Mitchell Starc tops ICC World Test Championship wicket list as of August 22, 2026
Mitchell Starc is the leading wicket-taker in ICC World Test Championship history, with 230 wickets from 56 WTC tests, according to statistics updated on August 22, 2026. This report ranks the top five bowlers by wickets in the WTC era.
The ICC World Test Championship began in 2019 and was created as a two-year cycle tournament intended to increase fan interest in Test cricket. New Zealand won the first WTC title in 2021 and Australia claimed the second in 2023. The WTC assigned points to every Test, which the article says led teams to prepare surfaces that often offered considerable assistance to bowlers and produced results.
Jasprit Bumrah has emerged on the WTC wicket list after making his Test debut in 2018; in 42 WTC matches he has taken 185 wickets at an average of 19.23 and recorded 13 five-wicket hauls. The piece notes Bumrah was a key player in India reaching two ICC WTC finals and cites his contributions in winning the 2020/21 BGT in Australia, being Man of the Series on the 2023/24 South Africa tour and producing a record-breaking BGT 2024/25 series.
R Ashwin is described as India’s most successful off-spinner with more than 500 Test wickets and a central figure in India’s strong home performances. In 41 WTC Tests he took 195 wickets at an average of 21.49 and registered the most five-wicket hauls (11) in ICC WTC history. The article records that Ashwin retired from international cricket in December 2024.
Nathan Lyon is presented as Australia’s greatest off-spinner and the second-greatest spinner after Shane Warne in the article’s phrasing. Lyon has taken 225 wickets in 57 WTC Tests at an average of 27.40, including 10 five-wicket hauls and three ten-wicket match hauls, leaving him listed as the third leading wicket-taker in ICC WTC history.
Pat Cummins is identified as the second leading wicket-taker currently in ICC WTC history, with 225 wickets from 54 WTC matches at an average of 22.11 and a best innings return of 6/28. The article records that Cummins has taken ten five-wicket hauls in the WTC and notes his return to top-level bowling in 2017 and his role as Australian Test captain in the 2021-23 WTC campaign.
Mitchell Starc is credited with 230 wickets from 56 WTC Tests and is described as one of the deadliest pacers in the world who played a key role in Australia winning the WTC 2021-23. The article states Starc has been a major contributor to Australia’s WTC performances and reports his wicket tally as the highest in ICC WTC history.
Ravichandran Ashwin is the Indian bowler with most wickets in the ICC WTC history. All stats are updated till August 22 2026.