This guide identifies the bowlers who delivered standout performances on the field only to end up on the losing side, documenting the most wickets taken in ODI defeats.
Most Career Wickets in ODI Matches Lost
| Player | Team | Innings | Wickets | Best Bowling (Innings) | Average | Economy | Strike Rate | 4W/5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaminda Vaas | Sri Lanka | 140 | 166 | 5/39 | 34.06 | 4.61 | 44.3 | 3/1 |
| Wasim Akram | Pakistan | 145 | 165 | 4/25 | 32.83 | 4.14 | 47.5 | 5/0 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | Sri Lanka | 131 | 157 | 5/9 | 34.27 | 4.32 | 47.5 | 2/1 |
| Heath Streak | Zimbabwe | 128 | 142 | 4/18 | 36.63 | 4.71 | 46.5 | 4/0 |
| Anil Kumble | India | 130 | 130 | 4/40 | 42.19 | 4.65 | 54.3 | 2/0 |
| Waqar Younis | Pakistan | 105 | 130 | 5/38 | 34.60 | 5.16 | 40.2 | 4/1 |
| Javagal Srinath | India | 112 | 129 | 5/41 | 37.17 | 4.80 | 46.3 | 4/1 |
| Shakib Al Hasan | Bangladesh | 123 | 128 | 4/33 | 39.86 | 4.84 | 49.4 | 4/0 |
| Kapil Dev | India | 112 | 117 | 5/43 | 31.72 | 3.94 | 48.2 | 0/1 |
| Shahid Afridi | Pakistan | 163 | 115 | 3/37 | 56.40 | 4.99 | 67.7 | 0/0 |
| Darren Gough | England | 79 | 113 | 5/44 | 29.65 | 4.54 | 39.1 | 4/1 |
| Lasith Malinga | Sri Lanka | 104 | 112 | 5/44 | 45.89 | 5.85 | 47.0 | 5/2 |
| Daniel Vettori | New Zealand | 127 | 110 | 4/33 | 43.80 | 4.40 | 59.6 | 1/0 |
| Mashrafe Mortaza | Bangladesh | 118 | 109 | 4/41 | 47.58 | 5.34 | 53.3 | 2/0 |
| Ajit Agarkar | India | 82 | 102 | 6/42 | 37.15 | 5.50 | 40.5 | 2/1 |
| Kyle Mills | New Zealand | 80 | 100 | 5/25 | 33.79 | 5.18 | 39.0 | 4/1 |
| Saqlain Mushtaq | Pakistan | 73 | 100 | 5/35 | 32.96 | 4.88 | 40.4 | 4/2 |
Key Insights – Statistical Trends of Bowlers in Losing Efforts
Chaminda Vaas has picked up the most wickets in losing causes in ODIs. 166 of his 400 scalps ended up on the wrong side for Sri Lanka. That’s 41.5 per cent of total career wickets.
Muttiah Muralitharan’s 157 wickets are the most by a spinner in ODI losses.
Muralitharan has also taken the most wickets among all bowlers in ODIs, with 534 scalps to his name.
Pakistan’s Imran Khan has registered the best bowling figures in an ODI loss. His 6 for 14 restricted India to 125, though Pakistan failed to chase it, getting all out for 87 in a 1985 Sharjah ODI.
Lasith Malinga has claimed the most four-wicket hauls in ODI defeats, having taken seven for Sri Lanka.
Fourteen bowlers have taken two five-wicket hauls each in losing causes in the ODI format.
Shakib Al Hasan is the only bowler who has picked up more than 50 wickets at home in ODI losses.
Wasim Akram claimed 44 of his 165 wickets against the West Indies, the most by a bowler against a team in ODI losses.
Pakistan’s Saqlain Mushtaq has taken the most wickets in a calendar year in ODI defeats, having fetched 37 in 19 innings in 1997.
Afghanistan’s Hamid Hassan has the best bowling average in ODI losses (minimum 500 balls bowled). He claimed 28 wickets at 23.75 in 19 innings.
Sri Lanka’s Dilshan Madushanka, meanwhile, is the only bowler to have a strike rate below 25 in ODI defeats.
Akram picked up 53 of his 165 scalps while leading Pakistan in 41 matches. This is the most wickets by a captain in losing causes in ODIs.
