Who is the Best Bowler in World Cricket History ?

Have you ever wondered ” Who must be the No.1 Best bowler in World across all the formats ? “So to find out the answer of the question , read the blog till the end . Hey guys !! Today I will be sharing the detailed list of the TOP 10 Bowlers in the World Cricket history with you all .

DISCLAIMER : Like the world believes in numbers and results , the greatness of a bowler too is unfortunately measured by the quantity of wickets taken or matches played by him .Therefore , the rankings in the list are purely based on the number of wickets taken by fast bowlers across all the formats in Cricket and not on my personal thoughts or opinions . Major qualities of bowlers such as their skills , impact, consistency under pressure , control etc. are sadly not considered here .

LIST OF TOP 10 BOWLERS IN WORLD

If you like video format too , you can watch this 2-minute video on my Youtube channel ‘Cricket Cordon’ :

Here is the detailed list of top 10 bowlers in the World :

10. Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka) – 761 Wickets

• Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas (born 27 January 1974) is a former Sri Lankan international cricketer, who played all forms of the game, who is often described as the greatest fast bowler Sri Lanka has produced , due to his highly accurate lines, lengths and capability of swinging the ball .
• He was a left-handed batsman and left-arm fast bowler . His shirt number was 12 and 33 . Vaas currently holds the record for the best bowling figures in ODI history, and is the only bowler to take an 8-wicket haul in ODIs.
• He took a total of 761 wickets in his massive career for Sri Lanka spanning from 1994 to 2009. Detailed statistics of his fantastic international bowling career is as follows :

CHAMINDA VAA’S CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH – 14/191 ( 2001 v West Indies , Colombo )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 7/71 ( 2001 v West Indies , Colombo )
ODI MATCH – 8/19 ( 2001 v Zimbabwe , Colombo)
T20I MATCH – 2/14 ( 2007 v Bangladesh , Johannesburg )

9. Waqar Younis (Pakistan) – 789 Wickets

• Waqar Younis Maitla ( born 16 November 1971) is a Pakistani former cricketer who captained Pakistan national cricket team. He was a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium fast bowler . His shirt number was 99 .He is regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers in world to have played the game.
• He played 87 Tests and 262 One Day International (ODI) matches for Pakistan during his international cricket career from 1989 to 2003 and took a total of 789 wickets in his massive career . Detailed statistics of his fantastic international bowling career is as follows :

WAQAR YOUNIS’ CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH -13/135 ( 1993 v Zimbabwe , Karachi )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 7/76 ( 1990 v New Zealand , Faisalabad )
ODI MATCH – 7/36 ( 2001 v England , Leeds )

8. Stuart Broad (England) – 809 Wickets

• Stuart Christopher John Broad, (born 24 June 1986) is an English cricketer who plays Test cricket for the England cricket team and a former One Day and Twenty 20 International player. He is widely considered to be one of the best fast bowlers in world of his generation.
• He is a left-handed batsman and right-arm medium fast bowler . His shirt number is 8 . Till January 2023, he has taken a total of 809 wickets in his massive career for England spanning from 2006. Detailed statistics of his fantastic international bowling career is as follows :

STUART BROAD’S CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH – 11/121 ( 2013 v Australia , Durham )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 8/15 ( 2015 v Australia , Nottinghamshire )
ODI MATCH – 5/23 ( 2008 v South Africa , Nottinghamshire )
T20I MATCH – 4/24 ( 2013 v New Zealand , Auckland )

7. Shaun Pollock (South Africa) – 829 Wickets

• Shaun Maclean Pollock (born 16 July 1973) is a South African former cricketer, who was captain in all formats of the game. He was a right-handed batsman and right-arm fast medium bowler . His shirt number was 7 .He is widely regarded as one of the best bowler in world of all time. A genuine bowling all-rounder, Pollock along with Allan Donald formed a bowling partnership for many years.
• He took a total of 829 wickets in his massive career for South Africa spanning from 1995 to 2008. Detailed statistics of his fantastic international bowling career is as follows :

SHAUN POLLOCK’S CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH – 10/147 ( 2001 v India , Bloemfontein )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 7/87 ( 1998 v Australia , Adelaide )
ODI MATCH – 6/35 ( 1999 v West Indies , Eastern London )
T20I MATCH – 3/28 ( 2007 v New Zealand , Johannesburg )

On 11 January 2008 he announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket after his 303rd One Day International on 3 February. 

6. Wasim Akram (Pakistan) – 916 Wickets

• Wasim Akram (born 3 June 1966) is a former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. Akram is widely regarded as one of the best bowler in world of all time and is regarded as the greatest left arm fast bowler in the world .
• He was a left-handed batsman and left-arm fast bowler . His shirt number was 3 . He is considered to be one of the finest exponent of reverse swing bowling. He took a total of 916 wickets in his massive career for Pakistan spanning from 1984 to 2003. Detailed statistics of his fantastic international bowling career is as follows :

WASIM AKRAM’S CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH – 11/110 ( 2000 v West Indies , Antigua )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 7/119 ( 1994 v New Zealand , Wellington )
ODI MATCH – 5/15 ( 1993 v Zimbabwe , Karachi )

5. Glenn McGrath (Australia) – 949 Wickets

• Glenn Donald McGrath ( born 9 February 1970) is an Australian former international cricketer who played international cricket for 14 years. He was a fast-medium pace bowler and is considered one of the greatest international fast bowlers in world of all time . He was a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium fast bowler . His shirt number was 11 .
• He took a total of 949 wickets in his massive career for Australia spanning from 1993 TO 2007 . Detailed statistics of his fantastic international bowling career is as follows :

GLENN MCGRATH’S CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH – 10/27 ( 2000 v West Indies , Brisbane )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 8/24 ( 2004 v Pakistan , Perth )
ODI MATCH – 7/15 ( 2003 v Namibia , Potchefstroom )
T20I MATCH – 3/31 ( 2005 v England , Southampton )

4. Anil Kumble (India) – 956 Wickets

• Anil Kumble ( born 17 October 1970) is a former Indian cricketer who played Test and One Day International cricket for his national team over an international career of 18 years. Widely regarded as one of the best leg spin bowlers in Test cricket history, he took 619 wickets in Test cricket and is the fourth highest wicket taker of all time as of 2021.
• In 1999 while playing against Pakistan, Kumble dismissed all ten batsmen in a Test match innings, joining England’s Jim Laker as the second player to achieve the feat. Kumble was not a big turner of the ball, but relied primarily on pace, bounce, and accuracy. He was a right-handed batsman and right-arm leg-break bowler . His shirt number was 8 .
• He took a total of 956 wickets in his massive career for India spanning from 1990 TO 2008 . Detailed statistics of his fantastic international bowling career is as follows :

ANIL KUMBLE’S CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH – 14/149 ( 1999 v Pakistan , Delhi )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 10/74 ( 1999 v Pakistan , Delhi )
ODI MATCH – 6/12 ( 1993 v West Indies , Kolkata )

3. James Anderson (England) – 962 Wickets

• James Michael Anderson (born 30 July 1982) is an English international cricketer who plays for Lancashire County Cricket Club and the England cricket team. Anderson is the leading wicket-taker of all-time at Test cricket level among other fast bowlers in the world , as the only fast bowler to have taken 600 or more Test wickets, and is the third-highest wicket-taker overall.
• He also holds the record for the most wickets taken by an England player in One-Day International (ODI) cricket. In June 2021 he made his 162nd appearance for England in Test cricket, becoming England’s most capped player. He is regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers in the world cricket history . Anderson was the first English bowler to reach 400, 500 and 600 wickets in Test matches.
• He was a left-handed batsman and right-arm medium fast bowler . His shirt number was 9 .Till January 2023, he has taken a total of 962 wickets in his massive career for England spanning from 2002. Detailed statistics of his fantastic international bowling career is as follows :

JAMES ANDERSON’S CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:

TEST MATCH – 11/71 ( 2010 v Pakistan , Nottinghamshire )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 7/42 ( 2017 v West Indies , Lord’s )
ODI MATCH – 5/23 ( 2009 v South Africa , Port Elizabeth )
T20I MATCH – 3/23 ( 2009 v Netherlands , Lord’s )

2. Shane Warne ( Australia ) – 1001 Wickets

• Shane Keith Warne (13 September 1969 – 4 March 2022) was an Australian cricketer. A right-arm leg spinner, he is widely considered as one of the best bowler in world cricket history.. He was a right-handed batsman and right-arm leg-break bowler . His shirt number was 23 .
• He took a total of 1001 wickets in his massive career for Australia spanning from 1992 TO 2007 . Detailed statistics of his fantastic international bowling career is as follows :

GLENN MCGRATH’S CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH – 12/128 ( 1994 v South Africa , Sydney )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 8/71 ( 1994 v England , Brisbane )
ODI MATCH – 5/33 ( 1996 v West Indies , Sydney )

1. Muttiah Muralitharan ( Sri Lanka ) – 1347 Wickets

• Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan (born 17 April 1972) is a Sri Lankan former professional cricketer. Averaging over 6 wickets per test match, Murali is widely regarded as the best bowler in World cricket and the most successful bowler to ever play international cricket. He is the only bowler to take 800 Test wickets and 530+ ODI wickets.
• As of March 2022, he has taken more wickets in international cricket than any other bowler.. He was a right-handed batsman and right-arm off-break bowler . His shirt number was 8 .
• He took a total of 1347 wickets in his massive career for Sri Lanka spanning from 1992 TO 2011 . Detailed statistics of his fantastic international bowling career is as follows :

MUTTIAH MURALITHARAN’S CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH – 16/220 ( 1998 v England , London )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 9/51 ( 2002 v Zimbabwe , Kandy )
ODI MATCH – 7/30 ( 2000 v India , Sharjah )
T20I MATCH – 3/29 ( 2009 v West Indies , London )

CONCLUSION

Since Muttiah Muralitharan has taken the highest number of wickets in world cricket , therefore Muttiah Muralitharan is the best bowler in world cricket history . And below is the detailed list of TOP 10 best bowler in world cricket history :