James Anderson's final Test match - Which bowlers have taken the most wickets in Test cricket

08-07-2024
3 min read
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James Anderson is set to retire from International cricket after England's first test against West Indies. The 41-year-old will hang up his boots and walk away from international cricket as one of the finest to ever play the red-ball format.

As Anderson gears up for one final time in an England shirt, he has the chance to go past Shane Warne's tally to become the second-highest wicket-taker in Test matches. He will anyway finish as the pacer with the most wickets in the longest format.

Test cricket has witnessed some of the absolute greats, being the original format of the game. The emergence of the limited-overs format was only decades ago, as the Tests rule the sport, being the evergreen format.

The impact of bowlers in other formats of the game might have been reduced, but not in Tests. In the red-ball game, it is still as difficult to score runs, as it was a few decades ago. 

The likes of Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, Stuart Broad, Glenn McGrath, among others, ruled the format in their respective generations. James Anderson is one of the few modern-day bowlers to find himself at the zenith of the list of wicket-takers in the longest format. 

Who is the highest wicket-taker in Test history?

Muttiah Muralitharan is the highest wicket-taker in Test history. Not only is he the highest, but also the only bowler to pick 800 wickets in the format. He picked 800 wickets in 230 innings, with the most five-wicket hauls in the game (67). 

List of highest wicket-takers in Tests

Player Country Matches Wickets Average Economy Best Innings
Muttiah Muralitharan Sri Lanka 133 800 22.72 2.47 9/51
Shane Warne Australia 145 708 25.41 2.65 8/71
James Anderson England 187 700 26.52 2.79 7/42
Anil Kumble India 132 619 29.65 2.69 10/74
Stuart Broad England 167 604 27.68 2.97 8/15
Glenn McGrath Australia 124 563 21.64 2.49 8/24
Nathan Lyon Australia 129 530 30.28 2.93 8/50
Courtney Walsh West Indies 132 519 24.44 2.53 7/37
Ravichandran Ashwin India 100 516 23.75 2.81 7/59
Dale Steyn South Africa 93 439 22.95 3.24 7/51