyon (567 wickets)*, and Glenn McGrath (563 wickets).

India’s R Ashwin, who retired in 2024, bagged 537 wickets and is 8th on the wicket-takers tally, followed by Courtney Walsh and Dale Steyn, who took 519 and 439 Test wickets, respectively.

How many wickets did Kapil Dev take in Tests?

Former India captain and all-rounder Kapil Dev claimed 434 Test wickets, the most by an Indian fast bowler.

How many wickets has Mitchell Starc taken in Test cricket?

Both Kapil and Steyn are set to be overtaken by Mitchell Starc, who, at the time of writing, has 433 Test wickets in his remarkable career. With seven more wickets, Starc will replace Steyn on the top 10 wicket-takers list.

Starc, though, played down this impending achievement.

“It is cool and very humbling to be spoken about it with those guys. But that stuff doesn’t mean a whole lot while you’re still playing. You don’t get too far ahead,” Starc said.