Most Wickets in Cricket World Cups: From Glenn McGrath to Zaheer Khan, List of Bowlers Who Took Most Wickets
It will be interesting to see which bowler leaves his mark on the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup as each country has one or two exceptional names in their ranks.
With the rules of the game so much in the favour of a batsman, all eyes will be on the bowling units of the respective team at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup. It is also worth noting that in two out of the last three World Cup tournaments, the player of the series award has gone to a bowler which tells us a lot about the role they play. For any team to be crowned champion, it has to attack the opposition when they are in a field which can only happen if their bowlers are dominating. Picking up wickets is the key to this dominance. There have been a few cricketers who have enjoyed this art of sending the opposition batsman back to the shade especially in the World Cups. Here we list the bowlers with the most wickets in the history of the World Cup. Best Bowling Figures at ICC Cricket World Cup: From Glenn McGrath to Tim Southee Here Is the List of Top Individual Bowling Performances Ahead of CWC 2019.
Glenn McGrath – 71 Wickets
Aussie pacer Glen McGrath played in four World Cups between 1996 and 2007 and won three of them, including four final appearances. The right arm medium pacer picked up 71 wickets at an average of 18.19 in 39 games. He was named the man of the series in the 2007 edition where he picked up 26 wickets. He picked up three wickets in the 2003 World Cup final against India and against Pakistan in the final of the 1999 Cup, he picked up a brace. He was always a man of big occasion for the Aussies.
Muttiah Muralitharan – 68 Wickets
Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan made it to five World Cups between 1996 and 2011 which included three final appearances. Muralitharan picked up 68 wickets at an average of 19.63 with 4/19 being his best spell. He gave just 31 runs in ten overs in the 1996 edition final against Australia helping his team win its maiden World Cup. Against Australia in the 2007 World Cup final and India in 2011 final, he failed to make a big impact with Sri Lanka subsequently losing the games.
Wasim Akram – 55 Wickets
Next up in the list is former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram who is widely regarded as one of the game’s greatest fast bowler. He played in five World Cup between 1987 and 2003 picking up 55 wickets in 38 appearances at an average of 23.83. He was the star of the show in 1992 World Cup final against England picking up three wickets and the man of the match award as Pakistan lifted the cup.
Chaminda Vaas – 49 Wickets
Chaminda Vaas made it to the Sri Lankan World Cup squad four times between 1996 and 2007 and was part of the team the 1996 triumph. The left-arm medium pacer known for his exceptional line and length picked up 49 wickets at an average of 21.22 in 31 games. His most memorable cup moment came against Bangladesh in 2003 where he picked up four wickets including a hat-trick in the first over of the game.
Zaheer Khan – 44 Wickets
One of Indian cricket’s best bowler ever, Zaheer Khan was part of the Indian squad in 2003, 2007 and 2011 World Cup. Zak, as he is popularly called picked up 44 wickets in just 23 appearances at an average of 20.22. He was the joint top wicket-taker in the 2011 edition along with Shahid Afridi with 21 wickets to his name helping India win its second title.
It will be interesting to see which bowler leaves his mark on the 2019 World Cup as each country has one or two exceptional names in their ranks.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 27, 2019 10:47 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).