Top 10 wicket-takers in Test cricket history — list published August 22, 2026
Khel Now published a ranking of the top 10 wicket-takers in Test cricket on August 22, 2026. The list places Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan at the top.
The piece outlines the central role bowlers play in Test cricket, noting the format’s allowance for unlimited overs as a test of skill and stamina. It cites examples across styles — spinners such as Muralitharan and Shane Warne and pacers including James Anderson and Mitchell Starc — and states that taking wickets in Tests is viewed as the principal measure of a bowler’s greatness. The article notes instances where bowlers have won matches single-handedly and records are presented with all statistics updated till August 22, 2026.
Muttiah Muralitharan leads the list with 800 wickets in 133 Tests. The article records his Test debut against Australia in 1992, an 18-year career, 67 five-wicket hauls and describes his bowling action as “interesting and controversial”; it also states he is the only bowler with two nine-wicket innings in Test history.
James Anderson is documented as having retired from Test cricket in July 2024, finishing with 704 wickets from 188 Tests after debuting in 2003. The article records 32 five-wicket hauls for Anderson and describes his 704 scalps as the most by any fast bowler and the third-highest total among all bowlers in Test history.
The late Shane Warne finished with 708 wickets in 145 Tests after making his debut versus India in 1992; the article lists 37 five-wicket hauls, a hat-trick against England in 1994 and records his death at the age of 52 in 2022. Anil Kumble is placed fourth with 619 wickets in 132 Tests; the article records his debut in 1990 against England, his final Test against Australia in 2008, 35 five-wicket hauls and his 10/74 in the 1999 Delhi Test against Pakistan, making him the second bowler after Jim Laker to take all 10 wickets in an innings.
Ravichandran Ashwin is listed eighth with 537 wickets in 106 Tests, alongside 37 five-wicket hauls; the article records his Test debut in 2011 against West Indies, more than 3,000 Test runs and six centuries, and states he retired as India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Tests in 2024. Nathan Lyon’s entry records a Test debut in 2011 against Sri Lanka where he took a wicket with his first delivery and finished that match with a five-wicket haul; his aggregate is given as 567 wickets in 141 Tests with 24 five-wicket hauls and five ten-wicket matches.
Glenn McGrath is recorded with 563 wickets from 124 Tests across a 14-year career from 1993–2007, a Test hat-trick versus West Indies in 2001 and a best return of 8/24 against Pakistan, and is described as Australia’s highest wicket-taking pace bowler in Tests. Stuart Broad is credited with reaching 600 Test wickets during the Ashes 2023 series as only the second fast bowler to do so; the article gives Broad’s figures as 604 wickets in 166 Tests since his 2007 debut, 20 five-wicket hauls, a best of 8/15 in the 2015 Ashes, a Test century of 169 against Pakistan and notes he has taken more than one Test hat-trick. Courtney Walsh is recorded as the first bowler to reach 500 Test wickets, finishing with 519 in 132 Tests after debuting in 1984 against Australia, ending his career as West Indies’ highest wicket-taker and having formed a long opening partnership with Curtly Ambrose while also captaining the side "with some success."
The article and its statistics were compiled and updated through August 22, 2026. Ankitjit Singh authored the piece; the article states he is a dedicated sports journalist with over three years of reporting, writing and editing experience, is a journalism graduate from Delhi University, and that his childhood dream to play cricket led him to cover the game professionally.
