In One Day International (ODI) cricket, taking wickets with the white ball is a difficult task for a bowler. However, some skilled bowlers picked up wickets match after match, reaching glorious milestones that one would dream of.
In this article, let’s take a look at the top bowlers who picked up the fastest 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 wickets in ODI cricket.
Fastest Bowler to 100 Wickets in ODI
| Bowler | Matches to 100 Wickets | Time Taken |
|---|---|---|
| Sandeep Lamichhane (NEP) | 42 | 4y 263d |
| Rashid Khan (AFG) | 44 | 2y 158d |
| Bilal Khan (OMA) | 49 | 5y 88d |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi (PAK) | 51 | 5y 40d |
| Mitchell Starc (AUS) | 52 | 5y 306d |
| Saqlain Mushtaq (PAK) | 53 | 1y 225d |
| Shane Bond (NZ) | 54 | 5y 12d |
| Mustafizur Rahman (BAN) | 54 | 4y 17d |
| Brett Lee (AUS) | 55 | 3y 16d |
| Trent Boult (NZ) | 56 | 5y 165d |
Key Insights
42: Even though Nepal is an associate nation, some of the Nepali players have left their mark on the international stage. And one such player is leg spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who became the fastest bowler to pick up 100 ODI wickets.
He accomplished this milestone in April 2023 against Oman, and he took only 42 matches to reach the mark, going past Rashid Khan. Lamichhane is also the quickest among spinners to grab 100 wickets in ODIs.
19: Pakistan’s Saqlain Mushtaq claimed the top spot for almost 19 years before being overtaken by Australia’s left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc. Mushtaq took 53 matches to reach the milestone, whereas Starc did so in 52 matches.
1y 225d: However, Mushtaq still sits at the top when it comes to the least time taken to grab 100 ODI wickets. He reached the mark from his ODI debut in just 1 year and 225 days, which is mind-blowing.
Fastest Bowler to 200 Wickets in ODI
| Bowler | Matches to 200 Wickets | Time Taken |
|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Starc (AUS) | 102 | 11y 318d |
| Saqlain Mushtaq (PAK) | 104 | 3y 249d |
| Trent Boult (NZ) | 107 | 11y 94d |
| Brett Lee (AUS) | 112 | 5y 184d |
| Allan Donald (SA) | 117 | 7y 200d |
| Waqar Younis (PAK) | 118 | 6y 147d |
| Shane Warne (AUS) | 125 | 6y 88d |
| Makhaya Ntini (SA) | 126 | 8y 46d |
| Lasith Malinga (SL) | 127 | 8y 18d |
| Mitchell Johnson (AUS) | 129 | 7y 280d |
Key Insights
102: With Mitchell Starc’s record of being the quickest to 100 wickets broken, he raced towards the milestone of 200 wickets. Undeterred, Starc became the fastest bowler to reach 200 wickets in ODIs, and he took 102 matches to achieve this feat.
23: Once again, Starc went past Saqlain Mushtaq’s record for being the fastest to 200 ODI wickets. In this process, he broke Mushtaq’s 23-year-old record, which reflects Mushtaq’s dominance in his days against the beast batters in the 50-over format.
Fastest Bowler to 300 Wickets in ODI
| Bowler | Matches to 300 Wickets | Time Taken |
|---|---|---|
| Brett Lee (AUS) | 171 | 8y 172d |
| Waqar Younis (PAK) | 186 | 10y 166d |
| Glenn McGrath (AUS) | 200 | 11y 57d |
| Muthiah Muralidaran (SL) | 202 | 9y 154d |
| Lasith Malinga (SL) | 203 | 13y 45d |
| Wasim Akram (PAK) | 208 | 11y 342d |
| Shaun Pollock (SA) | 217 | 8y 229d |
| Javagal Srinath (IND) | 219 | 11y 117d |
| Shakib Al Hasan (BAN) | 227 | 16y 212d |
| Anil Kumble (IND) | 234 | 12y 195d |
Key Insights
171: Brett Lee, who has been among the top 10 bowlers in the previous 2 tables, makes the top of the list here. Australia’s Brett Lee became the fastest bowler to grab 300 ODI wickets, as he reached the mark in 171 matches. He took 8 years and 172 days to achieve this feat, which is also the quickest in terms of time taken.
14: As mentioned earlier, picking wickets in ODIs is not easy, as only 14 bowlers have gone past the mark of 300 wickets in this format. Apart from the above 10 bowlers, Chaminda Vaas, Daniel Vettori, Sanath Jayasuriya, and Muthiah Muralidaran breached the 300 ODI wicket mark.
Fastest Bowler to 400 Wickets in ODI
| Bowler | Matches to 400 Wickets | Time Taken |
|---|---|---|
| Waqar Younis (PAK) | 252 | 13y 55d |
| Muthiah Muralidaran (SL) | 263 | 12y 165d |
| Wasim Akram (PAK) | 285 | 15y 57d |
| Chaminda Vaas (SL) | 322 | 14y 194d |
Key Insights
4: Only these 4 bowlers have the distinction of scalping 400 wickets in ODI cricket history. And considering the changing dynamics of ODI cricket, it’s highly unlikely that any modern-day player will join this elite list. Coincidentally, 2 bowlers are from Pakistan and the other 2 hail from Sri Lanka, indicating the dominance of Asian bowlers.
252: One of the finest fast bowlers from Pakistan, Waqar Younis, breached the mark of 400 ODI wickets in 252 matches. He went past his teammate Wasim Akram, who had reached the same milestone in 285 matches in 2000.
Fastest Bowler to 500 Wickets in ODI
| Bowler | Matches to 500 Wickets | Time Taken |
|---|---|---|
| Muthiah Muralidaran (SL) | 324 | 15y 165d |
| Wasim Akram (PAK) | 354 | 18y 94d |
Key Insights
2: Wasim Akram and Sri Lanka’s legendary spinner Muthiah Muralidaran are the only 2 bowlers who have over 500 ODI wickets to their name.
1: Akram picked up 500 wickets in 354 matches and became the first bowler to go past the mark. He achieved this milestone during the 2003 World Cup; however, he retired shortly after that, ending his glorious career with 502 ODI wickets.
30: Muralidaran, on the other hand, took 30 matches fewer than Akram and grabbed 500 ODI wickets in 324 matches in 2009. Murali retired as the highest wicket-taker in ODIs, with 534 wickets under his belt. You can check out his astounding records in international cricket here.
Final Words
Reaching these significant milestones in fewer matches is no mean feat. The bowlers also get a sense of achievement given that they have limited resources in their hands. And shining in a game dominated by batters is a momentous accomplishment.
