Top 5 bowlers with most wickets in ICC World Test Championship history

Ravi Ashwin has taken most wickets for India in ICC World Test Championship history.

The ICC World Test Championship (WTC) started in 2019. The ICC introduced this tournament that would be played over two years cycle to bring the interest fans back into test cricket. The WTC provided importance and significance to every single test match.

New Zealand (2021) and Australia (2023) won the first two WTC titles.

With WTC points now up for grabs for every test, teams have mostly prepared surfaces where bowlers get considerable assistance and the game ends in a result.

In this article, we will talk about the top five wicket-takers in the ICC World Test Championship history so far.

List of top five bowlers with the most wickets in ICC World Test Championship:

5. Stuart Broad (ENG) – 134 wickets

Former England pacer Stuart Broad retired in July 2023 with the conclusion of the home Ashes. It has been a year since his retirement, but Broad is still among the top five wicket-takers in the WTC history.

He played 33 tests in the WTC and took 134 wickets at an average of 24.09, with a best of 6/31. This included three five-wicket hauls.

4. Mitchell Starc (AUS) – 147 wickets

Mitchell Starc is one of the deadliest pacers of all time. He played a crucial part in Australia winning the WTC 2021-23. He has played 38 tests so far in the WTC and taken 147 wickets at an average of 27.08 with best bowling figures of 6/66. Starc has taken ten four-wicket hauls and three fifers in WTC.

3. Ravichandran Ashwin (IND) – 174 wickets

Veteran Indian spinner R Ashwin is arguably the best test spinner currently and has been at the top of ICC test bowlers rankings for a while now.

Ashwin has been a key contributor to India’s dominance at home over the past decade. Ashwin has delivered plenty of match-winning performances and helped India make it to two consecutive WTC finals.

The off-spinner has played 35 WTC games and taken 174 wickets at a terrific average of 20.43, which is the best on this list. He has taken joint-most fifers (10) with best innings bowling figures of 7/71.

2. Pat Cummins (AUS) – 175 wickets

The Australian test captain Pat Cummins is one of the best fast bowlers going around. His performance with the ball and leadership helped Australia win the second edition of the ICC World Test Championship.

Cummins has played 42 WTC matches and taken 175 wickets at an average of 22.81 with a best of 6/91. The Australian captain has taken nine four-wicket hauls and eight fifers in this period.

1. Nathan Lyon (AUS) – 187 wickets

Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon is the leading wicket-taker in the ICC World Test Championship history. He’s been a vital cog in Australia’s success in tests over the past dozen years.

In the WTC history, Lyon has taken 187 wickets in 43 tests at an average of 26.70, with the most four-wicket-hauls (11) and joint-most fifers (10).

(All stats updated till 26th August, 2024)

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