When it comes to bowling with the red cherry in the hand, it becomes even more challenging. The bowlers don’t have to just bowl; they have to beat the batters and take all 20 wickets of the opponent.
Test cricket, the longest format of the game, requires top-notch skills, mental resilience, and physical endurance. Playing over five days might seem easy, but it isn’t.
It becomes hard to beat teams with bowlers of such calibre. In this article, I will list the top 10 bowlers with the most wickets in Test cricket history.
You can also find the same list for ODIs and Tests in our respective blogs.
Most Wickets in Test Cricket
| Player | Matches | Innings | Wickets | BBI | Avg | Econ | SR | 5/10 Wicket Hauls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muthiah Muralitharan (SL) | 133 | 230 | 800 | 9/51 | 22.72 | 2.47 | 55.04 | 67/22 |
| Shane Warne (AUS) | 145 | 273 | 708 | 8/71 | 25.41 | 2.65 | 57.49 | 37/10 |
| James Anderson (ENG) | 188 | 350 | 704 | 7/42 | 26.45 | 2.79 | 56.87 | 32/3 |
| Anil Kumble (IND) | 132 | 236 | 619 | 10/74 | 29.65 | 2.69 | 65.99 | 35/8 |
| Stuart Broad (ENG) | 167 | 309 | 604 | 8/15 | 27.68 | 2.97 | 55.79 | 20/3 |
| Nathan Lyon (AUS) | 141 | 262 | 567 | 8/50 | 30.15 | 2.94 | 61.43 | 24/5 |
| Glenn McGrath (AUS) | 124 | 243 | 563 | 8/24 | 21.64 | 2.49 | 51.95 | 29/3 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin (IND) | 106 | 200 | 537 | 7/59 | 24.00 | 2.83 | 50.73 | 37/8 |
| Courtney Walsh (WI) | 132 | 242 | 519 | 7/37 | 24.44 | 2.53 | 57.84 | 22/3 |
| Dale Steyn (SA) | 93 | 171 | 439 | 7/51 | 22.95 | 3.24 | 42.38 | 26/5 |
More Test Career Records
Key Insights on Leading Wicket Takers in Test Cricket
Top Test Wicket Takers and Milestone Achievements
Muttiah Muralitharan holds the record for the most wickets in Test cricket, having taken 800 scalps in 230 innings for Sri Lanka.
Muralitharan has also picked up the most five-wicket hauls and ten-wicket hauls in Test cricket, having claimed 67 five-fors and 22 ten-fors.
England’s George Lohmann has recorded the lowest bowling average and strike rate in Test cricket (minimum 100 wickets). He claimed 112 wickets at an average of 10.75 and a strike rate of 34.10 in 36 innings.
England’s William Attewell, meanwhile, is the most economical bowler in Tests, having taken 28 wickets at an economy of 1.31 in 18 innings (minimum 2000 balls bowled).
Home, Away, and Venue-Specific Test Bowling Dominance
Muralitharan took 493 of his wickets in Sri Lanka in 134 innings. This is the most wickets by a bowler at home in Tests.
Shane Warne, meanwhile, claimed 362 of his 708 wickets in away Tests, the most by a bowler.
Muralitharan took 166 of his 493 home wickets at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo. This is the most wickets by a bowler at a single venue in Tests.
Muralitharan is, in fact, the only bowler to claim 100 or more wickets each at three venues in Tests, with Kandy (117) and Galle (111) being the other venues.
Individual Test Match and Series Bowling Performance Records
England’s Sydney Barnes has taken the most wickets in a bilateral Test series. He fetched 49 wickets in eight innings on the 1913/14 South Africa tour.
England’s Jim Laker has registered the best bowling figures in a Test innings. He returned 10 for 53 against Australia in the third innings of the 1956 Manchester Test.
India’s Anil Kumble (10/74 vs PAK, 1999) and New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel (10/119 vs IND, 2021) are the other two bowlers with a ten-for in a Test innings.
Laker has also claimed the best match haul in Tests, having fetched 19 for 90 in the 1956 Manchester Test.
Opponent and Year-Wise Test Bowling Performances
Warne has taken the most wickets against a team in Tests, having grabbed 195 against England in 72 innings.
Warne, Muralitharan and James Anderson have taken 100 or more wickets against three Test teams each.
Warne has picked up the most wickets in a calendar year in Tests, having returned with 96 scalps in 30 innings in 2005.
Warne is the only bowler to claim 70 or more wickets each in four years, with 1993 (72), 1994 (70) and 2004 (70) being the other three years.
Bowling Partnerships and Leadership Statistics
1039 wickets taken by James Anderson and Stuart Broad while playing together in 138 Tests. This is the most wickets by a bowling pair in Tests, followed by Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath with 1001 wickets in 104 matches.
Pakistan’s Imran Khan has taken the most wickets as a captain in Tests, having picked up 187 wickets in 71 innings.
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