Highest Test Wicket Takers List: Test cricket is considered as one of the most loved formats of cricket. Players with the most number of wickets under their name will be considered as the highest Test wicket takers.
The first officially recognized Test match took place between 15 and 19 March 1877 and was played between England and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
In October 2012, the ICC recast the playing conditions for Test matches, permitting day/night Test matches. The first day/night game took place between Australia and New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, on 27 November – 1 December 2015.
How a Test Cricket is Played?
- A Test match is scheduled for 5 days with two innings per side.
- Each session consists of 30 overs.
- The first session will be held before lunch.
- The second session after lunch and before the tea break.
- The third session is played after tea until the umpire declares the end of the day’s play.
- Players are allowed a 40-minute lunchtime and 20-minute tea break.
- If any session fails to meet the 30-over requirement due to bad weather or any other issue, an attempt to reduce the shortage of overs is made over the following sessions.
- The day’s playtime may get extended in that case.
Highest Test Wicket Takers List
Muttiah Muralitharan has taken the highest wickets among all the players in Test Cricket. He has the highest aggregate with 800 wickets at an average of 22.72.
Shane Warne is the 2nd most wicket-takers in the Test as he has taken 708 wickets at an average of 25.41. Anil Kumble has 619 wickets and holds the third position in the list.
England’s James Anderson is the only active player to reach the feat of 600 wickets in test format. Following are the list of Highest Test Wicket Takers:
| Player | Mat | Wkts | BBI | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w |
| M Muralidaran (ICC/SL) | 133 | 800 | 9/51 | 22.72 | 2.47 | 55.04 | 45 | 67 |
| SK Warne (AUS) | 145 | 708 | 8/71 | 25.41 | 2.65 | 57.49 | 48 | 37 |
| JM Anderson (ENG) | 187 | 700 | 7/42 | 26.52 | 2.79 | 56.96 | 32 | 32 |
| A Kumble (IND) | 132 | 619 | 10/74 | 29.65 | 2.69 | 65.99 | 31 | 35 |
| SCJ Broad (ENG) | 167 | 604 | 8/15 | 27.68 | 2.97 | 55.79 | 28 | 20 |
| GD McGrath (AUS) | 124 | 563 | 8/24 | 21.64 | 2.49 | 51.95 | 28 | 29 |
| NM Lyon (AUS) | 129* | 527 | 8/50 | 30.39 | 2.93 | 62.04 | 24 | 24 |
| CA Walsh (WI) | 132 | 519 | 7/37 | 24.44 | 2.53 | 57.84 | 32 | 22 |
| R Ashwin (IND) | 100 | 516 | 7/59 | 23.75 | 2.81 | 50.7 | 25 | 36 |
| DW Steyn (SA) | 93 | 439 | 7/51 | 22.95 | 3.24 | 42.38 | 27 | 26 |
| N Kapil Dev (IND) | 131 | 434 | 9/83 | 29.64 | 2.78 | 63.91 | 17 | 23 |
| HMRKB Herath (SL) | 93 | 433 | 9/127 | 28.07 | 2.8 | 60.03 | 20 | 34 |
| Sir RJ Hadlee (NZ) | 86 | 431 | 9/52 | 22.29 | 2.63 | 50.85 | 25 | 36 |
| SM Pollock (SA) | 108 | 421 | 7/87 | 23.11 | 2.39 | 57.84 | 23 | 16 |
| Harbhajan Singh (IND) | 103 | 417 | 8/84 | 32.46 | 2.84 | 68.53 | 16 | 25 |
| Wasim Akram (PAK) | 104 | 414 | 7/119 | 23.62 | 2.59 | 54.65 | 20 | 25 |
| CEL Ambrose (WI) | 98 | 405 | 8/45 | 20.99 | 2.3 | 54.57 | 21 | 22 |
| M Ntini (SA) | 101 | 390 | 7/37 | 28.82 | 3.23 | 53.42 | 19 | 18 |
| IT Botham (ENG) | 102 | 383 | 8/34 | 28.4 | 2.99 | 56.95 | 17 | 27 |
| TG Southee (NZ) | 100* | 379 | 7/64 | 29.59 | 2.98 | 59.44 | 19 | 15 |
| MD Marshall (WI) | 81 | 376 | 7/22 | 20.94 | 2.68 | 46.76 | 19 | 22 |
| Waqar Younis (PAK) | 87 | 373 | 7/76 | 23.56 | 3.25 | 43.49 | 28 | 22 |
| Imran Khan (PAK) | 88 | 362 | 8/58 | 22.81 | 2.54 | 53.75 | 17 | 23 |
| DL Vettori (ICC/NZ) | 113 | 362 | 7/87 | 34.36 | 2.59 | 79.59 | 19 | 20 |
| MA Starc (AUS) | 89* | 358 | 6/50 | 27.58 | 3.41 | 48.46 | 20 | 14 |
| DK Lillee (AUS) | 70 | 355 | 7/83 | 23.92 | 2.75 | 52.01 | 23 | 23 |
| WPUJC Vaas (SL) | 111 | 355 | 7/71 | 29.58 | 2.68 | 66.02 | 20 | 12 |
| AA Donald (SA) | 72 | 330 | 8/71 | 22.25 | 2.83 | 47.02 | 11 | 20 |
| RGD Willis (ENG) | 90 | 325 | 8/43 | 25.2 | 2.83 | 53.4 | 12 | 16 |
| TA Boult (NZ) | 78 | 317 | 6/30 | 27.49 | 3 | 54.94 | 18 | 10 |
| MG Johnson (AUS) | 73 | 313 | 8/61 | 28.4 | 3.33 | 51.12 | 16 | 12 |
| I Sharma (IND) | 105 | 311 | 7/74 | 32.4 | 3.15 | 61.6 | 10 | 11 |
| Z Khan (IND) | 92 | 311 | 7/87 | 32.94 | 3.27 | 60.4 | 15 | 11 |
| B Lee (AUS) | 76 | 310 | 5/30 | 30.81 | 3.46 | 53.32 | 17 | 10 |
| M Morkel (SA) | 86 | 309 | 6/23 | 27.66 | 3.1 | 53.39 | 18 | 8 |
| LR Gibbs (WI) | 79 | 309 | 8/38 | 29.09 | 1.98 | 87.75 | 11 | 18 |
| FS Trueman (ENG) | 67 | 307 | 8/31 | 21.57 | 2.61 | 49.43 | 19 | 17 |
| DL Underwood (ENG) | 86 | 297 | 8/51 | 25.83 | 2.1 | 73.6 | 13 | 17 |
| RA Jadeja (IND) | 72 | 294 | 7/42 | 24.13 | 2.47 | 58.61 | 13 | 13 |
| JH Kallis (ICC/SA) | 166 | 292 | 6/54 | 32.65 | 2.82 | 69.28 | 7 | 5 |
| K Rabada (SA) | 62 | 291 | 7/112 | 22.05 | 3.37 | 39.23 | 14 | 14 |
| CJ McDermott (AUS) | 71 | 291 | 8/97 | 28.63 | 3.01 | 56.99 | 17 | 14 |
| JR Hazlewood (AUS) | 70* | 272 | 6/67 | 24.75 | 2.78 | 53.3 | 10 | 12 |
| KAJ Roach (WI) | 81 | 270 | 6/48 | 27.74 | 3.1 | 53.57 | 14 | 11 |
| PJ Cummins (AUS) | 62* | 266 | 6/23 | 22.63 | 2.88 | 47.12 | 15 | 12 |
| BS Bedi (IND) | 67 | 266 | 7/98 | 28.71 | 2.14 | 80.31 | 13 | 14 |
| Danish Kaneria (PAK) | 61 | 261 | 7/77 | 34.79 | 3.07 | 67.8 | 8 | 15 |
| N Wagner (NZ) | 64 | 260 | 7/39 | 27.57 | 3.13 | 52.78 | 13 | 9 |
| J Garner (WI) | 58 | 259 | 6/56 | 20.97 | 2.47 | 50.84 | 18 | 7 |
| JN Gillespie (AUS) | 71 | 259 | 7/37 | 26.13 | 2.85 | 54.95 | 8 | 8 |
| GP Swann (ENG) | 60 | 255 | 6/65 | 29.96 | 2.98 | 60.19 | 14 | 17 |
| JB Statham (ENG) | 70 | 252 | 7/39 | 24.84 | 2.33 | 63.71 | 9 | 9 |
| MA Holding (WI) | 60 | 249 | 8/92 | 23.68 | 2.79 | 50.92 | 11 | 13 |
| R Benaud (AUS) | 63 | 248 | 7/72 | 27.03 | 2.1 | 77.04 | 16 | 16 |
| MJ Hoggard (ENG) | 67 | 248 | 7/61 | 30.5 | 3.26 | 56.08 | 13 | 7 |
| GD McKenzie (AUS) | 60 | 246 | 8/71 | 29.78 | 2.48 | 71.87 | 7 | 16 |
| Yasir Shah (PAK) | 48 | 244 | 8/41 | 31.38 | 3.22 | 58.42 | 15 | 16 |
| BS Chandrasekhar (IND) | 58 | 242 | 8/79 | 29.74 | 2.7 | 65.96 | 12 | 16 |
| AV Bedser (ENG) | 51 | 236 | 7/44 | 24.89 | 2.21 | 67.44 | 11 | 15 |
| J Srinath (IND) | 67 | 236 | 8/86 | 30.49 | 2.85 | 64 | 8 | 10 |
| Abdul Qadir (PAK) | 67 | 236 | 9/56 | 32.8 | 2.71 | 72.56 | 12 | 15 |
| GS Sobers (WI) | 93 | 235 | 6/73 | 34.03 | 2.22 | 91.91 | 8 | 6 |
| AR Caddick (ENG) | 62 | 234 | 7/46 | 29.91 | 3.09 | 57.94 | 9 | 13 |
| Shakib Al Hasan (BAN) | 66 | 233 | 7/36 | 31.06 | 2.93 | 63.41 | 10 | 19 |
| CS Martin (NZ) | 71 | 233 | 6/26 | 33.81 | 3.37 | 60.19 | 10 | 10 |
| Mohammed Shami (IND) | 64 | 229 | 6/56 | 27.71 | 3.3 | 50.28 | 12 | 6 |
| D Gough (ENG) | 58 | 229 | 6/42 | 28.39 | 3.3 | 51.62 | 14 | 9 |
| RR Lindwall (AUS) | 61 | 228 | 7/38 | 23.03 | 2.3 | 59.86 | 8 | 12 |
| SJ Harmison (ENG/ICC) | 63 | 226 | 7/12 | 31.82 | 3.22 | 59.18 | 11 | 8 |
| A Flintoff (ENG/ICC) | 79 | 226 | 5/58 | 32.78 | 2.97 | 66.15 | 11 | 3 |
| VD Philander (SA) | 64 | 224 | 6/21 | 22.32 | 2.63 | 50.85 | 8 | 13 |
| PM Siddle (AUS) | 67 | 221 | 6/54 | 30.66 | 2.92 | 62.92 | 8 | 8 |
| CL Cairns (NZ) | 62 | 218 | 7/27 | 29.4 | 3.28 | 53.66 | 11 | 13 |
| CV Grimmett (AUS) | 37 | 216 | 7/40 | 24.21 | 2.16 | 67.18 | 7 | 21 |
| HH Streak (ZIM) | 65 | 216 | 6/73 | 28.14 | 2.69 | 62.77 | 16 | 7 |
| MG Hughes (AUS) | 53 | 212 | 8/87 | 28.38 | 2.93 | 57.94 | 14 | 7 |
| SCG MacGill (AUS) | 44 | 208 | 8/108 | 29.02 | 3.22 | 54.02 | 9 | 12 |
| Saqlain Mushtaq (PAK) | 49 | 208 | 8/164 | 29.83 | 2.64 | 67.64 | 12 | 13 |
| MM Ali (ENG) | 68 | 204 | 6/53 | 37.31 | 3.62 | 61.81 | 13 | 5 |
| AME Roberts (WI) | 47 | 202 | 7/54 | 25.61 | 2.78 | 55.12 | 8 | 11 |
| JA Snow (ENG) | 49 | 202 | 7/40 | 26.66 | 2.68 | 59.5 | 12 | 8 |
| JR Thomson (AUS) | 51 | 200 | 6/46 | 28 | 3.18 | 52.67 | 16 |
