The ODI format of cricket is an integral part of the limited overs format. And cricketers have to be at their ultimate best if they want to excel in this format. The bowlers need to perform well & deliver some exceptional deliveries if excelling in ODI format is on their mind.
Being a great bowler in a limited-overs format, especially in ODIs means being able to have a varied arsenal, being able to maximize all the weapons at your disposal, constantly improving and evolving with the times, and being able to do it all over a lengthy career. This list of the highest wicket-takers in ODIs includes some of the true greats of the game, players who terrorized and bamboozled batters with their incredible skills and were synonymous with success in the 50-over game.
Top 5 Highest wicket-takers in ODI format
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Muttiah Muralitharan (534)
Muttiah Muralitharan’s legendary status is confirmed by the simple fact that he is the highest wicket-taker in ODIs as well as Tests. In 350 matches, the Sri Lankan spin wizard picked up a staggering 534 wickets at an average of 23.08, with an economy rate of just 3.93. He was able to extract turn from even the most docile pitches, which made him virtually unplayable on spin-friendly surfaces. If you went on the defensive against him, you were as good as gone already – attack was the only option, and it very seldom worked.
Murali’s unorthodox action caught the eye as soon as he burst onto the scene – his incredibly supple wrists, strong shoulders, and deformed elbow helped him manipulate the ball like no one before him. His mastery of the doosra, the delivery that went the other way, made him even harder to figure out. As such, he soon became the crown jewel of the Sri Lankan bowling attack and was part of their most successful period, including their famous World Cup triumph in 1996.
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Wasim Akram (502)
Regarded by many as the best left-arm fast bowler ever to play the game, Wasim Akram bowled like he had the ball on a string. How else could one explain the prodigious swing and seam that he was able to generate? And, if being able to move the ball both ways wasn’t enough, his whippy action allowed him to generate significant pace as well, which enabled him to add a bouncer and a deceptive slower one to his considerable arsenal. As a result, he became one of the most successful bowlers in the limited overs format, taking 502 wickets in 356 matches at an average of 23.52 and an economy rate of 3.89. He was Imran Khan’s go-to strike bowler during Pakistan’s World Cup-winning campaign in 1992, and he took over the reins from the legendary all-rounder when he retired.
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Waqar Younis (416)
Waqar Younis’ bowling action was a thing of beauty. If you were a batter facing him, you would be excused for admiring the smooth run-up and gather as he approached the crease. Unfortunately, you would then probably feel a searing pain in your toes as one of his trademark yorkers crashed into them. Alongside Wasim Akram, the man directly above him on this list, Waqar Younis formed a devastating fast-bowling duo that terrorized any batter who had the misfortune of facing Pakistan in the late 80s and 90s. Add a young tearaway by the name of Shoaib Akhtar towards the end of that period, and it’s almost unfair.
Younis’ greatest weapon was his ability to generate incredible amounts of reverse swing with the old ball, which made him unbelievably difficult to face towards the end of an ODI inning – not that the start of the inning was much easier. At full fitness, he was one of the fastest bowlers around, but back injuries cut short his prime. Despite that, he managed to pick up 416 wickets in just 262 matches at an average of 23.84, taking no less than 13 five-wicket hauls in the process.
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Chaminda Vaas (400)
Although Muttiah Muralitharan is Sri Lanka’s most successful, and therefore most celebrated bowler, Chaminda Vaas is without a doubt the country’s most notable fast bowler. A large proportion of Murali’s wickets can no doubt be attributed to Vaas’ relentlessly accurate and incredibly penetrative opening spells, which built the pressure on batters, allowing the star off-spinner to deliver the killing blow.
A left-arm pacer blessed with incredible ability, Vaas regularly got his team off to a good start while bowling, skillfully generating swing and seam. Towards the end of his career, he even added reverse swing to his arsenal, which made him an even tougher prospect to face. He took 400 wickets in 322 matches, becoming only the fourth bowler to reach that landmark when he claimed his 400th wicket in 2008.
The fact that he did most of his best work on placid subcontinent pitches makes his achievements even more impressive. In Colombo in 2001, Vaas took the first (and to date, only) eight-wicket haul in ODIs, bagging an incredible 8/19 against a hapless Zimbabwe. Two years later, he claimed a hat-trick with the first three balls of an innings, reducing an unfortunate Bangladesh to 0/3 in their encounter at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.
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Shahid Afridi (395)
Completing the Asian dominance on this list of the highest wicket-takers in ODIs is Shahid Afridi, the most unexpected name to feature here. He was box-office – from the massive sixes he hit to the wickets he took, every action drew the crowds in. He was best known for his batting, bursting onto the scene at the age of 16 by scoring one of the fastest-ever centuries in ODI cricket. His entertaining style of play carried over to his bowling as well, which ensured that when Afridi was on the screen, you couldn’t take your eyes off him.
Afridi wasn’t just a batter who could roll his arm over – he was an extremely capable leg-spinner with a bag of tricks. In addition to the traditional leg break and googly, he also had a devastating quicker one that often caught batters off guard. All of these were delivered at fairly high speeds, which allowed him to get considerable (often late) drift as well. He also raced through his overs, often beginning his run-up when the batter was still taking guard, never giving them time to rest. As a result, Afridi ended his action-packed career in 2015 with 395 wickets in 398 matches at an average of 34.51 and a creditable economy rate of 4.62.
These are the top highest wicket-takers in ODI format. Over the years they have maintained their performance so that they can continue to occupy a spot in the list of top wicket-takers in the ODI format.
Who is your favorite in the list of top wicket-takers? Share with us your choice & let’s see which cricketers come on top of the list.
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