Who has taken the most wickets in Test cricket since the ball-by-ball era began? In this record book the answer is James Anderson (JM Anderson, England), with 682 wickets from 181 Tests. His England teammate Stuart Broad (SCJ Broad) is second on 604, and Nathan Lyon (NM Lyon, Australia) is third on 571.
Every figure comes from the 895 men’s and 24 women’s Tests in the data, spanning 19 Dec 2001 to 9 Sep 2026. Wickets taken before Dec 2001 are not counted, so bowlers whose careers began earlier show only part of their haul. Afghanistan’s matches are not in the data set.
How the Leading Test Wicket Takers List Works
Each row adds up every wicket a bowler took in men’s Tests inside the data. Next to the total you get matches (M), innings bowled, best innings figures, bowling average (runs per wicket), economy (runs conceded per over) and 5w for five-wicket innings.
England own the top two places. Anderson’s 682 came from 181 Tests, while Broad reached 604 in 166. The top ten splits into six pace bowlers and four spinners: Lyon, Ravichandran Ashwin (R Ashwin, India), Rangana Herath (HMRKB Herath, Sri Lanka) and Ravindra Jadeja (RA Jadeja, India).
Because the record book starts in Dec 2001, Muttiah Muralitharan (M Muralitharan, Sri Lanka) appears with 238 wickets from 37 Tests and Anil Kumble (A Kumble, India) with 191 from 40. Those are their totals within the data only. For the batting side of the same era, see most Test runs, and for shorter formats try ODI wicket takers.
Most Wickets in Test Cricket (Men)
| Bowler | M | Inns | Wkts | Best | Avg | Econ | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JM Anderson England | 181 | 339 | 682 | 7/42 | 26.41 | 2.77 | 31 |
| SCJ Broad England | 166 | 309 | 604 | 8/15 | 27.68 | 2.98 | 20 |
| NM Lyon Australia | 142 | 265 | 571 | 8/50 | 30.21 | 2.95 | 24 |
| R Ashwin India | 105 | 198 | 532 | 7/59 | 24.12 | 2.84 | 37 |
| MA Starc Australia | 107 | 206 | 445 | 7/58 | 26.13 | 3.43 | 19 |
| DW Steyn South Africa | 90 | 165 | 431 | 7/51 | 22.42 | 3.22 | 26 |
| HMRKB Herath Sri Lanka | 82 | 151 | 404 | 9/127 | 27.06 | 2.79 | 34 |
| TG Southee New Zealand | 107 | 203 | 391 | 7/64 | 30.26 | 3.02 | 15 |
| RA Jadeja India | 89 | 169 | 350 | 7/42 | 25.64 | 2.59 | 15 |
| K Rabada South Africa | 72 | 134 | 340 | 7/112 | 22.04 | 3.35 | 17 |
| PJ Cummins Australia | 74 | 137 | 322 | 6/23 | 21.91 | 2.89 | 14 |
| TA Boult New Zealand | 78 | 149 | 317 | 6/30 | 27.50 | 3.00 | 10 |
| MG Johnson Australia | 73 | 140 | 313 | 8/61 | 28.41 | 3.33 | 12 |
| M Morkel South Africa | 86 | 160 | 309 | 6/23 | 27.67 | 3.11 | 8 |
| I Sharma India | 104 | 186 | 307 | 7/74 | 32.68 | 3.15 | 11 |
| KAJ Roach West Indies | 89 | 163 | 304 | 6/48 | 26.82 | 3.12 | 12 |
| JR Hazlewood Australia | 78 | 147 | 303 | 6/67 | 24.00 | 2.78 | 14 |
| Taijul Islam Bangladesh | 60 | 106 | 264 | 8/39 | 30.39 | 3.06 | 19 |
| N Wagner New Zealand | 64 | 122 | 260 | 7/39 | 27.57 | 3.13 | 9 |
| GP Swann England | 60 | 109 | 255 | 6/65 | 29.97 | 2.99 | 17 |
| BA Stokes England | 108 | 182 | 252 | 6/22 | 30.98 | 3.33 | 6 |
| Yasir Shah Pakistan | 48 | 89 | 244 | 8/41 | 31.38 | 3.22 | 16 |
| M Muralitharan Sri Lanka | 37 | 68 | 238 | 8/70 | 22.67 | 2.79 | 21 |
| JJ Bumrah India | 52 | 99 | 234 | 6/27 | 19.79 | 2.77 | 16 |
| Harbhajan Singh India | 61 | 113 | 234 | 7/62 | 35.96 | 2.90 | 11 |
Most Test Wickets for India
| Bowler | M | Inns | Wkts | Best | Avg | Econ | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R Ashwin India | 105 | 198 | 532 | 7/59 | 24.12 | 2.84 | 37 |
| RA Jadeja India | 89 | 169 | 350 | 7/42 | 25.64 | 2.59 | 15 |
| I Sharma India | 104 | 186 | 307 | 7/74 | 32.68 | 3.15 | 11 |
| JJ Bumrah India | 52 | 99 | 234 | 6/27 | 19.79 | 2.77 | 16 |
| Harbhajan Singh India | 61 | 113 | 234 | 7/62 | 35.96 | 2.90 | 11 |
| Mohammed Shami India | 64 | 122 | 229 | 6/56 | 27.71 | 3.31 | 6 |
| Z Khan India | 60 | 108 | 218 | 7/87 | 31.72 | 3.26 | 9 |
| A Kumble India | 40 | 75 | 191 | 8/141 | 31.77 | 3.03 | 10 |
| UT Yadav India | 56 | 110 | 166 | 6/88 | 31.44 | 3.52 | 3 |
| Mohammed Siraj India | 47 | 88 | 143 | 6/15 | 29.56 | 3.49 | 5 |
Leading Test Wicket Taker for Each Team
| Team | Leader | Total | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | R Ashwin | 532 wickets | 105 |
| Australia | NM Lyon | 571 wickets | 142 |
| England | JM Anderson | 682 wickets | 181 |
| South Africa | DW Steyn | 431 wickets | 90 |
| New Zealand | TG Southee | 391 wickets | 107 |
| Pakistan | Yasir Shah | 244 wickets | 48 |
| Sri Lanka | HMRKB Herath | 404 wickets | 82 |
| West Indies | KAJ Roach | 304 wickets | 89 |
| Bangladesh | Taijul Islam | 264 wickets | 60 |
| Zimbabwe | AG Cremer | 51 wickets | 17 |
| Ireland | AR McBrine | 31 wickets | 10 |
Most Wickets in Women's Tests
| Bowler | M | Inns | Wkts | Best | Avg | Econ | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S Ecclestone England | 10 | 18 | 48 | 5/63 | 28.67 | 2.91 | 4 |
| KH Sciver-Brunt England | 10 | 18 | 39 | 6/69 | 20.44 | 2.45 | 3 |
| A Gardner Australia | 8 | 14 | 31 | 8/66 | 19.32 | 2.53 | 1 |
| EA Perry Australia | 12 | 21 | 31 | 6/32 | 24.90 | 2.56 | 1 |
| S Rana India | 6 | 10 | 30 | 8/77 | 20.97 | 2.99 | 1 |
| DB Sharma India | 7 | 11 | 25 | 5/7 | 19.00 | 2.38 | 1 |
| LA Marsh England | 8 | 15 | 22 | 3/44 | 34.86 | 2.40 | 0 |
| LK Bell England | 6 | 11 | 21 | 4/27 | 24.33 | 3.41 | 0 |
| A Sutherland Australia | 7 | 13 | 19 | 4/46 | 23.26 | 3.19 | 0 |
| KL Cross England | 7 | 14 | 19 | 4/63 | 36.74 | 3.29 | 0 |
Most Test Wickets for India
Ashwin leads India with 532 wickets from 105 Tests, averaging 24.12. His 37 five-wicket hauls are the most by anyone in the men’s top 25, ahead of Herath’s 34 and Anderson’s 31.
Jadeja is next with 350, and his economy of 2.59 is the tightest in the main list. Ishant Sharma (I Sharma) follows on 307 from 104 Tests. Jasprit Bumrah (JJ Bumrah) has 234 wickets in only 52 Tests at 19.79, the lowest average of any bowler in the top 25. Harbhajan Singh also has 234, but needed 61 Tests.
Mohammed Shami (229), Zaheer Khan (Z Khan, 218), Kumble (191), Umesh Yadav (UT Yadav, 166) and Mohammed Siraj (143) complete India’s ten. The full picture of India’s results is on the India team records page.
Most Wickets in Test Cricket for Each Team
The team table names one leader per side. Lyon heads Australia with 571 from 142 Tests, Dale Steyn (DW Steyn) leads South Africa with 431 from 90, and Herath tops Sri Lanka on 404 from 82. Herath also owns the best innings figures in the top 25, 9/127.
Tim Southee (TG Southee) leads New Zealand with 391, Kemar Roach (KAJ Roach) leads West Indies with 304 and Taijul Islam leads Bangladesh with 264. Pakistan’s leader, Yasir Shah, has 244 from just 48 Tests, the fewest matches of any leader from the major nations. Zimbabwe’s AG Cremer (51) and Ireland’s AR McBrine (31) lead the smaller Test sides. Afghanistan is absent from the table, its Tests being outside the data. More format records sit on the Test cricket records hub.
Women's Test Wicket Takers
With 24 women’s Tests in the data, the numbers are smaller but the order is clear. Sophie Ecclestone (S Ecclestone, England) leads with 48 wickets in 10 Tests, including four five-fors. Her England teammate Katherine Sciver-Brunt (KH Sciver-Brunt) is second with 39 at 20.44.
Ash Gardner (A Gardner, Australia) and Ellyse Perry (EA Perry, Australia) have 31 each. Gardner’s 8/66 is the best innings return on the list, just ahead of 8/77 by Sneh Rana (S Rana, India), who has 30 wickets from 6 Tests. Deepti Sharma (DB Sharma, India) has 25, with a best of 5/7. England fill five of the ten places, Australia three and India two.
Questions about Most Test wickets
Who has taken the most wickets in Test cricket?
In the 895 men’s Tests covered here, since Dec 2001, James Anderson (England) has the most with 682 wickets in 181 matches. Stuart Broad (England) is second with 604 and Nathan Lyon (Australia) third with 571. Wickets taken earlier than Dec 2001 are not counted.
Who has the most Test wickets for India?
Ravichandran Ashwin leads India with 532 wickets in 105 Tests at 24.12. Ravindra Jadeja has 350 and Ishant Sharma 307. Jasprit Bumrah and Harbhajan Singh are level on 234.
Who has the most Test wickets for Australia?
Nathan Lyon has 571 wickets in 142 Tests, the most for Australia in the data. Mitchell Starc (MA Starc) has 445 and Pat Cummins (PJ Cummins) 322. Josh Hazlewood (JR Hazlewood) has 303.
Which top Test wicket taker has the best average?
Among the men’s top 25, Jasprit Bumrah (India) has the lowest average at 19.79 for 234 wickets. Pat Cummins (Australia) is next at 21.91 and Kagiso Rabada (South Africa) at 22.04.
Why does Muttiah Muralitharan show only 238 Test wickets?
The record book only begins on 19 Dec 2001. Muralitharan’s 238 wickets from 37 Tests are only those he took inside that window. The same applies to Anil Kumble, who shows 191.
Who has the most wickets in women's Test cricket?
Sophie Ecclestone (England) leads with 48 wickets in 10 Tests across the 24 women’s Tests covered. Katherine Sciver-Brunt (KH Sciver-Brunt, England) has 39, and Ash Gardner and Ellyse Perry (both Australia) have 31 each.
Source: ball-by-ball match data from Cricsheet.org (ODC-BY). See how we compile these records.