Top 10 Bowlers with most international wickets in won matches

Top 10 Bowlers with most international wickets in won matches: Cricket is said to be a game dominated by the batsmen and bowling has never been an easy task. But, bowlers have the ability to change the situation of a match more than a batsman does. Few quick wickets and the momentum shifts immediately towards one of the either playing sides. Apart from being exceptional wicket takers, every premier bowler is also a remarkable match winner for their respective teams. Be it any format, these bowlers are crucial assets for their teams. Some of their match-winning performances are unforgettable. Such bowlers have mastery over their skills. Whether a quick or a spinner, bowlers have a variety of skills which make them a worrying factor for the opposing batsman. Here are the Top 10 Bowlers with most international wickets in won matches: 10. Makaya Ntini (South Africa) – 426: Makhaya Ntini. (© Getty Images) Standing at 5ft 9 in, Makaya Ntini was neither tall nor intimidating like his fast bowling contemporaries. His strength was his accuracy. He could bowl marathon spells and had amazing bowling stamina. Be it any format, Ntini survived the challenge put in front of him. He played 101 Test matches, 173 ODIs and 10 T20Is for South Africa. Overall, he took 662 wickets in his playing career out of which 426 wickets have come in winning efforts. 9. Dale Steyn (South Africa) – 435: Dale Steyn. (© Getty Images) Dale Steyn is a dream fast bowler for every captain. Usually, a seam up bowler either has the express speed or he would possess swing and accuracy. But, Steyn has both these valuable qualities in him and has troubled the best batsmen in the world. He can bowl fearsomely fast and swing the ball prodigiously at the same time. Dale is currently the leading fast bowler in the world and has taken 632 wickets in his career. He also has an amazing 435 wickets in winning cause for the Proteas. 8. Anil Kumble (India) – 486: Anil Kumble. (© PRAKASH SINGH/AFP/Getty Images) Anil Kumble was a leg spinner with a difference, he was unique and a rare form of bowler. You identify spinners as the bowlers who flight the ball and turn the ball sharply. However, Kumble was completely contrasting to the orthodox definition of a spin bowler. He bowled flat at almost medium pace and his delivery spun very little. He relied on the bounce, the unpredictability of the surface and his flippers to spring a surprise at the batsman to take wickets. Kumble was the leading spinner for India (easily the greatest) for more than one and half decades. He is the highest wicket-taker amongst Indians with 956 scalps to his credit and 486 wickets out of them have come in “won” matches. 7. Waqar Younis (Pakistan) – 500: Waqar Younis. (Photo Source: Reuters) Waqar Younis, along with Wasim Akram, was one-half of most feared fast bowling duos of Pakistan in the nineties. Easily one of the fastest bowlers of all time, he was more effective with the old ball than the newer one. He was the master of reverse swing bowling which was his main weapon. His yorkers were impeccable and lethal. Waqar Younis has a combined number of 789 wickets to his name. Also, he has taken a staggering 500 wickets in the matches which Pakistan won. 6. Shaun Pollock (South Africa) – 524: Shaun Pollock. (Photo Source: AFP) Shaun Pollock can be considered as a bowling all rounder. The former captain of South Africa was the masterly seam bowler. Pollock established himself as one of the premier fast bowlers in the world within a short span of time. He represented South Africa in 108 Test matches, 303 ODIs and 12 T20I. Overall, he took 829 wickets in his illustrious career. Out of the 800+ wickets he took in his career, Pollock has 524 dismissals which have come in “won” matches for South Africa. 5. Brett Lee (Australia) – 535: Brett Lee. (© Getty Images) Brett Lee is recognized as the fastest bowler of the last decade in world cricket. He had the looks of an actor, always smiling and a humble human being. However, judging him with these characteristics turned out to be grave mistakes for many batsmen around the world. He was a genuine quick with an outstanding ability to pick wickets regularly. He took 718 wickets in his playing career. His best bowling figures were 5/22 which came against South Africa at Melbourne in 2006. The most intriguing fact, however, is that 535 wickets out those came in the matches in which Australia emerged victorious. 4. Wasim Akram (Pakistan) – 537: Wasim Akram. (Photo Source: PA Photos ) The other half of the two W’s of Pakistan, Wasim Akram combined his nippy pace with his unerring ability to swing the ball both ways. He was very lethal, perhaps more troublesome to play than Waqar in a few ways. Akram is the best left-arm fast bowler to have ever born. He made the ball talk like no other. His whippy, quick arm action also generated the threat of a deceptive bouncer or an inswinging yorker. This capability made him a very useful death over bowler. Known as the “Sultan of Swing,” 537 wickets out of his 916 dismissals have come in winning cause for Pakistan. 3. Glenn McGrath (Australia) – 717: Glenn McGrath. (© Getty Images) From a batsman’s point of view, to face a bowler with a seamless ability to bowl at the same line and length will definitely make him uncomfortable while batting at the crease. Such bowlers are rare. There have been only a handful of bowlers who had this reputation and Glenn McGrath was one of them. He is easily the greatest fast bowler of his time. He made his Test debut against New Zealand at Perth on 12th November 1993 and ODI debut against South Africa at Melbourne on 9th December 1993. He played 124 Tests and 250 ODIs. McGrath has taken 717 wickets in winning games for Australia in his career. His best bowling figures were 8/24 which came against Pakistan at Perth in 2006. 2. Shane Warne (Australia) – 724: Shane Warne. (© Getty Images) Shane Warne is the greatest of all leg spinners to have ever played the game. He is not an uncomplicated character as a bowler and to describe is very easy. He was best at bowling wild leg breaks and playing mind games. The chubby leg spinner is regarded as one of the biggest match-winner for Australia. He was synonymous to controversies in his career but at the same exemplified the art of leg spin. In a way, he was hugely responsible for its revival and added style to it, making it fashionable once again. Warne has 1001 wickets to his name out of which 724 wickets came in the matches Australia won. His best bowling figures are 8/71 which came against England in the first Test of the 1994 Ashes series at Brisbane. 1. Muthiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) – 816: Muttiah Muralitharan. (© WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images) Muthiah Muralitharan can be regarded as the greatest bowler of them all. He leads the wicket-takers charts in both Tests and ODIs. Controversies kept troubling him throughout his career, but that could not dent his performance on the field. He kept breaking and creating records one after the other. Murali was a wrist spinning off-spinner, who used his wrists to turn the ball. Add the deceptive “doosra” to it, and he becomes a nightmare for the batsmen. He was unplayable in favourable conditions. Murali played 495 international matches for Sri Lanka and took a colossal 1347 wickets in his career almost spanning two decades. 816 wicket out of his overall career wickets have come during victories for Sri Lanka. Also Read – Top 10 Highest Wicket Takers In International Cricket (All Stats Updated Till 3rd December, 2015)