New Zealand is a small island nation that plays cricket with class, technique, and pride. New Zealand’s ideal bowling conditions have developed numerous exceptional fast bowlers who routinely win matches with their immaculate bowling.
Players like Daniel Vettori, Tim Southee, and Trent Boult have wreaked havoc on their opposition batters throughout their careers. In this article, let’s take a look at the top 10 bowlers with the most wickets for New Zealand in ODI cricket.
Most Wickets for New Zealand in ODI
| Player | Innings | Wickets | BBI | Avg | 5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Vettori | 273 | 297 | 5/7 | 31.96 | 2 |
| Kyle Mills | 169 | 240 | 5/25 | 27.02 | 1 |
| Tim Southee | 159 | 221 | 7/33 | 33.70 | 3 |
| Trent Boult | 113 | 211 | 7/34 | 24.38 | 6 |
| Chris Harris | 232 | 203 | 5/42 | 37.50 | 1 |
| Chris Cairns | 185 | 200 | 5/42 | 32.78 | 1 |
| Jacob Oram | 154 | 173 | 5/26 | 29.17 | 2 |
| Richard Hadlee | 112 | 158 | 5/25 | 21.56 | 5 |
| Shane Bond | 80 | 147 | 6/19 | 20.88 | 4 |
| Matt Henry | 80 | 141 | 5/30 | 26.39 | 2 |
Key Insights
297: Daniel Vettori had a remarkable 18-year ODI career. He made his debut in 1997 and played until 2015, demonstrating his durability and flexibility. During his career, he took 297 wickets.
2201: In addition to being an excellent spinner, Daniel Vettori was also a valuable middle-order batsman. With the bat, he contributed to over 2,201 runs in ODIs. (Check out the leading run scorers for New Zealand in the 50-over format here.)
7/33: Tim Southee’s best ODI bowling figures (7/33), which he obtained against England in the 2015 World Cup. This is one of New Zealand’s top individual bowling performances in the World Cup.
100: Over 18 Kiwi bowlers have taken 100 or more wickets in the ODI format for New Zealand.
54: The number of innings taken by Shane Bond to scalp 100 wickets in ODIs for New Zealand. This made him the fastest Kiwi bowler to reach the milestone of 100 wickets in the 50-over format. He achieved this feat in a match against England in Adelaide during the 2007 CB Series.
