Muthiah Muralidaran holds the record for picking up the most wickets in men’s ODI cricket. The former Sri Lankan spinner bagged 534 wickets in 350 matches at an average of 23.08.
You can check out the top 20 bowlers who have taken the most wickets in men’s ODI cricket.
Most Wickets in Men’s ODIs
| Player | Matches | Innings | Wickets | BBI | Economy | 4W/5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muthiah Muralidaran (SL) | 350 | 341 | 534 | 7/30 | 3.93 | 15/10 |
| Wasim Akram (PAK) | 356 | 351 | 502 | 5/15 | 3.89 | 17/6 |
| Waqar Younis (PAK) | 262 | 258 | 416 | 7/36 | 4.68 | 14/13 |
| Chaminda Vaas (SL) | 322 | 320 | 400 | 8/19 | 4.18 | 9/4 |
| Shahid Afridi (PAK) | 398 | 372 | 395 | 7/12 | 4.62 | 4/9 |
| Shaun Pollock (SA) | 303 | 297 | 393 | 6/35 | 3.67 | 12/5 |
| Glenn McGrath (AUS) | 250 | 248 | 381 | 7/15 | 3.88 | 9/7 |
| Brett Lee (AUS) | 221 | 217 | 380 | 5/22 | 4.76 | 14/9 |
| Lasith Malinga (SL) | 226 | 220 | 338 | 6/38 | 5.35 | 11/8 |
| Anil Kumble (IND) | 271 | 265 | 337 | 6/12 | 4.30 | 8/2 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) | 445 | 368 | 323 | 6/29 | 4.78 | 8/4 |
| Shakib Al Hasan (BAN) | 247 | 241 | 317 | 5/29 | 4.46 | 10/4 |
| Javagal Srinath (IND) | 229 | 227 | 315 | 5/23 | 4.44 | 7/3 |
| Daniel Vettori (NZ) | 295 | 277 | 305 | 5/7 | 4.12 | 8/2 |
| Shane Warne (AUS) | 194 | 191 | 293 | 5/33 | 4.25 | 12/1 |
| Ajit Agarkar (IND) | 191 | 188 | 288 | 6/42 | 5.07 | 10/2 |
| Saqlain Mushtaq (PAK) | 169 | 165 | 288 | 5/20 | 4.29 | 11/6 |
| Zaheer Khan (IND) | 200 | 197 | 282 | 5/42 | 4.93 | 7/1 |
| Jacques Kallis (SA) | 328 | 283 | 273 | 5/30 | 4.84 | 2/2 |
| Allan Donald (SA) | 164 | 162 | 272 | 6/23 | 4.15 | 11/2 |
Did You Know?:
Wasim Akram was the first bowler to reach 400 and 500 wickets in ODI cricket. The former Pakistani pacer completed 400 scalps in January 2000 and 3 years later, in February 2003, Akram achieved the milestone of 500 wickets.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Muthiah Muralidaran is the leading wicket-taker in ODI cricket history. He took 534 wickets in 350 matches for Sri Lanka.
Chaminda Vaas delivered the best bowling figures in ODI innings. He racked up 8 wickets for 19 runs against Zimbabwe in 2001. Thus far, Vaas remains the only bowler to claim 8 wickets in an ODI innings.
Pakistan’s Waqar Younis has bagged the most five-wicket hauls in ODIs. He has 13 five-fors to his name in 262 matches.