Bowlers Who Have Taken More Than 500 Wickets In Test Cricket

On Tuesday, England seamer Stuart Broad became one of the few bowlers to cross the elusive mark of 500 Test wickets. The Nottinghamshire pacer claimed his 500th wicket in this 140th Test. It was also his 9th wicket in the match after claiming six wickets in the first innings to put England on the driving seat and firmly in line to regain the Wisden Trophy.

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So far, only six bowlers other than Broad have managed to cross the milestone. Not only it takes fitness but also exceptional hunger to make those achievements in their name. While Stuart Broad did not have the desired start to his Test career 13 years ago, he established himself as one of the top-notch bowlers of the nation.

We take a look at six bowlers who have crossed the milestone of 500 Test scalps:

Stuart Broad – 501

Having made his Test debut in 2007, Stuart Broad has established himself as one of the most decorated English bowlers of this era and is the latest entrant to this club. Stuart Broad’s 500th Test victim arrived in Manchester and was Kraigg Brathwaite. While the 34-year old’s first couple of years was not very fruitful, the 2009 Ashes at home was the turning point. He took a fifer at the Oval as England regained the urn from their arch-rivals.

Broad’s best spell of bowling also came against Australia in 2015 in Nottingham. He took eight wickets for 15 runs in the first innings to roll out Michael Clarke’s men for 60. Having crossed the 500-wicket barrier, the veteran arguably has the hunger to achieve more. Former English captain Michael Atherton has backed him to reach even 600 Test scalps.

Courtney Walsh – 519:

Courtney Walsh was perhaps the first bowler to reach 500 Test wickets and is amongst the four fast bowlers on this list, having done so in 2001. The Jamaican pacer formed one of the lethal fast-bowling pairs with Curtly Ambrose and both used their height to brutal effect to generate pace as well as bounce.

During his peak days, West Indies was on the decline as some of their best batsmen had retired. It was Walsh and Ambrose, who kept their side on the top through some quality bowling spells to eke wins out of nowhere. He also captained the national team in 22 Tests, winning six and losing seven out of them. Overall in 132 Tests, Walsh finished with 519 scalps at 24.44.

Glenn McGrath – 563:

Glenn McGrath has to be one of the most accurate bowlers to have played Test cricket. While McGrath lacked in pace as his career progressed, he made it up for unrelenting precision and seam movement that was unavoidable for the batsmen to play. The New South Wales seamer was at the forefront of Australia’s dominance in world cricket across formats.

McGrath often used to take the new-ball in Tests along with either Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie or Michael Kasprowicz. He held the record for most wickets by fast bowlers in Tests till 2018 with 563. His average of 21.64 and strike rate of 51.9 is the best amongst those, who have 500 wickets or more, including spinners.

James Anderson – 589:

Stuart Broad’s better half in the fast bowling department for more than a decade, James Anderson has been around in the Test arena for 17 years now. Anderson’s record in home conditions are impeccable, picking up 373 wickets at 23.81 with 21 fifers.

The Lancashire pacer has also been part of four victorious Ashes campaigns while in 2010-11 in down under, Anderson snapped 24 wickets in five Tests at 24.04. At 37 and soon to be 38 with 589 scalps, he is in line to become the first pacer to take 600 Test wickets.

Anil Kumble – 619:

Anil Kumble headlined India’s spinning responsibilities since more than a decade, having made his international debut in 1992. While he might not have been as influential as Shane Warne, Anil Kumble was very level-headed, whose deliveries boasted plenty of pace to burst through the gate easily.

In August 2007, he went past Glenn McGrath’s tally of 563 wickets and ended with 619 in 132 Tests. The 49-year old is also one of the two bowlers in history to take all ten wickets in an innings, doing so against Pakistan in 1999. He also captained India in Tests, notably with dignity during India’s controversial tour of Australia in 2008.

Shane Warne – 708:

One of the five Wisden Cricketers of the 20th Century, Shane Warne was the face of leg-spin bowling at one era amid controversies hardly leaving his trail. Shane Warne underwent one of the inauspicious debuts, picking up only one wicket for 150 runs in an innings. However, a year later in 1993, Warne delivered the “ball of the century” to Mike Gatting as Australia won the six-match series in England with Warne accounting for 34 scalps.

Some of the Victorian’s legendary bowling spells have come against England, notably in 2005 Ashes despite which Australia were not able to win. He retired in 2007 after Australia annihilated England in the Ashes by 5-0. The leggie took an astonishing 708 wickets in 145 Tests, which was the highest that time and being the first to cross the 700-wicket mark. The 50-year old was also a highly capable batsman and holds the record for most Test runs without a century.

Muttiah Muralitharan – 800:

At a jaw-dropping 800 Test wickets, Muttiah Muralitharan stands at the top of the tree. While Muttiah Muralitharan hardly involved himself in sledging incidents, his career was marred with controversies regarding his bowling action. The first of that came in Australia in 1995 when in Melbourne umpire Darrell Hair accused the off-spinner of throwing.

However, it is hard to argue with the 48-year old’s ability to spin the ball. Muralitharan is not only the highest wicket-taker in Tests but also ODIs with 534 under his belt. The Kandy-born cricketer left himself eight short of 800 in his last of the 133 Tests in 2010. And he ended up reaching there, making Pragyan Ojha his final victim. His 67 five-wicket hauls are also the highest in Tests for any bowler.

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