The legendary South African fast bowler Dale Steyn announces retirement from all forms of cricket. On the afternoon of 31st August 2021, he announced his retirement from the sport in between the hustle and bustle of the world.

Read also: Around 30 Indian players have taken retirement from BCCI

The 38-year-old cricketer is regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers in cricket history. Also, he is undoubtedly one of the best test bowlers of his generation. He is the eighth-highest wicket-taker in test cricket with 439 Test wickets.

Dale Steyn announced his retirement through a post on Twitter.

Since his International debut in 2004, he played in 93 test matches, 125 ODI matches, and 47 T20I matches for South Africa. Also, he played for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL. He was a part of the playing team in 95 IPL matches.

In 2019 he announced his retirement from Test cricket. And in 2021 he retired from all forms of the sport.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) awards the best cricketer annually with the prestigious recognition of ICC Men's Cricketer of the year.

The cricketer with the most impactful performance becomes the recipient of the honorary award. ICC started presenting this award in 2004.

Also Read: ICC Men's Cricketer of the year winners of last ten years

ICC Men's Cricketer of the year 2024

Jasprit Bumrah is named the ICC Men's Cricketer of the year 2024. He also became the first Indian pacer to win the award.

Bumrah became the 5th Indian to win the award after Rahul Dravid (2004), Sachin Tendulkar (2010), Ravichandran Ashwin (2016) and Virat Kohli (2017, 2018).

The pacer also won the ICC men's Test Cricketer Of The Year award as well after being the standout performer for India during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, where he picked up 32 wickets.

The Indian pacer started the year with a terrific performance against England at home before he switched his attention to the T20 World Cup. 

Bumrah ended the tournament with 15 wickets and an average of 8.26 as India defeated South Africa in the final to lift the trophy.

He was adjudged as the Player Of the Tournament for his performance.

Bumrah's performance in Tests made him really stand out from the rest of the nominees. The pacer picked up 71 wickets in 13 matches, the highest by any bowler in 2024.

Who was the first player to achieve the award?

In the year 2004, ICC introduced the award and Rahul Dravid became the first cricketer to win the ICC Men's Cricketer Of The Year.

Also Read: Full List: Indians to win ICC Cricketer of the Year Award (Men's and Women's)

ICC Men's Cricketer of the year since 2004

Jasprit Bumrah completed his 200 wickets in Test cricket during Australia's second innings in the Melbourne Test. Bumrah completed 200 wickets after taking Travis Head's wicket in his 44th Test. Bumrah, who made his Test debut against South Africa In 2018, completed his 200 wickets in 8484 balls, surpassing the likes of cricket greats such as Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, and Curtly Ambrose.

Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah becomes first-ever player to pick 200 Test wickets with an average below 20

In this article, we will look at the bowlers who took 200 Test wickets in the fewest balls. 

Fastest to complete 200 Test wickets

1# Waqar Younis | 7725 Balls

Former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis is the bowler to take 200 Test wickets on the fewest balls. This record still stands till date. Waqar made his Test debut in 1989 with Sachin Tendulkar. The landmark came in 1995, as Pakistan beat New Zealand in Christchurch.

Tail-ender Dion Nash was Younis’ only wicket in the match, but he only needed the one for the momentous milestone. Of course, true to form, Younis didn’t need a fielder involved in the dismissal, as he simply bowled Nash with that express pace of his.

2# Dale Steyn | 7848 Balls

Dale Steyn is counted among the best bowlers in Test history. He was at number one in the ranking for many years. Steyn had completed 200 wickets in Test on 7848 balls. With that incredible achievement, he is only the second-fastest bowler to secure 200 Test wickets in terms of the balls bowled.

In 2019, Steyn announced his retirement.

3# Kagiso Rabada | 8154 Balls

Among active bowlers, Kagiso Rabada of South Africa holds the record of taking 200 Test wickets in the fewest balls. Rabada's home situation helps the fast bowlers a lot. This is why his name being in this list is not surprising.

Making his Test debut in 2015, Rabada completed his 200 Test wickets in just 8154 balls. After dismissing Hasan Ali in a Test match against Pakistan back in 2021, Rabada achieved the feat.

4# Jasprit Bumrah | 8484 Balls

In the modern-day cricket, Jasprit Bumrah is a legend. With accuracy and incredible bowling technique, Team India’s crisis man never fails to rescue the team in tough times.

In the ongoing Test match against Australia, Bumrah turned out to be a savior in the second innings, picking up 4 wickets in just 30 runs. After dismissing Travis Head in the 34th over, Bumrah secured his 200 Test scalps in 8484 deliveries. In his 44th Test match, he secured the milestone. With that performance, he is standing in the fourth Position on the list.

5# Malcolm Marshall | 9234 Balls

When it comes to the most feared bowler in the history of cricket, the first person who comes to mind is Malcolm Marshall. In the 80s, there used to be awe of his name among the batsmen. At that time, batsmen used to take less risks but even after this, Marshall had completed 200 wickets in 9234 balls.

The bowlers are an indispensable part of cricket, without them the game is incomplete. There are instances in cricket where bowlers have proved their worth by winning matches single-handedly. The game has seen some great bowlers since the day it started. So today we are gonna take a gaze at the players with the Most Wickets in Test Cricket, who have dominated the game in their time across all formats.

Most Wickets in Test Cricket

#1. Muttiah Muralitharan | 800 Wickets

Muttiah Muralitharan made his test debut for Sri Lanka against Australia in 1992. He had a unique bowling action among all spinners of the world. Muralitharan has played test cricket for 18 years (1992-2010). He played his last game against India at Galle and bagged 8 wickets in his farewell match.

Muralitharan is the highest wicket-taker in the history of test cricket. He has taken 800 test wickets in 133 test matches including 67 fifers. Yes, you heard it right he has 67 fifers, which is the most by any bowler in the history of test cricket. He had success against almost all the batsmen in the world.

#2. Shane Warne | 708 Wickets

Shane Warne is probably the best leg spinner the world has ever seen. His stats say it all, how he troubled all the batsmen of the world with his variations. He had even turned the ball from 3rd leg stump to the off stump. He was the man who could make the ball talk everywhere in this world.

Shane Warne played his first test in 1992 against India. In his debut match, he took only one cricket. But no one knew this man had the potential to pick up more than 700 wickets at the end of his career. Warne played his last test against England in 2007. He bagged two successes in his last test match. Warne's test cricket stat is jaw-dropping. He has grabbed 708 wickets in 145 test matches with 37 5-for. 

Read Also: Test Cricket Records: Most Sixes in Test

#3. James Anderson | 704 Wickets

English fast bowler James Anderson is the third-highest wicket-taker in the history of test cricket. James Anderson made his first appearance in test cricket in 2003 against Zimbabwe. He is known for his ability to swing the ball. He is called "Swing King", who can swing the ball both ways and make batsmen dance at a decent pace (135 km/hr). Jimmy took 704 wickets in 188 matches with 32 fifers. He is the only pace bowler to take the tally to 600. He took his retirement recently after the first test match of the 3-match test series against West Indies.

#4. Anil Kumble | 619 Wickets

Anil Kumble is the highest wicket-taker for India in Test cricket and the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the history of Test cricket with 619 wickets in 132 test matches. He has taken 35 five-wicket hauls in the longest format of the game.

Kumble made his Test debut in 1990 against England. He has played test cricket for India for 18 years. His last match was against Australia in 2008. Kumble holds the record for best bowling figure by a bowler in an innings in Test cricket 10/74, which came off against Pakistan in 1999 in Delhi. Anil would not spin the ball much and bowl with a bit of pace over 100 km/hr, it took batsmen 16-17 years to know he didn't spin the ball.

#5. Stuart Broad | 604 Wickets

The English paceman Stuart Broad made his test debut in 2007 against Sri Lanka. The Nottingham-born player represented England in 167 matches and took 604 wickets consisting of 20 fifers. He is the fifth-highest wicket-taker in test cricket with 8 for 15 in the 2015 Ashes against Australia is his best figure. The England legend took his retirement in 2023 after the conclusion of the Ashes.

#6. Glenn McGrath | 563 Wickets

The Aussie legend has played 14 years of test cricket (1993-2007). Glenn made his test debut in 1993 against New Zealand. Mcgrath is the highest wicket-taker among the pace bowlers of Australia. He is known for his line, length, and swing. He has taken wickets in all places he has played. McGrath bagged 563 wickets in 124 test matches, while he crossed the mark of 5 wickets 29 times in test cricket. He has the best bowling average (21.6) among the top 10 highest wicket-takers.

Read Also: Test Cricket Records: Youngest to reach 10,000 Test runs

#7. Ravichandran Ashwin | 537 Wickets

Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin occupies the 7th spot in terms of taking the most test wickets, with 537 wickets in 106 games maintaining a great average of 24.00. Ashwin has bagged 37 five-wicket hauls in his test career. He is a proper all-rounder with more than 3,000 runs to his name and six centuries in test cricket. He made his test debut in 2011 against West Indies and is the Indian with the second most test wickets.

Ashwin recently announced his retirement from international cricket on December 18, 2024 after the end of the third Test match against Australia in Brisbane.

Also Read: Breaking: Ravichandran Ashwin retires from international cricket

#8. Nathan Lyon | 533* Wickets

Another Australian great Nathan Lyon is now the eighth-highest wicket-taker in Tests. In 132 Tests, Lyon has taken 533* wickets so far at an average of 30.45. Moreover, he has recorded 24 fifers in 246 innings and a personal best of 8/50. Lyon overtook Courtney Walsh when he claimed four wickets against New Zealand at Wellington on March 1, 2024. 

#9. Courtney Walsh | 519 Wickets

Courtney Walsh is the only Caribbean player on the list. He is one of the best fast bowlers of all time especially of the 19th century. Walsh played his first test match in 1984 against Australia and ended his career as the highest wicket-taker of the West Indies with 519 wickets in 132 matches. He was also the highest wicket-taker among pacers in test cricket at the end of his career. He is the first bowler to take 500 wickets in the history of test cricket. 

Also Read: Cricket Records: Bowlers to take 10 wickets in an inning in test cricket

#10. Dale Steyn | 439 Wickets

Dale Steyn is the only South African bowler to be on this list, the 10th-highest wicket-taker overall. The African legend is probably the best fast bowler of this decade. He took 439 wickets in 93 matches in his 15 years of test career (2004-2019).

Dale Steyn's cricketing journey was full of injuries. But till the end of his Test career, he bowled with everything he got. He is the only bowler to take five wickets against each test-playing cricket nation in his time. He is the highest wicket-taker for South Africa in Test cricket and has been in the number one place in the test ranking for 6 consecutive years (2008-2014). 

N.B: Last Updated on 18/12/2024.

The ICC T20 World Cup 2024 will be played in America and West Indies from June 2 to 29. Team India will start its campaign with a match against Ireland on June 5. England are the defending champion of the tournament. The team won the title for the second time by defeating Pakistan in 2022. They delivered a complete performance with both the bat and the bowl.

The shortest format of the game seems to be a batter-dominating game but the trend has changed now. Bowlers also keep equal importance as batsmen. Cricket fans have witnessed several T20 matches where a team's batsmen failed to achieve a good defending total but bowlers then saved the match.

Just as a batsman plays a vital role in winning the match in the same way, bowlers are equally responsible for saving the total added by batters. Otherwise, a team can never be successful based on batsmen only. So, let's check out the top five bowlers who have taken the most wickets in the T20 World Cup history.

Also Read: Most Runs in T20 World Cup History

Most Wickets in T20 World Cup history

#5. Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka) | 35 wickets

Ajantha Mendis, a former right-arm off-break of Sri Lanka, is placed in the number 5th position for having the most wickets in T20 World Cup. Mendis played 21 T20 matches in the T20 World Cup from 2009 to 2014 and took 35 wickets at an economy of 6.70 and an average of 15.02. His best with the ball in the T20 World Cup is 6 for just 8 runs which is still an unbreakable record for taking the highest wicket in an inning.

Ajantha Mendis made his T20 debut in the match against Zimbabwe at King City (NW) on  October 10, 2008, where he performed superbly by taking 4 wickets, and became the Man of the Match. Overall, he appeared in 39 T20I and took 66 wickets with an economy of 6.45 and an average of 14.42. 

#4. Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan) | 36 wickets

Saeed Ajmal, a former right-arm off-breaker of Pakistan, is listed at the number 4th position in the list of the most wickets in the T20 World Cup. In his T20 World Cup career from 2009 to 2014, he played 23 matches and took 36 wickets with an economy of 6.79 and an average of 16.86 and his best in bowling was 4 for 19.

Saeed Ajmal made his T20I debut in the match against Pakistan at Dubai (DSC) on May 07, 2009, and he played his last T20I against Bangladesh at Mirpur on April 24, 2015. Overall, he appeared in 64 T20I for Pakistan and took 85 wickets with an economy of 6.36.

Also Read: Most Sixes in the T20 World Cup

#3. Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka) | 38 wickets

Lasith Malinga, a former right-arm pace bowler of Sri Lanka, is sitting at the number 3 position for taking the most wickets in the T20 World Cup. Malinga was well known for his yorker deliveries especially slow yorkers in the death overs. His journey from 2007 to 2014 in the T20 World Cup was very crucial for lifting the T20 World Cup title for Sri Lanka.

From 2007 to 2014, Sri Lankan pacer, Malinga appeared in 31 matches and took 38 wickets for his team with an economy of 7.43 and an average of 20.07. In T20I, he made his debut against England at Southampton on June 15, 2006, whereas he played his last match against West Indies at Pallekele in 2020. Overall, he appeared in 84 T20 matches and took 107 wickets at an economy of 7.42.

#2. Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) | 39 wickets

Shahid Afridi, a former all-rounder of Pakistan, stands at the number 2 position for taking the most wickets in the T20 World Cup. He is a right-arm leg spinner who played in the T20 World Cup from 2007 to 2016, he appeared in 34 matches of the T20 World Cup for Pakistan where he took 39 wickets at an economy of 6.71 which is pretty good and an average of 23.25.

Shahid Afridi played a crucial role for the Pakistan team when they won the T20 World Cup in 2009 against Sri Lanka and he was named Man of the Match for his outstanding performance of unbeaten 54 runs and 1 wicket. Shahid Afridi made his T20 debut against England at Bristol on August 28, 2006. In his T20 career, he played 99 T20I and took 98 wickets with an economy of 6.63.

#1. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) | 41 wickets

Shakib Al Hasan, a left-arm spinner from Bangladesh, holds the top position for having the most wickets in the T20 World Cup from 2007 to 2022. He is one of the best all-rounders who has enough caliber to change the situation of the match at any point.

In his T20 World Cup career from 2007 to 2022, he appeared in 36 T20I for Bangladesh where he has taken 47 wickets which makes him the highest wicket-taker of the competition. He has also been able to sustain a good economy of below 7 runs per over with an average of 18.63 and his best is 4 for 9. In the T20 international, Shakib Al Hasan made his debut for Bangladesh in the match against Zimbabwe at Khulna on November 28, 2006, since then he has played 122 T20Is and taken 146 wickets with an economy of 6.78.

Also Read: Most runs in Knockouts of ICC tournament 

List of Most Wickets in T20 World Cup

Fewest innings to 250 Test Wickets as a pacer: South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada archives a new milestone in his Test career. Rabada registered 250 Test wickets in his career and become the eighth fastest to reach the milestone. He leveled the record of former West Indies legend pacer Malcolm Marshall, who reached the landmark of 250 Test wickets in 97 innings.

Also Read: WTC 2021-23: Records and Stats of the season so far

Kagiso Rabada's fine spell in which he took a fifer, helped the South African side to thrash England at the Lord's in just three days. Rabada returned with his personal bowling figure of 19-3-52-5 with an economy rate of 2.74. In the second innings, Rabada took two wickets to reach the milestone of 97 innings.

Do you know which pacer took the fewest innings to reach 250 Test wickets? It's Dale Steyn and Alan Donald. Both of them reached the milestone in just 90 innings, and are at the top of the list.

The third and fourth pacer on this list is Waqar Younis and Dennis Lille. They reached the landmark in 91 and 92 innings respectively. The other pacers on this list are Imran Khan (94), Ian Botham (94), and Sir Richard Hadlee (96).

Read Also: Most Test wickets by pacers in away tests

Fewest innings to 250 Test wickets as a Pacer

N.B: The stats and records are accurate as of 20/08/2022.