When bowlers go out of form, it is hard for them to come back on route. Bowlers have just ten wickets to aim at, and if they fail to contribute, the performances will go unheeded. Of course, in T20s and to an extent in ODIs, the economy is rated highly, but not more than the number in the wickets column. Hence, if you can collect wickets consistently across formats, it means you are a good bowler. If you talk from the perspective of a bowler’s overall career, the achievement of 900 wickets in international cricket is the highest bar that has been set at the moment.
So far, we have six cricketers who have collected more than 900 wickets in international cricket. We will talk about these legendary players in the below headings.
6. James Anderson – 901 Wickets *
Test Wickets – 614; ODI Wickets – 269; T20I Wickets – 18
The English pacer recently clocked 900 wickets in international cricket. With a few more years to go in his career, James Anderson could surely target 1000 international scalps.
Most of Anderson’s wickets have come in the Test format. A pacer who is known to be a threat at all stages of a Test inning, Anderson has collected 614 wickets in the five-day format. Interestingly, he also has 269 wickets in the ODI version, a format which he has stopped playing for the last few years. Anderson also has 18 T20I wickets against his name.
5. Wasim Akram – 916 Wickets
Test Wickets – 414; ODI Wickets – 502
Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram was a feared fast bowler at his peak. Hence, it is of no surprise that his name features on this list. Even now, he happens to be the template for an ideal left-arm pacer.
It is in ODI cricket that Akram got most of his wickets. He is the only pacer so far who has collected over 500 wickets in the 50-over format. The Pakistan legend also has 414 Test wickets to his name.
4. Glenn Mcgrath – 949 Wickets
Test Wickets – 563; ODI Wickets – 381; T20I Wickets – 5
When we talk about pure swing-bowling, very few come close to Glenn McGrath in terms of skillset. The Aussie was a nightmare for the batsmen during the beginning of an innings.
McGrath also has more than 900 international wickets in his account. While he has collected 563 of them in Test matches, 381 and 5 wickets have come in ODI and T20 format, respectively.
3. Anil Kumble – 956 Wickets
Test Wickets – 619; ODI Wickets – 337
The best spinner that India has seen, Anil Kumble is the only player from India to have collected more than 900 international wickets, so far. Most of Jumbo’s scalps have come in the longer version of the game.
Anil also has a decent record in ODIs. In 271 encounters, the former Indian Head Coach picked up 337 wickets at an average of 30.89.
2. Shane Warne – 1001 Wickets
Test Wickets – 708; ODI Wickets – 293
Aussie leg-spinner Shane Warne has 1001 international wickets in his account. For a player who operated mostly on the pacer-friendly Aussie pitches, this achievement is special.
Compared to other cricketers, Warne’s career span lasted for lesser years. In the 15 years that he played, the player was part of 464 innings for Australia. For most of these years, Warne was not even competing due to many controversies.
1. M Muralitharan – 1347 Wickets
Test Wickets – 800; ODI Wickets – 534; T20I Wickets – 13
Of course, the Sri Lankan spin-wizard stands at the top of this list. Muralitharan is the highest wicket-taker, so far, in both ODIs and the five-day format, and hence takes the No.1 slot on this list.
In a career that lasted almost 19 years, the legendary cricketer participated in a total of 583 innings to scalp 1347 wickets. Eight hundred of these wickets came in the longest format of the game. Muralitharan also has 13 T20I wickets to his name.
