Cricket

Which Test Cricket Players Have Had the Most Wickets in Their Career?

Cricket is a very stimulating game, with a long history. I want to take a look at some of the top players of all time starting with test bowlers with the highest number of wickets in their career. Here is the top five and a bit about their careers.

The number one spot goes to a player that played for eighteen years. In his eighteen years of cricket playing he had 800 wickets, a nice round number. He played for Sri Lanka and his name is Muttiah Muralitharan. He averaged a little over six-wicket takings a game. This year he received the Outstanding Achievement in Sport honor at the Asian Awards. Today, Muralitharan is a politician in his hometown.

The second test cricketer is Shane Warne. Warne had 708 wickets in his career, which lasted fifteen years. He played for Australia and will be considered as one of the top bowlers of all time. He is known for his spin on the ball and making leg spin bowling popular again. He held the record of most wickets takings from 2004 until 2007. Warne was awarded the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 2005.

In third place is a man named Anil Kumble. Kumble played for India and retired in 2008. During his 18-year career he had 619 wickets. He is known for claiming almost all of the Indian records. His 600th wicket came in January 2008, and he followed that with nineteen more before his retirement.

In a prestigious fourth place is a man named Glenn McGrath of Australia. McGrath retired in 2007 with 563 wickets. This man held the record for most wickets in 2005 until Kumble surpassed him in August of 2007. McGrath's bowling career lasted for 14 years, which is the shortest career of all the top 5 test bowlers.

The fifth bowler is Courtney Walsh. Walsh played for the West Indies and retired in 2001. He had 519 wickets in his 17-year career. He held the World record of most wickets in test cricket from 2000 until 2004.

Furthermore, Walsh, Warne, Muralitharan and Kumble are the only four bowlers to have bowled over 5000 overs in Test cricket. This is an impressive number, pairing it with their combine wicket takings.

In conclusion, there are many great bowlers in test cricket history. These are just five of the World's greats. I look forward to many more great cricketers to come in the near future.