Top 5 fast bowlers with most wickets in test cricket

There are two Englishmen among the top five fast bowlers with most wickets in test cricket.

Despite the lucrativeness of T20 cricket, test cricket is hailed as the ultimate format of the game by the multi-format players.

Several cricketers have left white-ball cricket to prolong their test careers as they know the real legacy is built in the longest format, which is, undoubtedly, the toughest of the three formats.

Players have shed blood, sweat and tears to have successful test careers and play for a long period of time. Diving more into it, batters tend to have longer careers than bowlers, particularly compared to fast bowlers, from whom the format demands an incredible amount of physical work.

This article is about pacers who have had long and successful careers and are in the top five wicket-takers in their category. Notably, only one pacer has achieved the rare feat of taking 700 wickets after playing for more than two decades.

Here are the top 5 fast bowlers with most wickets in test cricket

5. Dale Steyn (SA)

Dale Steyn is among the most fierce pacers that the game has seen. Few batters could say they had an upper hand on the South African. It was because he had the gift of both pace and swing that made him one of the most brutal fast bowlers.

Steyn played test cricket for 16 years and featured in 93 tests. He retired with 439 wickets at an average of 22.95 and 26 five-wicket hauls under his belt. He is the highest wicket-taker for South Africa in test cricket.

4. Courtney Walsh (WI)

Courtney Walsh was one of the key pacemen in West Indies’ dominating era in the 1980s and 1990s. He was a workhorse who used to bowl long spells at consistently high speed. He was the highest wicket-taker in test cricket at the time of his retirement.

Walsh had a long career from 1984 to 2001 and featured in 132 tests. He took 519 wickets at an average of 24.44 with 22 five-fors. His 13/55 against New Zealand in 1995 is still the best match figures by a captain in test cricket.

3. Glenn McGrath (AUS)

With a neat action and impeccable control over his lines and length, Glenn McGrath is hailed as the most difficult pacer to score against. A bowling average of 21.64 and an economy of 2.49 reflect the same.

Despite not having much pace, he troubled and dismissed the best batters of his time with his incredible accuracy of line and length, which made him one of the best.

McGrath is Australia’s second-highest wicket-taker in test cricket, after Shane Warne. He took 563 wickets in 124 tests with 29 five-fors. Among pacers with over 400 test wickets, only Curtly Ambrose has a better bowling average than McGrath.

2. Stuart Broad (ENG)

England’s Stuart Broad is one of the few bowlers who ended their test careers with a wicket on the last ball they delivered. He got a fairytale finish at the Ashes 2023.

With a smooth run-up and a repeatable action, Broad could ball long spells, which made him an asset for the English team. The pacer played from 2007 to 2023 and featured in 167 tests. He took 604 wickets at an average of 27.68 with 20 five-wicket hauls.

1. James Anderson (ENG)

It is very rare for a fast bowler to play test cricket for more than two decades. Thus, James Anderson’s feat of playing for over 21 years is incredible.

Anderson made his test debut in 2003 and retired in 2024 with 704 wickets under his belt in 188 tests. He took 32 five-wicket hauls, which is the second-most for a seamer. He is only the third bowler and first pacer to take 700 wickets in the longest format.

(All stats updated till 11th August, 2024)

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