Most Wickets in Test Cricket

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.

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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. 

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#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.

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#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 has 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.

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7. Nathan Lyon | 530* Wickets

Another Australian great Nathan Lyon is now the seventh-highest wicket-taker in Tests. In 129 Tests, Lyon has taken 530* wickets so far at an average of 30.28. Moreover, he has recorded 24 fifers in 242 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. 

#8. 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. 

#9. Ravichandran Ashwin | 516* Wickets

Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin occupies the 9th spot in terms of taking the most test wickets, with 516* wickets in 100 games maintaining a decent average of 23.75. Ashwin has bagged 36 fifers so far in his test career. He is a proper all-rounder with more than 3,000 runs to his name and five centuries in test cricket. He made his test debut in 2011 against West Indies and is one of the leading wicket-takers in world cricket.

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#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 13/07/2024.