Muthiah Muralidaran has taken the most wickets in Test cricket, 800 in 133 matches at 22.72. He finished in 2010, and the two men who got closest both stopped short: Shane Warne on 708 and James Anderson on 704.
What has changed is the company at the top. Three bowlers have now passed 700, not two — James Anderson finished on 704 when he stopped playing in 2024, four short of Warne. And with Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ravichandran Ashwin all done, Nathan Lyon is the leading active wicket-taker on 571.
Most wickets in Test cricket
The 20 leading wicket-takers in Test cricket, complete to 8 September 2026. Source: ESPNcricinfo.
| Rank | Player | Team | Span | Mat | Wkts | Ave | Best | 5w | 10w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muthiah Muralidaran | Sri Lanka | 1992-2010 | 133 | 800 | 22.72 | 9/51 | 67 | 22 |
| 2 | Shane Warne | Australia | 1992-2007 | 145 | 708 | 25.41 | 8/71 | 37 | 10 |
| 3 | James Anderson | England | 2003-2024 | 188 | 704 | 26.45 | 7/42 | 32 | 3 |
| 4 | Anil Kumble | India | 1990-2008 | 132 | 619 | 29.65 | 10/74 | 35 | 8 |
| 5 | Stuart Broad | England | 2007-2023 | 167 | 604 | 27.68 | 8/15 | 20 | 3 |
| 6 | Nathan Lyon | Australia | 2011-2026 | 143 | 571 | 30.20 | 8/50 | 24 | 5 |
| 7 | Glenn McGrath | Australia | 1993-2007 | 124 | 563 | 21.64 | 8/24 | 29 | 3 |
| 8 | Ravichandran Ashwin | India | 2011-2024 | 106 | 537 | 24.00 | 7/59 | 37 | 8 |
| 9 | Courtney Walsh | West Indies | 1984-2001 | 132 | 519 | 24.44 | 7/37 | 22 | 3 |
| 10 | Mitchell Starc | Australia | 2011-2026 | 107 | 445 | 26.12 | 7/58 | 19 | 4 |
| 11 | Dale Steyn | South Africa | 2004-2019 | 93 | 439 | 22.95 | 7/51 | 26 | 5 |
| 12 | Kapil Dev | India | 1978-1994 | 131 | 434 | 29.64 | 9/83 | 23 | 2 |
| 13 | Rangana Herath | Sri Lanka | 1999-2018 | 93 | 433 | 28.07 | 9/127 | 34 | 9 |
| 14 | Richard Hadlee | New Zealand | 1973-1990 | 86 | 431 | 22.29 | 9/52 | 36 | 9 |
| 15 | Shaun Pollock | South Africa | 1995-2008 | 108 | 421 | 23.11 | 7/87 | 16 | 1 |
| 16 | Harbhajan Singh | India | 1998-2015 | 103 | 417 | 32.46 | 8/84 | 25 | 5 |
| 17 | Wasim Akram | Pakistan | 1985-2002 | 104 | 414 | 23.62 | 7/119 | 25 | 5 |
| 18 | Curtly Ambrose | West Indies | 1988-2000 | 98 | 405 | 20.99 | 8/45 | 22 | 3 |
| 19 | Tim Southee | New Zealand | 2008-2024 | 107 | 391 | 30.26 | 7/64 | 15 | 1 |
| 20 | Makhaya Ntini | South Africa | 1998-2009 | 101 | 390 | 28.82 | 7/37 | 18 | 4 |
The 700 club
For fourteen years the 700 mark belonged to two spinners. James Anderson made it three in July 2024, finishing his career on 704 from 188 Tests — more matches than anyone else on the list, and 43 more than Warne played.
The three are not close in method. Muralidaran took his 800 in 133 matches and Warne his 708 in 145; Anderson needed 188. Muralidaran’s 67 five-wicket hauls and 22 ten-wicket matches are both figures nobody else is near — Warne is second on ten-wicket matches with 10, and second on five-wicket hauls with 37, level with Ashwin.
Who is still playing
Only two men in the top 20 are still active: Nathan Lyon on 571 and Mitchell Starc on 445, both Australians who debuted in 2011. Lyon is 229 behind Muralidaran and 137 behind Warne, the Australian record.
Most wickets in Test cricket for India
Anil Kumble is India’s leading Test wicket-taker with 619, and his 10 for 74 against Pakistan at Delhi on 4 February 1999 is the only ten-wicket innings anywhere in the top 20 above. Ravichandran Ashwin, who finished in 2024, took 537 at a better average and with more five-wicket hauls than Kumble managed.
| Rank | Player | Span | Mat | Wkts | Ave | Best | 5w | 10w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anil Kumble | 1990-2008 | 132 | 619 | 29.65 | 10/74 | 35 | 8 |
| 2 | Ravichandran Ashwin | 2011-2024 | 106 | 537 | 24.00 | 7/59 | 37 | 8 |
| 3 | Kapil Dev | 1978-1994 | 131 | 434 | 29.64 | 9/83 | 23 | 2 |
| 4 | Harbhajan Singh | 1998-2015 | 103 | 417 | 32.46 | 8/84 | 25 | 5 |
| 5 | Ravindra Jadeja | 2012-2026 | 91 | 356 | 25.30 | 7/42 | 15 | 3 |
| 6 | Zaheer Khan | 2000-2014 | 92 | 311 | 32.94 | 7/87 | 11 | 1 |
| 6 | Ishant Sharma | 2007-2021 | 105 | 311 | 32.40 | 7/74 | 11 | 1 |
| 8 | Bishan Singh Bedi | 1966-1979 | 67 | 266 | 28.71 | 7/98 | 14 | 1 |
Ravindra Jadeja is the only India bowler on the list still playing, and the only one of the eight with a career average under 26 apart from Ashwin.
What the averages say
Curtly Ambrose has the best average in the top 20, 20.99, and he is the only man on the list below 21. Glenn McGrath is next on 21.64, then Richard Hadlee on 22.29 and Muralidaran on 22.72. Harbhajan Singh’s 32.46 is the highest of the twenty.
India and Australia have four bowlers each in the list, more than any other country, and South Africa three. England, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the West Indies have two apiece, Pakistan one.
Most wickets in Test cricket: quick answers
Who has taken the most wickets in Test cricket? Muthiah Muralidaran, with 800.
How many bowlers have taken 700 Test wickets? Three — Muralidaran on 800, Shane Warne on 708 and James Anderson on 704.
Who has taken the most Test wickets for India? Anil Kumble, with 619.
Who is the leading active Test wicket-taker? Nathan Lyon, on 571.
Who has the most five-wicket hauls in Tests? Muralidaran, with 67. Shane Warne and Ravichandran Ashwin share second on 37.
See also our list of the most Test wickets for India.
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Featured photo: AFP / Lakruwan Wanniarachchi