Highest Test Wicket Takers in Cricket History 2023
13 Mar. 2023. Ravichandran Ashwin picked up his 32nd five-wicket haul in the 4th Test against Australia at Ahmedabad. Ashwin has 474 wickets in 92 Tests at an average of 23.93. India won the 4-match series by 2-1.
Test cricket is considered one of the most loved formats of cricket. The bowlers are an integral part of the match, and without them winning the game of cricket would not be possible. To win a test match, a team has to take 20 wickets which put a lot of responsibility on the bowlers. To a large extent, the winning and losing of the game depending on how many wickets the bowler is able to take. The bowlers often have proved their exceptional skills and single-handedly taken their team to victory.
Most Test Wickets in Career: Top 10 Player List
M. Muralitharan, former Sri Lankan right-arm spin bowler tops the list of most wicket-takers in test cricket of all time. Muralitharan has taken 800 wickets in 133 matches. He also has the record for the most number of 5-wicket hauls (67) and 10-wicket hauls (22) in Test cricket.
Only the best of players are able to take these many wickets in the toughest format of cricket. Play on the Howzat app and become the champion of fantasy cricket!
Let us glance over the top 10 bowlers with the most test wickets in cricket history.
| Player | Country | Matches | Wickets | Bowling Average | 5W | 10W |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | Sri Lanka | 133 | 800 | 22.72 | 67 | 22 |
| Shane Warne | Australia | 145 | 708 | 25.41 | 37 | 10 |
| James Anderson | England | 179 | 685 | 25.99 | 32 | 3 |
| Anil Kumble | India | 132 | 619 | 29.65 | 35 | 8 |
| Stuart Broad | England | 161 | 576 | 27.74 | 19 | 3 |
| Glenn McGrath | Australia | 124 | 563 | 21.64 | 29 | 3 |
| Courtney Walsh | West Indies | 132 | 519 | 24.44 | 22 | 3 |
| Nathan Lyon | Australia | 119 | 482 | 31.23 | 23 | 3 |
| Ravi Ashwin | India | 92 | 474 | 23.93 | 32 | 7 |
| Dale Steyn | South Africa | 93 | 439 | 22.95 | 26 | 5 |
Muttiah Muralitharan | 800 Wickets in 133 Matches
Without any debate, Muttiah Muralitharan is the greatest and highest wicket taker in test cricket. With 800 wickets under his belt, Muttiah has undoubtedly proven to be an exceptional performer. He also holds the record for most wickets in ODI (534). It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Muttiah the God of Bowling. He played his last Test against India at Galle 2010 and took eight wickets to reach the magical figure of 800.
Shane Warne | 708 Wickets in 145 Matches
Shane Warne will always be credited for redefining leg spin bowling. This former Australian spin wizard is the 2nd highest wicket taker in test matches. Warne played 145 matches and has taken 708 wickets with a strike rate of 57.4. Shane Warne's leg break variations were excellent and used to keep the batters guessing most of the time. He was the man who could make the ball talk everywhere in this world. Warne played his last test against England in 2007.
James Anderson | 685 Wickets in 179 Matches
England’s James Anderson is the best swing bowler in the world. Playing Test cricket since 2003, Anderson is called “Swing king” because of his ability to swing the ball both ways at a decent pace. Anderson has taken 685 wickets in 179 matches with 32 5-wicket hauls, making him the third-highest wicket-taker in the history of test cricket. He is the only pace bowler to take 600 test wickets.
Also read: Most Runs in Test Cricket
Anil Kumble | 619 Wickets in 132 Matches
Anil Kumble is India's leading test wicket taker and has been ranked at the 4th position in the loss of most test wickets. Anil Kumble played test cricket for over 18 years and took 619 wickets in 132 test matches. The fun fact about Anil's bowling was he never used to spin the ball much, but his ball speeds were mostly around 100km/hr.
Stuart Broad | 576 Wickets in 161 Matches
Stuart Broad, son of former English cricketer and now match referee Chris Broad made his debut for England's cricket team in 2007. by showing exceptional performance. A tall medium pacer, Broad has been excellent with the red ball for England over the years. Broad has played in 161 Test matches and has 576 wickets making him stand 5th in the list of highest test wickets.
FAQs
Who has the most wickets in test cricket?
Former Sri Lankan bowler, M. Muralitharan has the most wickets in test cricket. The right-arm spin bowler seized 800 wickets in a test career from 1992 to 2010.
Who reached 500 wickets first in Test cricket?
Courtney Walsh is the 1st bowler to have achieved 500 wickets in the history of Test cricket. Six more bowlers have reached the landmark since then.
Which fast bowler has the most wickets?
James Anderson holds the title of the 'fast bowler to have the most wickets in test cricket.' As of 28 Feb. 2023, Anderson has taken 685 Test wickets in 179 matches.
Who all took 10 wickets in Test cricket?
England's Jim Laker (in 1956), India's Anil Kumble (in 1999), and New Zealand's Ajaz Patel (in 2021) have taken 10 wickets in an inning in Test cricket.
Who took the fastest 450 wickets in Test cricket?
Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan is the fastest bowler to 450 test wickets, achieving the feat in 80 Tests. Ravichandran Ashwin is the second fastest bowler to 450 test wickets. He reached the mark in 89 test matches.
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