Highest wicket-takers in ODI World Cup: McGrath leads, Shami fifth

Glenn McGrath is the highest wicket-taker in ODI World Cup history with 71, and has been since 2007. Muttiah Muralitharan is second on 68, and Mitchell Starc third on 65 after the 2023 tournament in India.

Mohammed Shami is fifth on 55, and he got there in 18 matches — fewer than half as many as anyone else near the top. He is India’s leading World Cup wicket-taker and holds the record for most five-wicket hauls in the tournament. Complete to 11 September 2026 — the next 50-over World Cup is in 2027, so nothing below has moved since November 2023.

Most wickets in ODI World Cup history

The 20 leading wicket-takers across all 50-over World Cups. Source: ESPNcricinfo.

Rank	Player	Team	Span	Matches	Wickets	Best	Average	Economy
1	Glenn McGrath	Australia	1996-2007	39	71	7/15	18.19	3.96
2	Muttiah Muralitharan	Sri Lanka	1996-2011	40	68	4/19	19.63	3.88
3	Mitchell Starc	Australia	2015-2023	28	65	6/28	19.29	5.15
4	Lasith Malinga	Sri Lanka	2007-2019	29	56	6/38	22.87	5.51
5	Mohammed Shami	India	2015-2023	18	55	7/57	13.52	5.13
5	Wasim Akram	Pakistan	1987-2003	38	55	5/28	23.83	4.04
7	Trent Boult	New Zealand	2015-2023	29	53	5/27	25.54	4.92
8	Chaminda Vaas	Sri Lanka	1996-2007	31	49	6/25	21.22	3.97
9	Zaheer Khan	India	2003-2011	23	44	4/42	20.22	4.47
9	Javagal Srinath	India	1992-2003	34	44	4/30	27.81	4.32
11	Shakib Al Hasan	Bangladesh	2007-2023	36	43	5/29	36.06	5.14
12	Tim Southee	New Zealand	2011-2023	22	41	7/33	27.07	5.68
13	Imran Tahir	South Africa	2011-2019	22	40	5/45	21.17	4.41
14	Jasprit Bumrah	India	2019-2023	20	38	4/39	19.57	4.23
14	Allan Donald	South Africa	1992-2003	25	38	4/17	24.02	4.17
16	Jacob Oram	New Zealand	2003-2011	23	36	4/39	21.33	4.21
16	Daniel Vettori	New Zealand	2003-2015	32	36	4/18	32.44	4.14
18	Brett Lee	Australia	2003-2011	17	35	5/42	17.97	4.57
18	Wahab Riaz	Pakistan	2011-2019	20	35	5/46	26.45	5.55
20	Pat Cummins	Australia	2015-2023	23	34	3/33	30.05	5.41

Glenn McGrath, 71

McGrath took his 71 wickets in 39 matches at 18.19, and conceded 3.96 an over. Only Muralitharan, on 3.88, went for less among the leading wicket-takers. His best return was 7/15, and he took two five-wicket hauls.

He played four World Cups and won three of them, in 1999, 2003 and 2007, and finished as the leading wicket-taker of the 2007 tournament in his last season of international cricket.

Mohammed Shami, and the numbers that do not look real

Shami has 55 World Cup wickets from 18 matches at an average of 13.52 and a strike rate of 15.8. Everyone else in the top eight needed at least 28 matches. He is India’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament, ahead of Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath on 44.

His four five-wicket hauls are the most any bowler has taken in World Cups — Starc has three, and McGrath, Ashantha de Mel, Vasbert Drakes and Gary Gilmour have two each. Three of Shami’s four came in 2023 alone.

He did not start that tournament. India played their first four matches without him and he came into the side for the game against New Zealand, then took 24 wickets in seven matches at 10.70, including 7/57 against New Zealand in the semi-final at the Wankhede.

What the 2023 World Cup changed

The edition in India moved four places in the top ten and put a new name in the top five.

• Mitchell Starc went to 65 and third, passing Lasith Malinga and Wasim Akram.
• Mohammed Shami went to 55 and fifth, from 31 before the tournament, and did it in seven matches.
• Trent Boult went to 53 and seventh.
• Jasprit Bumrah entered the twenty on 38, having taken 20 in 2023.

Most wickets in a single World Cup

The record for one edition is Mitchell Starc’s 27 in 2019, ahead of McGrath’s 26 in 2007 and Shami’s 24 in 2023. Shami’s is the fewest matches of the three by some way: seven, against Starc’s ten and McGrath’s eleven.

Most ODI World Cup wickets for India

Rank	Player	Span	Matches	Wickets	Best	Average
1	Mohammed Shami	2015-2023	18	55	7/57	13.52
2	Zaheer Khan	2003-2011	23	44	4/42	20.22
2	Javagal Srinath	1992-2003	34	44	4/30	27.81
4	Jasprit Bumrah	2019-2023	20	38	4/39	19.57
5	Anil Kumble	1996-2007	18	31	4/32	22.83
6	Kapil Dev	1979-1992	26	28	5/43	31.85
7	Ravindra Jadeja	2015-2023	21	27	5/33	30.70
8	Manoj Prabhakar	1987-1996	19	24	4/19	26.66
9	Madan Lal	1975-1983	11	22	4/20	19.36
10	Kuldeep Yadav	2019-2023	18	21	2/7	36.23

Lasith Malinga’s hat-tricks

Malinga, fourth on 56, took two World Cup hat-tricks. The first, against South Africa at Providence in 2007, was four wickets in four balls. The second came against Kenya in 2011.

When this list can change next

The 2027 World Cup, in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, is the next chance for anything here to move. Starc is three wickets short of Muralitharan and six short of McGrath, and he took 27 in 2019 alone. Shami needs 16 to reach McGrath, having averaged more than 18 a tournament across three.

McGrath’s record has stood since 2007, but the gap at the top of this list is a fraction of the one on the batting list, where second place is 483 runs adrift.

 

Photo credit: Alamy