Who took 500 wickets in Test cricket? Only seven bowlers have ever achieved the fastest 500 wickets total in test match cricket history in less than 150 Tests. Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka holds the record for most wickets in men’s international tests, with 500 in 87 matches. Then came into the 500 test wickets arena India’s best spinner, Anil Kumble, and Australia’s Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. Stuart Broad of England is the most recent addition to the list of the fastest to 500 wickets in test cricket, achieving the feat on July 24, 2020, against the West Indies in Manchester.
Who was the first man to take 500 wickets in test cricket? CA Walsh became the first bowler in Test history to take 500 wickets. He accomplished the feat against South Africa in 2001 at Port of Spain. Here’s a complete 7 bowlers who took 500 wickets in test cricket.
Fastest To Take 500 Test Wickets (Within 150 Matches)
| Rankings | Fastest bowler to 500 test wickets | Period | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) | 11y 201d | 87 |
| 2. | Anil Kumble (INDIA) | 15y 212d | 105 |
| 3. | Shane Warne (AUS) | 12y 66d | 108 |
| 4. | Glenn McGrath (AUS) | 11y 251d | 110 |
| 5. | Courtney Walsh (WI) | 16y 128d | 129 |
| 6. | James Anderson (ENG) | 14y 108d | 129 |
| 7. | Stuart Broad (ENG) | 12y 228d | 140 |
Who is the fastest to 500 wickets in Test?
1. Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka- Took Fastest 500 Test Wickets In 87 Test Matches
Muttiah Muralitharan made his test debut against Australia on August 28, 1992, at R.Premadasa Stadium. He is a Sri Lankan cricketer whose unorthodox delivery made him one of the most effective and destructive spin bowlers in history, allowing him to take more wickets in both Test and one-day international (ODI) cricket than anyone else in history. Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka became the fastest player in history to reach 500 wickets in his 87th Test. The spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan defeated his rival Shane Warne in the race when he dismissed Michael Kasprowicz in a match against Australia in Kandy. Muttiah Muralitharan also recorded the fastest 500 dismissals in record time within 150 tests, which is the shortest time and fastest in Men’s international test cricket history.
Muralitharan played 133 Tests in his 18-year career, taking 800 wickets at an economy rate of 2.48. He finished his career as the most successful spin bowler, with 67 five-wicket hauls and 22 ten-wicket hauls per match. He still holds the record for the most Test wickets (800), as shown in the table below.
Test Bowling Stats Overview
| Format | Matches | Wickets | BBI | BBM | Economy | Avg | 5 wicket haul | 10 wicket haul |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 133 | 800 | 9/51 | 16/220 | 2.48 | 22.73 | 67 | 22 |
2. Anil Kumble, India- India’s Fastest Bowler to take 500 Wickets
Anil Kumble made his test debut against England on August 9, 1990, at Emirates Old Trafford. In his entire Test career, he bowled 40,850 balls, the most for an Indian and the second most in the world. Anil Kumble is also one of only six bowlers in history to have taken 900 or more wickets in their career, with 956. Nonetheless, he finished with 619 Test wickets, second only to the legendary duo of Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan. In the beautiful career process, he earned a lot of respect from fans and teammates for being fiercely aggressive and competitive on the field while remaining calm and humble off it.
Anil Kumble became the second fastest bowler to 500 Test wickets and India’s fastest bowler to 500 wickets in his 105th Test. Anil Kumble’s 500th wicket came against England in Mohali, when he dismissed Steve Harmison, and he did so in 15 years and 212 days. Kumble finished his career with 619 wickets in 132 Tests, making him India’s highest-ever Test wicket-taker and the country’s only bowler in the fastest 500-wicket list. He ranks fourth all-time in terms of most wickets in test cricket (619).
Anil Kumble Bowling Stats Overview
| Game Format | Matches | Wickets | BBI | BBM | Economy | Avg | 5W | 10W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 132 | 619 | 10/74 | 14/149 | 2.7 | 29.65 | 35 | 8 |
Read also- Most wickets for India in Tests: Who has most wickets for India in Test?
3. Shane Warne, Australia- Fastest 500 Test Wickets In 108 Matches
Australian spinner Shane Warne recently passed away on 4 March 2022, the greatest spin bowler of all time died of a heart attack while on vacation in Koh Samui, aged 52. The leg-spinner was taking a well-deserved three-month break after commentating commitments in both the UK and Australia. On January 2, 1992, he made his test debut against India at Sydney Cricket Ground. He is a former Australian cricketer who represented his country on several occasions. He is famous for his leg spin mastery and is widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers of all time.
For the majority of his Test career, Shane Warne held the top spot among bowlers with 708 wickets. Shane Warne, one of the most feared spinners of all time, decimated oppositions across continents to lead Australia to unprecedented success. And it was Shane Warne who, after the legendary West Indian Courtney Walsh, became the second man in test cricket history to break the 500-wicket barrier in the fastest time. In his 108th Test against Sri Lanka at Galle, Shane Warne dismissed Hashan Tillakaratne to become the fastest to 500 wickets. Muttiah Muralitharan also passed the 500-wicket mark in the same series, setting up an epic battle between the two spinners.
Shane Warne is currently third on the list of the fastest bowlers to 500 Test wickets. He played 145 Tests for his country, taking 708 wickets at a remarkable economy rate of 2.65. Shane Warne finished his career as the second best in the all-time list, behind Sri Lankan wizard Muttiah Muralitharan, with 37 five-wicket hauls and 10 ten-wicket hauls per match.
Shane Warne Bowling Stats Overview
| Game Formate | Matches | Wickets | BBI | BBM | Economy | Avg | 5W | 10W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 145 | 708 | 8/71 | 12/128 | 2.65 | 25.42 | 37 | 10 |
Read also- World’s Best Spin Bowlers of All Time.
4. Glenn McGrath, Australia- 110 Tests
Glenn McGrath is a former Australian international cricketer who played for 14 years. He made his debut against New Zealand on November 12, 1993, at the W.A.C.A. Ground. McGrath was one of Australia’s most successful speedsters, and he was incredible with the ball in hand. Glenn McGrath, with 563 Test wickets, is Australia’s second most successful Test bowler after Shane Warne. McGrath became the second fast bowler in Test history, after Courtney Walsh, to reach 500 wickets during one of the Ashes Tests against England. McGrath joined the club with the wicket of Marcus Trescothick in the first Test at Lord’s. McGrath’s 14-year Test career ended after 14 more matches.
Glenn McGrath Bowling Stats Overview
| Game Format | Matches | Wickets | BBI | BBM | Economy | Avg | 5W | 10W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 124 | 563 | 8/24 | 10/27 | 2.5 | 21.64 | 29 | 3 |
Read also- 5 Best Bowling Performances In The ICC World Cup
5. Courtney Walsh, West Indies- 129 Matches
Courtney Walsh is a Jamaican cricketer who became the first bowler in history to have more than 500 Test wickets in 2001. CA Walsh was the first bowler & fastest to reach 500 Test wickets, accomplishing the feat in 2001. Courtney Walsh was a legendary fast bowler who helped the West Indies extend their dominance in Test cricket from the 1970s to 1980s into the 1990s. After making his debut, Walsh took 16 years and 128 days to reach 500 wickets. He retired with 519 test wickets, a record he held until 2004 when Muthiah Muralitharan broke it.
CA Walsh Bowling Stats Overview
| Game Format | Matches | Wickets | BBI | BBM | Economy | Avg | 5W | 10W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 132 | 519 | 7/37 | 13/55 | 2.54 | 24.45 | 22 | 3 |
6. James Anderson, England- 129 Matches*
James Anderson is the active English international cricketer with the most Test wickets. He plays for Lancashire County Cricket Club and the England cricket team. He began his career on May 22, 2003, against Zimbabwe at Lord’s. James Anderson is the most successful fast bowler in Test cricket history. With 657 wickets, England’s legend may have accomplished more than he set out to do. Despite all of his accomplishments, two major battles remain in his illustrious career.
England pacer James Anderson has now taken 650 Test wickets, making him the first fast bowler to do so. Anderson reached this milestone during the second Test against New Zealand at Nottingham’s Trent Bridge. At Emirates Old Trafford, James Anderson dismissed Kraigg Brathwaite to follow in the footsteps of new-ball partner James Anderson, who reached the fastest 500 wickets in Test cricket mark against West Indies at Lord’s in 2017 by also dismissing Brathwaite.
Read also- Top 10 Best ODI Bowlers Of All Time With The Lowest Economy Rate
7. Stuart Broad, England- 140 Test Matches*
Stuart Broad was a key figure in England’s national test cricket career. On December 9, 2007, he made his Test debut against Sri Lanka at Sinhalese Sports Club. He is England’s second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket with 552 wickets, trailing only James Anderson’s 657 wickets. After dismissing Kraigg Brathwaite on the fifth and final day of the third Test of the 2020 series against the West Indies, Broad became the seventh bowler to reach 500 wickets in Test cricket.
Read also- Most Wickets By Spinners in Test Cricket History (Fastest To 400 Wickets).
Conclusion
This article is based on the 7 Bowlers Who Took Fastest 500 Wickets In Test Cricket list has been updated with statistics from ESPNcricinfo.com updates. We hope you enjoyed our article; please share your valuable thoughts in the comments section; we appreciate your feedback. This page’s content is subject to change at any time without notice. Our website makes no guarantees about the information’s accuracy.
