In the game of cricket, more often than not, a player is evaluated on the basis of his record in World Cups. However, Glenn McGrath of Australia doesn’t need to show his World Cup stats to prove his greatness. But his record in the prestigious tournament only adds to his greatness.
McGrath holds the record for the most wickets in Cricket World Cup history. He has 71 wickets to his name from 39 matches. The pacer featured in 4 World Cups from 1996 to 2007. Australia won 3 titles and ended up as the runners up once in those editions. McGrath was one of the premier reasons for the legacy of Australian cricket in that era.
Another name doesn’t need any introduction is Muttiah Muralitharan. The highest wicket-taker in international cricket features at No.2 on the list of most wickets in World Cups. The Sri Lankan bagged 68 wickets from 39 innings spanning 5 editions of the tournament.
| Most wickets in Cricket World Cup history | ||||||||
| Player | Span | Matches | Innings | Overs | Mdns | Wickets | BBI | Average |
| Glenn McGrath (AUS) | 1996-2007 | 39 | 39 | 325.5 | 42 | 71 | 7/15 | 18.19 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) | 1996-2011 | 40 | 39 | 343.3 | 15 | 68 | 4/19 | 19.63 |
| Wasim Akram (PAK) | 1987-2003 | 38 | 36 | 324.3 | 17 | 55 | 5/28 | 23.83 |
| Chaminda Vaas (SL) | 1996-2007 | 31 | 31 | 261.4 | 39 | 49 | 6/25 | 21.22 |
| Zaheer Khan (IND) | 2003-2011 | 23 | 23 | 198.5 | 12 | 44 | 4/42 | 20.22 |
| Javagal Srinath (IND) | 1992-2003 | 34 | 33 | 283.2 | 21 | 44 | 4/30 | 27.81 |
| Lasith Malinga (SL) | 2007-2015 | 22 | 21 | 170.4 | 7 | 43 | 6/38 | 21.11 |
| Allan Donald (SA) | 1992-2003 | 25 | 25 | 218.5 | 14 | 38 | 4/17 | 24.02 |
| Jacob Oram (NZ) | 2003-2011 | 23 | 23 | 182.2 | 21 | 36 | 4/39 | 21.33 |
| Daniel Vettori (NZ) | 2003-2015 | 32 | 31 | 281.3 | 12 | 36 | 4/18 | 32.44 |
Also Read: Who will win the ODI World Cup 2019? Here are the top 5 contenders
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