Top 5 bowlers with most wickets in Test cricket
Let's take a look at the list of top 10 highest wicket takers in Test cricket.
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Shane Warne, Mutthiah Muralitharan, James Anderson (Images via ESPNcricinfo)
Test cricket tests the players as they grind for three to five days to clinch the victory. The popularity of Test cricket, despite the emergence of the shortest formats of the game, has yet to die down.
And for the bowlers, Test cricket tests their patience, stamina, as well as their skill, as they have to bowl continuously for those three to five days.
The bowlers even have the ability to wreak havoc and help the team win matches. It’s not an exaggeration when someone says that Test cricket helps bowlers become the greats of the game. So in this article, let’s take a look at the list of top 10 highest wicket takers in Test cricket.
| S. No. | Bowlers | Wickets |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Muttiah Muralitharan | 800 |
| 2 | Shane Warne | 708 |
| 3. | James Anderson | 695 |
| 4. | Anil Kumble | 619 |
| 5. | Stuart Broad | 604 |
| 6. | Glenn McGrath | 563 |
| 7. | Courtney Walsh | 519 |
| 8. | Nathan Lyon | 517 |
| 9. | Ravichandran Ashwin | 499 |
| 10. | Dale Steyn | 439 |
Top 5 bowlers with most wickets in Test cricket
5. Stuart Broad- 604 wickets from 167 matches
Stuart Broad retired from Test cricket in 2023. Amid the popularity of white-ball cricket, he gave his all to Test cricket and ended up playing 167 matches.
After surpassing Glenn Mcgrath, Broad became the fifth-highest wicket-taker with 604 scalps to his name, including 20 fifers. He bowled at an economy rate of 2.97, while his best figure was 8/15.
4. Anil Kumble- 619 wickets from 132 matches
The only Indian in the top five list is Anil Kumble. In 2001, he became the first Indian spinner to take 300 wickets and soon surpassed Australia’s Glenn Mcgrath’s record.
Kumble took 619 wickets from 132 matches with his best being a ten-wicket haul (10/74). He used to bowl at an economy rate of 2.69 and picked up 31 fifers.
3. James Anderson- 695 wickets from 184 matches
The English paceman still plays Test cricket and is on the verge of surpassing Shane Warne. James Anderson made his international debut in 2003 and even after two decades, he still proves fatal.
So far, Anderson has picked up 695 wickets from 184 matches at an economy rate of 2.78. He has 32 five-wicket hauls to his name, while his best figures are 7/42.
2. Shane Warne- 708 wickets from 145 matches
The late Shane Warne is called the Spin Wizard as he used to spin webs around the opposition to dumbfound them. One of his deliveries to England’s Mike Gatting in the 1993 Ashes in Manchester is being termed as the Ball of the Century.
He played international cricket from 1992 to 2007. From 145 matches, Warne picked up 705 wickets with the best figure of 8/71. He bowled at an economy rate of 2.65 and had bagged 37 five-wicket hauls.
1. Muttiah Muralitharan- 800 wickets from 133 matches
Muttiah Muralitharan used to instill fear in the best batters in the world with his fearsome deliveries.
The Sri Lankan legend stands atop of the list with a whopping 800 Test wickets in 133 matches, including a record 67 five-wicket hauls. His best bowling figure was 9/51, and he bowled at an economy rate of 2.47.
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Gouri Das
(4734 Articles Published)