Mitchell Starc (Australia) has taken the most wickets in World Cup matches covered by this record book: 61 in 25 games, at an average of 18.61.
The data spans six Men’s ODI World Cups, from Feb 2003 to Nov 2023, and 265 matches in all. Earlier tournaments are not in the ball-by-ball data, so these totals are not all-time figures. Afghanistan’s matches are not included either, which is one reason some editions have fewer games listed. Below are the overall leaders, a top 10 for each World Cup from 2003 to 2023, and the best bowling figures.
Starc, Muralitharan and Shami at the Top
Only four bowlers reach 50 wickets in the editions covered. Starc leads with 61 and has three five-wicket hauls. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) has 52 from 27 matches at an economy of 4.01, and Mohammed Shami (India) has 51. Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka) is fourth on 50.
Shami’s numbers stand out most. He needed only 17 matches for his 51, averages 13.80 and has four five-fors, more than anyone in the list. Glenn McGrath (Australia) is the other bowler with an average under 14, taking 47 wickets at 13.98 while conceding 3.99 runs an over.
Australia supply six of the top 25, more than any other team: Starc, McGrath, Brett Lee, Brad Hogg, Shaun Tait and Pat Cummins. New Zealand have five, led by Trent Boult on 48. For the batting side of the same tournaments, see the most runs in World Cup page.
Most Wickets in World Cup Matches, 2003 to 2023
| Bowler | M | Inns | Wkts | Best | Avg | Econ | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MA Starc Australia | 25 | 25 | 61 | 6/28 | 18.61 | 5.13 | 3 |
| M Muralitharan Sri Lanka | 27 | 27 | 52 | 4/19 | 18.00 | 4.01 | 0 |
| Mohammed Shami India | 17 | 17 | 51 | 7/57 | 13.80 | 5.21 | 4 |
| SL Malinga Sri Lanka | 26 | 26 | 50 | 6/38 | 24.02 | 5.56 | 1 |
| TA Boult New Zealand | 26 | 26 | 48 | 5/27 | 26.42 | 5.11 | 1 |
| GD McGrath Australia | 21 | 21 | 47 | 7/15 | 13.98 | 3.99 | 1 |
| Z Khan India | 23 | 23 | 44 | 4/42 | 20.23 | 4.48 | 0 |
| TG Southee New Zealand | 21 | 21 | 41 | 7/33 | 26.02 | 5.76 | 1 |
| JDP Oram New Zealand | 23 | 23 | 36 | 4/39 | 21.33 | 4.21 | 0 |
| Imran Tahir South Africa | 20 | 20 | 36 | 5/45 | 22.72 | 4.43 | 1 |
| B Lee Australia | 17 | 17 | 35 | 5/42 | 17.97 | 4.57 | 1 |
| GB Hogg Australia | 20 | 20 | 34 | 4/27 | 19.24 | 4.13 | 0 |
| SW Tait Australia | 18 | 18 | 34 | 4/39 | 21.50 | 5.36 | 0 |
| Wahab Riaz Pakistan | 19 | 19 | 33 | 5/46 | 27.18 | 5.65 | 1 |
| Shakib Al Hasan Bangladesh | 33 | 33 | 33 | 4/55 | 43.91 | 5.28 | 0 |
| JJ Bumrah India | 18 | 18 | 32 | 4/55 | 20.81 | 4.27 | 0 |
| DL Vettori New Zealand | 30 | 30 | 32 | 4/23 | 35.94 | 4.24 | 0 |
| CR Woakes England | 22 | 22 | 31 | 4/54 | 28.90 | 5.44 | 0 |
| PJ Cummins Australia | 21 | 21 | 31 | 3/33 | 30.16 | 5.42 | 0 |
| SE Bond New Zealand | 16 | 16 | 30 | 6/23 | 17.27 | 3.51 | 1 |
| WPUJC Vaas Sri Lanka | 19 | 19 | 30 | 4/22 | 19.73 | 3.78 | 0 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi Pakistan | 12 | 12 | 29 | 6/35 | 21.03 | 5.64 | 2 |
| Shahid Afridi Pakistan | 19 | 19 | 29 | 5/16 | 24.69 | 4.42 | 2 |
| RA Jadeja India | 20 | 20 | 27 | 5/33 | 29.30 | 4.59 | 1 |
| M Morkel South Africa | 14 | 14 | 26 | 3/33 | 19.46 | 4.66 | 0 |
World Cup 2023 Most Wickets: Top 10
39 matches in the data for this edition.
| Bowler | M | Inns | Wkts | Best | Avg | Econ | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Shami India | 7 | 7 | 24 | 7/57 | 10.71 | 5.26 | 3 |
| A Zampa Australia | 10 | 10 | 22 | 4/8 | 20.77 | 5.31 | 0 |
| D Madushanka Sri Lanka | 8 | 8 | 19 | 5/80 | 25.11 | 6.88 | 1 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi Pakistan | 8 | 8 | 17 | 5/54 | 24.88 | 5.96 | 1 |
| M Jansen South Africa | 9 | 9 | 17 | 3/31 | 26.47 | 6.52 | 0 |
| JJ Bumrah India | 10 | 10 | 16 | 3/32 | 20.88 | 4.08 | 0 |
| G Coetzee South Africa | 7 | 7 | 16 | 3/35 | 22.00 | 6.58 | 0 |
| RA Jadeja India | 10 | 10 | 16 | 5/33 | 22.50 | 4.21 | 1 |
| Haris Rauf Pakistan | 8 | 8 | 16 | 3/43 | 30.00 | 6.76 | 0 |
| BFW de Leede Netherlands | 8 | 8 | 16 | 4/62 | 30.44 | 7.27 | 0 |
Most Wickets in World Cup 2019
36 matches in the data for this edition.
| Bowler | M | Inns | Wkts | Best | Avg | Econ | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MA Starc Australia | 9 | 9 | 26 | 5/26 | 18.12 | 5.52 | 2 |
| Mustafizur Rahman Bangladesh | 7 | 7 | 18 | 5/59 | 25.11 | 7.04 | 2 |
| Mohammad Amir Pakistan | 7 | 7 | 17 | 5/30 | 18.65 | 5.03 | 1 |
| LH Ferguson New Zealand | 8 | 8 | 17 | 3/22 | 21.88 | 4.99 | 0 |
| JC Archer England | 10 | 10 | 17 | 3/27 | 24.06 | 4.50 | 0 |
| TA Boult New Zealand | 9 | 9 | 17 | 4/30 | 26.18 | 5.00 | 0 |
| JJ Bumrah India | 8 | 8 | 16 | 4/55 | 20.75 | 4.49 | 0 |
| CR Woakes England | 10 | 10 | 16 | 3/20 | 25.31 | 5.33 | 0 |
| MA Wood England | 9 | 9 | 16 | 3/18 | 26.44 | 5.31 | 0 |
| MJ Henry New Zealand | 8 | 8 | 14 | 4/47 | 24.43 | 4.73 | 0 |
Most Wickets in World Cup 2015
42 matches in the data for this edition.
| Bowler | M | Inns | Wkts | Best | Avg | Econ | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MA Starc Australia | 7 | 7 | 20 | 6/28 | 10.30 | 3.56 | 1 |
| TA Boult New Zealand | 8 | 8 | 19 | 5/27 | 17.74 | 4.49 | 1 |
| UT Yadav India | 8 | 8 | 18 | 4/31 | 17.83 | 4.99 | 0 |
| Mohammed Shami India | 7 | 7 | 17 | 4/35 | 17.29 | 4.82 | 0 |
| M Morkel South Africa | 8 | 8 | 17 | 3/34 | 17.59 | 4.39 | 0 |
| JE Taylor West Indies | 7 | 7 | 17 | 3/15 | 19.29 | 5.70 | 0 |
| Wahab Riaz Pakistan | 7 | 7 | 16 | 4/45 | 23.00 | 5.56 | 0 |
| Imran Tahir South Africa | 8 | 8 | 15 | 5/45 | 21.53 | 4.23 | 1 |
| TG Southee New Zealand | 8 | 8 | 15 | 7/33 | 28.60 | 6.04 | 1 |
| JH Davey Scotland | 5 | 5 | 13 | 4/68 | 21.31 | 6.92 | 0 |
Most Wickets in World Cup 2011
49 matches in the data for this edition.
| Bowler | M | Inns | Wkts | Best | Avg | Econ | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shahid Afridi Pakistan | 8 | 8 | 21 | 5/16 | 12.86 | 3.62 | 2 |
| Z Khan India | 9 | 9 | 21 | 3/20 | 18.76 | 4.83 | 0 |
| TG Southee New Zealand | 8 | 8 | 18 | 3/13 | 17.33 | 4.31 | 0 |
| RJ Peterson South Africa | 7 | 7 | 15 | 4/12 | 15.87 | 4.25 | 0 |
| M Muralitharan Sri Lanka | 8 | 8 | 15 | 4/25 | 19.40 | 4.10 | 0 |
| Yuvraj Singh India | 9 | 9 | 15 | 5/31 | 25.13 | 5.03 | 1 |
| Imran Tahir South Africa | 5 | 5 | 14 | 4/38 | 10.71 | 3.80 | 0 |
| Umar Gul Pakistan | 8 | 8 | 14 | 3/30 | 19.43 | 4.50 | 0 |
| KAJ Roach West Indies | 6 | 6 | 13 | 6/27 | 15.00 | 4.24 | 1 |
| B Lee Australia | 7 | 7 | 13 | 4/28 | 18.08 | 4.33 | 0 |
Most Wickets in World Cup 2007
50 matches in the data for this edition.
| Bowler | M | Inns | Wkts | Best | Avg | Econ | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GD McGrath Australia | 11 | 11 | 26 | 3/14 | 13.73 | 4.42 | 0 |
| M Muralitharan Sri Lanka | 10 | 10 | 23 | 4/19 | 15.26 | 4.15 | 0 |
| SW Tait Australia | 11 | 11 | 23 | 4/39 | 20.30 | 5.53 | 0 |
| GB Hogg Australia | 11 | 11 | 21 | 4/27 | 15.81 | 4.01 | 0 |
| SL Malinga Sri Lanka | 8 | 8 | 18 | 4/54 | 15.78 | 4.87 | 0 |
| NW Bracken Australia | 10 | 10 | 16 | 4/19 | 16.12 | 3.60 | 0 |
| DL Vettori New Zealand | 10 | 10 | 16 | 4/23 | 27.94 | 4.58 | 0 |
| A Flintoff England | 8 | 8 | 14 | 4/43 | 21.29 | 4.32 | 0 |
| AJ Hall South Africa | 9 | 9 | 14 | 5/18 | 23.93 | 4.41 | 1 |
| CK Langeveldt South Africa | 8 | 8 | 14 | 5/39 | 25.79 | 5.47 | 1 |
Most Wickets in World Cup 2003
49 matches in the data for this edition.
| Bowler | M | Inns | Wkts | Best | Avg | Econ | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B Lee Australia | 10 | 10 | 22 | 5/42 | 17.91 | 4.74 | 1 |
| GD McGrath Australia | 10 | 10 | 21 | 7/15 | 14.29 | 3.57 | 1 |
| Z Khan India | 11 | 11 | 18 | 4/42 | 20.78 | 4.23 | 0 |
| SE Bond New Zealand | 8 | 8 | 17 | 6/23 | 17.94 | 3.91 | 1 |
| WPUJC Vaas Sri Lanka | 9 | 9 | 17 | 4/22 | 18.00 | 3.88 | 0 |
| J Srinath India | 11 | 11 | 16 | 4/30 | 23.06 | 4.05 | 0 |
| A Nehra India | 9 | 9 | 15 | 6/23 | 19.27 | 4.18 | 1 |
| M Muralitharan Sri Lanka | 9 | 9 | 14 | 4/28 | 21.00 | 3.79 | 0 |
| JDP Oram New Zealand | 8 | 8 | 14 | 4/52 | 21.07 | 4.21 | 0 |
| AJ Bichel Australia | 7 | 7 | 13 | 7/20 | 14.15 | 3.54 | 1 |
Best Bowling Figures in World Cup Matches
| Bowler | Figures | Overs | Against | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GD McGrath Australia | 7/15 | 7 | Namibia | 27 Feb 2003 |
| AJ Bichel Australia | 7/20 | 10 | England | 2 Mar 2003 |
| TG Southee New Zealand | 7/33 | 9 | England | 20 Feb 2015 |
| Mohammed Shami India | 7/57 | 9.5 | New Zealand | 15 Nov 2023 |
| A Nehra India | 6/23 | 10 | England | 26 Feb 2003 |
| SE Bond New Zealand | 6/23 | 10 | Australia | 11 Mar 2003 |
| KAJ Roach West Indies | 6/27 | 8.3 | Netherlands | 28 Feb 2011 |
| MA Starc Australia | 6/28 | 9 | New Zealand | 28 Feb 2015 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi Pakistan | 6/35 | 9.1 | Bangladesh | 5 Jul 2019 |
| SL Malinga Sri Lanka | 6/38 | 7.4 | Kenya | 1 Mar 2011 |
World Cup 2023 Most Wickets and Other Editions
At the 2023 World Cup, Mohammed Shami took 24 wickets in just seven matches at 10.71, including three five-wicket hauls and 7/57 in the 15 Nov 2023 game with New Zealand. Adam Zampa (Australia) was second with 22, and Dilshan Madushanka (Sri Lanka) third with 19. Five bowlers finished level on 16, among them Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja (India) and Bas de Leede (Netherlands). The data holds 39 matches for that edition.
Starc topped two editions in a row: 26 wickets in 2019 and 20 in 2015, when Boult pushed him close with 19. In 2011 Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) and Zaheer Khan (India) both took 21, with Afridi ahead on average. McGrath led 2007 with 26, while Lee headed 2003 with 22, one more than McGrath.
Fast bowlers led five of the six editions. Afridi’s leg spin in 2011 is the only exception.
Best Bowling Figures and India's Leading Wicket Takers
The best-figures table sorts by wickets taken, and equal hauls are split by runs given away. McGrath’s 7/15 versus Namibia (27 Feb 2003) heads the list, ahead of Andy Bichel (Australia) with 7/20 against England in the same tournament. Tim Southee (New Zealand) returned 7/33 versus England in Feb 2015, and Shami’s 7/57 is fourth. Ashish Nehra (India) and Shane Bond (New Zealand) share 6/23, both from 2003.
For India, Shami’s 51 leads Zaheer Khan’s 44, with Bumrah on 32 and Jadeja on 27. Zaheer was among the top three in both 2003 and 2011.
The overall World Cup picture, including winners and team records, sits on the Cricket World Cup records page. To see how these bowlers rank in all ODIs, open most ODI wickets.
Questions about Most World Cup wickets
Who has the most wickets in World Cup cricket?
Mitchell Starc (Australia) has 61 wickets in the six Men’s ODI World Cups covered, from 2003 to 2023. Muttiah Muralitharan has 52 and Mohammed Shami 51. Tournaments played before 2003 fall outside the ball-by-ball records used here.
Who was the top wicket taker at World Cup 2023?
Mohammed Shami (India) took 24 wickets in seven matches, with a best of 7/57. Adam Zampa (Australia) took 22 and Dilshan Madushanka (Sri Lanka) 19.
Who has the most wickets in World Cup matches for India?
Mohammed Shami heads India’s list on 51, averaging 13.80. Zaheer Khan has 44, Jasprit Bumrah 32 and Ravindra Jadeja 27. Every India record is gathered on the India team records page.
What are the best bowling figures in a World Cup match?
Glenn McGrath’s 7/15 against Namibia in Feb 2003 is the best in the editions covered. Andy Bichel’s 7/20 and Tim Southee’s 7/33 follow.
Does this page include T20 World Cup wickets?
No. This page covers the 50-over Men’s ODI World Cup only, and the T20 World Cup has its own page. See most wickets in T20 World Cup for that tournament’s bowling leaders.
Source: ball-by-ball match data from Cricsheet.org (ODC-BY). See how we compile these records.