A big honor for Pakistani legend Wasim Akram
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The ODI World Cup has brought the best out of top international cricketers as they fight for glory to win the coveted trophy. The cricketing fans have witnessed some top-quality bowling from superstars from across the globe at the pinnacle of ODI cricket.
The likes of Glenn McGrath, Wasim Akram, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell Starc, and Chaminda Vaas have been some of the bowlers who have troubled the batters in ODI World Cups over the years.
Australian seamer, Glenn McGrath, took 71 wickets throughout his ODI World Cup career, the most for a bowler in the mega event’s history. He is followed by former Sri Lankan spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan, who bamboozled the batters with his exceptional off-spin. Muralitharan took 68 wickets across 5 World Cups.
Pakistan’s legendary left-arm pacer, Wasim Akram, is fourth on the list for most wickets in ODI World Cups and is the only Pakistani in the top 10 list. He took 55 wickets at an average of 23.83 in 38 matches he played across five World Cups.
Wasim’s best performance in World Cups came in Pakistan’s triumphant 1992 World Cup campaign as he finished as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 18 wickets at an average of 18.77.
Here’s the breakdown of Wasim’s World Cup wickets: Edition Matches Wickets Average Economy Rate 1987 7 7 42.14 4.65 1992 10 18 18.77 3.76 1996 5 3 45.00 4.05 1999 10 15 22.80 3.77 2003 6 12 16.75 4.23
Apart from Wasim, the highest wicket-taker list includes three players from Sri Lanka, two each from Australia and India, and one each from South Africa and New Zealand.
Here are the top 10 wicket-takers in ODI World Cup history: Player Country Span Innings Wickets Glenn McGrath Australia 1996-2007 39 71 Muttiah Muralitharan Sri Lanka 1996-2011 39 68 Lasith Malinga Sri Lanka 2007-2019 28 56 Wasim Akram Pakistan 1987-2003 36 55 Mitchell Starc Australia 2015-2019 18 49 Chaminda Vaas Sri Lanka 1996-2007 31 49 Zaheer Khan India 2003-2011 23 44 Javagal Srinath India 1992-2003 33 44 Imran Tahir South Africa 2011-2019 21 40 Trent Boult New Zealand 2015-2019 19 39
