In ICC tournaments, the pressure is an added package for any player. However, performing well in the most significant stages for the team must be the dream of every cricketer.
The World Championships are where bowlers can prove their mettle by performing their bests by picking wickets. They attain legendary status when they contribute to the teams on the biggest of platforms in a consistent manner in whatever form it comes.
Also Read: Most Runs in ICC Tournaments
This article will help you find the bowlers who have picked the most wickets combined in ICC’s ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophies.
Most Wickets in ICC Tournaments
| PLAYERS | WICKETS | ODI WORLD CUP | T20 WORLD CUP | CHAMPIONS TROPHY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lasith Malinga (SL) | 119 | 56 | 38 | 25 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) | 103 | 68 | 11 | 24 |
| Glenn McGrath (AUS) | 92 | 71 | - | 21 |
| Shakib Al Hasan (BAN) | 84 | 34 | 47 | 3 |
| Shahid Afridi (PAK) | 83 | 30 | 39 | 14 |
| Mitchell Starc (AUS) | 82 | 49 | 27 | 6 |
| Daniel Vettori (NZ) | 74 | 36 | 20 | 18 |
| Chaminda Vaas (SL) | 72 | 49 | 5 | 18 |
| Zaheer Khan (IND) | 71 | 44 | 12 | 15 |
| Tim Southee (NZ) | 68 | 34 | 29 | 5 |
Key Stats
Glenn McGrath, the leading wicket-taker in ODI World Cups, also holds the best bowling performance in any ICC tournament. He bowled a brilliant spell of 7/15 against Namibia in the 2003 World Cup match in Potchefstroom to wrap the African side for a mere 45 runs. And two Sri Lankan names top the top 5 T20I best bowling performance chart.
The former Australian lead pacer has picked three five-wicket hauls in cricket’s biggest stages. Can you guess the other bowlers to pick 3 5-wicket hauls? You are correct if these names came to your mind: Mitchell Starc (AUS), Mustafizur Rahman (BAN), & Shahid Afridi (PAK).
The champion bowler Lasith Malinga’s equally distributed wicket columns in each ICC tournament make him the leading wicket-taker in cricket’s biggest stages.
Another Sri Lankan bowler, the legendary Muttiah Muralitharan, is the only other bowler to have 100+ wickets in the tournaments. Find here every cricketing record Murali holds in the game.
The above chart is split with 5 right-armed bowlers and 5 left-armed bowlers; the pacers dominate the list as it has 6 of them and 4 spinners.
Related: The list of bowlers who have lead the T20 World Cup bowling records in each edition
