The International Cricket Council (ICC) organizes the ODI World Cup every four years, and is considered one of the biggest and most prestigious events in cricket. Several teams attempt to qualify for the World Cup, but only one team/country gets a chance to lift the coveted trophy after a month of high-octane games.
Top 10 teams will play in the 2023 Cricket World Cup, and fans are looking forward to more exciting sporting action and entertainment, as happened in the previous edition of the tournament in 2019, which was won by England. Most fans watch cricket, or any other sport, for entertainment, and nothing excites the crowd more than a boundary or a wicket. We have covered the list of highest run scorer and most explosive striker which you can check below.
Today we take a look at the bowlers with the most wickets in ICC Cricket World Cup history. There have been many bowlers like Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga and Zaheer Khan who terrorized the batsmen in their time. Some have accumulated more than 50 wickets and taken impressive sixes and sevens.
Most Wickets in ICC ODI World Cup
In the 50-over games, cricketers perform responsibly, resulting in slightly slow but intriguing games. The bowlers also get time to shine, unlike T20, where they are mostly at the receiving end of a batsman’s thrashing. Five and six-wicket hauls are quite common in the World Cup, and some players have multiple to their names.
You can check out the list of the top wicket-takers in the Cricket World Cup below.
*Last Updated on 21th November 2023
| Player | Span | Mat | Inns | Mdns | Wkts | BBI |
| GD McGrath (AUS) | 1996-2007 | 39 | 39 | 42 | 71 | 7/15 |
| M Muralidaran (SL) | 1996-2011 | 40 | 39 | 15 | 68 | 4/19 |
| MA Starc (AUS) | 2015-2023 | 28 | 28 | 10 | 65 | 6/28 |
| SL Malinga (SL) | 2007-2019 | 29 | 28 | 11 | 56 | 6/38 |
| Mohammed Shami (IND) | 2015-2023 | 18 | 18 | 13 | 55 | 7/57 |
| Wasim Akram (PAK) | 1987-2003 | 38 | 36 | 16 | 55 | 5/28 |
| TA Boult (NZ) | 2015-2023 | 29 | 29 | 24 | 53 | 5/27 |
| WPUJC Vaas (SL) | 1996-2007 | 31 | 31 | 39 | 49 | 6/25 |
| Z Khan (IND) | 2003-2011 | 23 | 23 | 12 | 44 | 4/42 |
| J Srinath (IND) | 1992-2003 | 34 | 33 | 21 | 44 | 4/30 |
| Shakib Al Hasan (BAN) | 2007-2023 | 36 | 36 | 3 | 43 | 5/29 |
| TG Southee (NZ) | 2011-2023 | 22 | 22 | 16 | 41 | 7/33 |
| Imran Tahir (SA) | 2011-2019 | 22 | 21 | 7 | 40 | 5/45 |
| JJ Bumrah (IND) | 2019-2023 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 38 | 4/39 |
| AA Donald (SA) | 1992-2003 | 25 | 25 | 14 | 38 | 4/17 |
| JDP Oram (NZ) | 2003-2011 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 36 | 4/39 |
| DL Vettori (NZ) | 2003-2015 | 32 | 31 | 12 | 36 | 4/18 |
| B Lee (AUS) | 2003-2011 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 35 | 5/42 |
| Wahab Riaz (PAK) | 2011-2019 | 20 | 20 | 5 | 35 | 5/46 |
| GB Hogg (AUS) | 2003-2007 | 21 | 20 | 10 | 34 | 4/27 |
| Imran Khan (PAK) | 1975-1992 | 28 | 19 | 18 | 34 | 4/37 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi (PAK) | 2019-2023 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 34 | 6/35 |
| SW Tait (AUS) | 2007-2011 | 18 | 18 | 4 | 34 | 4/39 |
| PJ Cummins (AUS) | 2015-2023 | 23 | 23 | 8 | 34 | 3/33 |
| SK Warne (AUS) | 1996-1999 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 32 | 4/29 |
| CZ Harris (NZ) | 1992-2003 | 28 | 27 | 10 | 32 | 4/7 |
| A Kumble (IND) | 1996-2007 | 18 | 18 | 5 | 31 | 4/32 |
| LH Ferguson (NZ) | 2019-2023 | 16 | 16 | 6 | 31 | 4/37 |
| SM Pollock (SA) | 1996-2007 | 31 | 31 | 37 | 31 | 5/36 |
| CR Woakes (ENG) | 2015-2023 | 24 | 24 | 8 | 31 | 4/54 |
| SE Bond (NZ) | 2003-2007 | 16 | 16 | 21 | 30 | 6/23 |
| IT Botham (ENG) | 1979-1992 | 22 | 22 | 33 | 30 | 4/31 |
| Shoaib Akhtar (PAK) | 1999-2011 | 19 | 18 | 9 | 30 | 4/46 |
| Shahid Afridi (PAK) | 1999-2015 | 27 | 24 | 7 | 30 | 5/16 |
| PAJ DeFreitas (ENG) | 1987-1996 | 22 | 22 | 30 | 29 | 3/28 |
| A Zampa (AUS) | 2019-2023 | 15 | 15 | 1 | 28 | 4/8 |
| N Kapil Dev (IND) | 1979-1992 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 5/43 |
| CA Walsh (WI) | 1987-1999 | 17 | 17 | 23 | 27 | 4/25 |
| CJ McDermott (AUS) | 1987-1996 | 17 | 17 | 8 | 27 | 5/44 |
| MJ Henry (NZ) | 2015-2023 | 18 | 18 | 10 | 27 | 4/47 |
| SR Waugh (AUS) | 1987-1999 | 33 | 26 | 7 | 27 | 3/36 |
| RA Jadeja (IND) | 2015-2023 | 21 | 21 | 4 | 27 | 5/33 |
| ST Jayasuriya (SL) | 1992-2007 | 38 | 31 | 4 | 27 | 3/12 |
| JM Anderson (ENG) | 2003-2015 | 25 | 25 | 9 | 27 | 4/25 |
| M Morkel (SA) | 2011-2015 | 14 | 14 | 4 | 26 | 3/33 |
| Mushtaq Ahmed (PAK) | 1992-1996 | 15 | 14 | 5 | 26 | 3/16 |
| AME Roberts (WI) | 1975-1983 | 16 | 16 | 29 | 26 | 3/32 |
| DW Fleming (AUS) | 1996-1999 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 26 | 5/36 |
| AU Rashid (ENG) | 2019-2023 | 20 | 20 | 1 | 26 | 3/42 |
| MG Johnson (AUS) | 2011-2015 | 15 | 15 | 9 | 25 | 4/19 |
| Mustafizur Rahman (BAN) | 2019-2023 | 16 | 16 | 5 | 25 | 5/59 |
| CEL Ambrose (WI) | 1992-1999 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 3/28 |
| Abdul Qadir (PAK) | 1983-1987 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 24 | 5/44 |
| M Prabhakar (IND) | 1987-1996 | 19 | 18 | 10 | 24 | 4/19 |
| K Rabada (SA) | 2019-2023 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 24 | 3/33 |
| MA Wood (ENG) | 2019-2023 | 17 | 17 | 3 | 24 | 3/18 |
| Saqlain Mushtaq (PAK) | 1996-2003 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 23 | 5/35 |
| A Flintoff (ENG) | 1999-2007 | 18 | 17 | 12 | 23 | 4/43 |
| DW Steyn (SA) | 2011-2015 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 23 | 5/50 |
| AD Russell (WI) | 2011-2019 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 4/49 |
| JR Hazlewood (AUS) | 2015-2023 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 23 | 4/35 |
| JE Taylor (WI) | 2007-2015 | 14 | 14 | 5 | 23 | 3/15 |
| TM Odoyo (KENYA) | 1996-2011 | 25 | 24 | 12 | 23 | 4/28 |
| Sir RJ Hadlee (NZ) | 1975-1983 | 13 | 13 | 38 | 22 | 5/25 |
| S Madan Lal (IND) | 1975-1983 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 22 | 4/20 |
| Waqar Younis (PAK) | 1996-2003 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 22 | 4/26 |
| L Klusener (SA) | 1999-2003 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 22 | 5/21 |
| MJ Santner (NZ) | 2019-2023 | 20 | 19 | 8 | 22 | 5/59 |
| HH Streak (ZIM) | 1996-2003 | 22 | 21 | 13 | 22 | 3/35 |
| D Madushanka (SL) | 2023-2023 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 21 | 5/80 |
| Kuldeep Yadav (IND) | 2019-2023 | 18 | 18 | 4 | 21 | 2/7 |
| Mohammad Nabi (AFG) | 2015-2023 | 24 | 24 | 4 | 21 | 4/30 |
| JH Kallis (SA) | 1996-2011 | 36 | 32 | 13 | 21 | 3/26 |
| GI Allott (NZ) | 1999-1999 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 20 | 4/37 |
| MA Holding (WI) | 1979-1983 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 20 | 4/33 |
| G Coetzee (SA) | 2023-2023 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 20 | 4/44 |
| JC Archer (ENG) | 2019-2019 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 20 | 3/27 |
| Yuvraj Singh (IND) | 2003-2011 | 23 | 14 | 4 | 20 | 5/31 |
| KAJ Roach (WI) | 2011-2019 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 20 | 6/27 |
| Abdur Razzak (BAN) | 2007-2011 | 15 | 15 | 9 | 20 | 3/20 |
| Harbhajan Singh (IND) | 2003-2011 | 21 | 20 | 8 | 20 | 3/53 |
| RMH Binny (IND) | 1983-1987 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 19 | 4/29 |
| AJ Hall (SA) | 2003-2007 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 19 | 5/18 |
| AD Mathews (SL) | 2011-2023 | 27 | 17 | 3 | 19 | 3/41 |
| W Watson (NZ) | 1987-1992 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 19 | 3/37 |
| Abdul Razzaq (PAK) | 1999-2011 | 22 | 21 | 11 | 19 | 3/25 |
| Mashrafe Mortaza (BAN) | 2003-2019 | 24 | 24 | 11 | 19 | 4/38 |
| RGD Willis (ENG) | 1979-1983 | 11 | 11 | 27 | 18 | 4/11 |
| UT Yadav (IND) | 2015-2015 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 18 | 4/31 |
| Umar Gul (PAK) | 2007-2011 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 3/30 |
| A Nehra (IND) | 2003-2011 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 18 | 6/23 |
| TM Dilshan (SL) | 2007-2015 | 27 | 22 | 5 | 18 | 4/4 |
| ALF de Mel (SL) | 1983-1987 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 18 | 5/32 |
| R Ashwin (IND) | 2011-2023 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 4/25 |
| RA Harper (WI) | 1987-1996 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 4/47 |
| Aaqib Javed (PAK) | 1992-1996 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 3/21 |
| MO Odumbe (KENYA) | 1996-2003 | 19 | 16 | 9 | 18 | 4/38 |
| GR Larsen (NZ) | 1992-1999 | 19 | 19 | 12 | 18 | 3/16 |
| CL Hooper (WI) | 1987-2003 | 20 | 17 | 3 | 18 | 3/42 |
| CL Cairns (NZ) | 1992-2003 | 28 | 23 | 9 | 18 | 3/19 |
