Most cricket lovers prefer batsmen, as they hit sixes, fours, making people crazy. But, what are batsmen afraid of? Bowlers, of course, from bowlers who have the power to return them to the pavilion. Let us know that the top-10 bowler of the highest wickets in men’s cricket.
10. Former Indian captain Anil Kumble whose nickname is Jumbo. These champions cricketers are the only Indians in the top-10. Kumble took 337 wickets in 265 innings of 271 ODIs. His best bowling record [6/12] was against the West Indies at Eden Gardens, Kolkata during the final of the Hero Cup in 1992–92.
09. Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka is known by the nickname Slinga Malinga for his bowling action. He is the 9th cricketer to have taken the most ODI wickets in the world, while Sri Lanka has the third-highest number of ODI wickets. He has taken 338 wickets in 220 innings of 225 matches. Malinga’s best ODI record 6/38 came against Kenya during the 2011 Cricket World Cup match at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
08. Former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee was one of the fastest bowlers of all time. His fastest delivery against New Zealand was 161.1 km/h. Brett, whose nickname is Binga, is at number 8 in terms of career-high one-day wickets, while Australia is the second-highest ODI wicket-taker. Lee has taken 380 wickets in 217 innings of 221 matches. His best ODI bowling figure [5/22) came in a home series match against South Africa in 2006 at Dockland Stadium in Melbourne.
07. Former Australian medium-pacer Glenn McGrath was one of the most accurate bowlers of all time. McGrath’s murderous balls have won many matches for his team. McGrath is the 7th cricketer to have taken the most ODI wickets in his career. At the same time, Australia also has the most ODI wicket-takers. He took 381 wickets in 248 innings of 250 matches. McGrath’s best ODI bowling [7/15] came in a 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup match against Namibia at Sanches Park, Potchefstroom.
06. Former South African medium pacer Sean Pollock was a pioneer for his team. Pollock, nicknamed ‘Polly’, is the 6th cricketer among the top-10 bowlers to have taken the most ODI wickets and the highest ODI wicket-taker for South Africa. Pollock took 393 wickets in 297 innings of 303 matches. His best ODI bowling figure came against the 6/35 West Indies in a home ODI series match in 1999 in Buffalo Park, East London.
05. Former Pakistan leg-spinner Shahid Afridi was best known for batting. The Boom Boom Afridi is at number 5 among the bowlers taking the most ODI wickets and is also the third-highest ODI wicket-taker in Pakistan. Afridi took 395 wickets in 372 innings of 398 matches. His best ODI bowling (7/12] came in a 2013 ODI series match against the West Indies at Providence Stadium, Guyana.
04. Former Sri Lanka medium-pacer Chaminda Vaas has taken two hat-tricks in ODI cricket. He is at number four in the list of bowlers who have taken the most ODI wickets, while he is also the second-highest ODI wicket-taker from Lanka. Chaminda took 400 wickets in 320 innings of 322 matches. His best ODI bowling figure 8/19 came against Zimbabwe in a 2001 domestic ODI series match at SSC Ground, Colombo.
03. Former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis has taken 13 wickets five times and 14 wickets four times in ODIs. He is the third cricketer to have taken the most ODI wickets and the second-highest ODI wicket-taker in Pakistan. Waqar took 416 wickets in 258 innings of 262 matches. His best ODI bowling [7/36] was against England in a one-day series match at Headingley, Leeds in 2001.
02. Former Pakistan captain and fast bowler Wasim Akram have taken 6 wickets five times and four wickets 17 times in ODIs. Akram is the world’s second and highest ODI wicket-taker in Pakistan. He took 502 wickets in 351 innings of 356 matches. Akram’s best ODI bowling (5/15) came against Zimbabwe in a domestic ODI series match at the National Stadium in Karachi in 1993.
01. Former Sri Lankan off-break bowler Muttiah Muralitharan took 10 wickets five times and 15 wickets four times in ODIs. Muralitharan is the highest ODI cricketer in the world. He took 534 wickets in 341 innings of 350 matches. Murali’s best ODI bowling figures came in a 7/30 ODI series match against India in 2000 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Conclusion
The contribution of a bowler is very important for any team as they take the batsman out of the field with wickets and bring his team one step closer to victory. Some teams such as West Indies and Australia were able to rule the cricket world for a long time due to their match-winning bowlers.