Glenn McGrath (AUS) has the Most Wickets in ODI World Cup History. Batsmen often dominate ICC Cricket World Cup matches, but bowlers play an equally important role. And it was quite evident that some legendary bowlers played their hearts out and helped their team win the coveted trophy.
Australian legend Glenn McGrath helped his team win consecutive World Cups in 1999, 2003, and 2007 with his extraordinary bowling performances. McGrath took 71 wickets in his 4 matches (1996–2007), the most by any bowler in the history of the ODI World Cup.
Like McGrath, other bowlers also played an important role in their team’s campaign. So let’s look at the top 10 bowlers who have taken the most wickets in the World Cup in this article.
Table of Contents
Top 10 Most Wickets in ODI World Cup History
| PLAYER | INNINGS | WICKETS | BBI | AVE | ECON | SR | 5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glenn McGrath (AUS) | 39 | 71 | 7/15 | 18.19 | 3.96 | 27.53 | 2 |
| Muthiah Muralidaran (SL) | 39 | 68 | 4/19 | 19.63 | 3.88 | 30.30 | 0 |
| Lasith Malinga (SL) | 28 | 56 | 6/38 | 22.87 | 5.51 | 24.89 | 1 |
| Wasim Akram (PAK) | 36 | 55 | 5/28 | 23.83 | 4.04 | 35.40 | 1 |
| Mitchell Starc (AUS) | 18 | 49 | 6/28 | 14.81 | 4.64 | 19.12 | 3 |
| Chaminda Vaas (SL) | 31 | 49 | 6/25 | 21.22 | 3.97 | 32.04 | 1 |
| Zaheer Khan (IND) | 23 | 44 | 4/42 | 20.22 | 4.47 | 27.11 | 0 |
| Javagal Srinath (IND) | 33 | 44 | 4/30 | 27.81 | 4.32 | 38.63 | 0 |
| Imran Tahir (SA) | 21 | 40 | 5/45 | 21.17 | 4.41 | 28.77 | 1 |
| Trent Boult (NZ) | 19 | 39 | 5/27 | 21.79 | 4.61 | 28.30 | 1 |
Also Read: Top 10 Most T20I Wickets in 2023
Key stats of Most Wickets in ODI World Cup History
Only 2 bowlers – Glenn McGrath and Muttiah Muralitharan – bowled 39 innings and took more than 60 wickets.
Australian left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc is the only bowler to take 5 wickets three times in the World Cup.
Also Read: Top 10 Highest Individual Scores in ODI World Cup History
25 players have taken 30 or more wickets in the prestigious tournament over the past few years.
Mitchell Starc also holds the record for taking the most wickets in a single edition of the ODI World Cup. In the 2019 edition in England, Starc surpassed Glenn McGrath’s tally of 26 wickets and finished the tournament with 27 wickets.
