Most Wickets in Losing Cause in ODI

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.

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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.

Saurabh Chede

Saurabh is a cricket enthusiast who crafts content around the sport. Being from a cricket-crazy nation, he developed an unbreakable bond with the sport. When he's not watching cricket, you'll find him creating funny memes or watching old TMKOC episodes!