Top 10 bowlers with most number of balls bowled in International Cricket

Top 10 bowlers with most number of balls bowled in International Cricket: Bowlers are the much less appreciated part of the game of Cricket. The batsmen get all the glory and fame for making runs against bowlers. But there are only a handful of bowlers who are as famous as some of the batsmen in Cricket. Bowlers are someone who have to do more physical exertion in a game by bowling 10 overs in One Day match, and unlimited numbers of overs in 2 innings of a Test match. That excludes the numerous overs bowled in T20 leagues, net sessions, domestic matches and other games. Here are Top 10 bowlers with most number of balls bowled in International Cricket: 10. Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka/ Asia 1994-2009) Mt: 439 Balls: 39345 Wkts: 761 He holds the World Record for best bowling figures in an ODI, 8-19 against Zimbabwe. (Photo Source: Reuters ) Chaminda Vaas who served Sri Lanka with distinction from 1994 to 2009 is a perfect example of smart bowler in cricket. Vaas was a left arm fast medium bowler who could swing the ball both ways in the air and off the pitch and very clever death overs bowler in ODIS. He holds the World Record for best bowling figures in an ODI, 8-19 against Zimbabwe. 9. Shaun Pollock (South Africa/ Africa/ICC 1995-2008) Mt:423 Balls: 40308 Wkts: 829 Pollock has taken 4 wickets in 4 balls in First class cricket. (Photo Source: AFP) Shaun Pollock was the backbone of South Africa in the late 1990s till his retirement in 2008. Pollock came from an illustrious cricketing family where both his uncle the great Graeme and father, Peter played for South Africa with distinction. Pollock was a line and length bowler who used to tire the batsman with accuracy. Pollock also captained the Proteas from 2000 to 2003. Considered one of the best all-rounders in his time, Pollock was used to bowling long spells in Test matches. Pollock has taken 4 wickets in 4 balls in First class cricket. 8. Wasim Akram (Pakistan 1984-2003) Mt:460 Balls: 40813 Wkts: 916 Wasim Akram was the first bowler to take 2 hat tricks in both Test and ODIs. (Photo Source : PA Photos ) Akram broke onto the international scene as a 18 year old left arm tearaway quick bowler. He honed his skills under the great Imran Khan and made his name in the 1992 World cup final, where he took 3 wickets to demolish England and win the World cup for Pakistan. Considered as the best left arm fast bowler of all time, Wasim Akram was quick even at the end of his career. Bowling from a short or long run up, he had a very fast whip like action which swung the ball in to the right handed batsman dangerously. Akram picked up 414 Test wickets and 502 ODI wickets, the first to take 500 wickets in One Day matches. He also captained Pakistan 3 times and in the 1996 and 1999 World Cups. Wasim Akram was the first bowler to take 2 hat tricks in both Test and ODIs. 7. Courtney Walsh (West Indies 1984-2001) Mt: 337 Balls: 40841 Wkts: 746 Courtney Walsh became the first person to take 500 Test wickets when he trapped Jacques Kallis LBW in his penultimate test in 2001. (Photo Source: Getty Images) One of the greatest workhorse bowlers for West Indies, Courtney Walsh made up in guile and skills, what he lacked in pace like his other teammates. He used to keep bowling long spells and never seemed to get tired at all. He debuted in 1984, when the greats like Andy Roberts, Michael Holding and Joel Garner were either retired or on the verge of retiring. He partnered another genius fast bowler in Malcolm Marshall and made one of the greatest opening bowling pairs with the 6ft 8in Curtly Ambrose. Courtney Walsh became the first person to take 500 Test wickets when he trapped Jacques Kallis LBW in his penultimate test in 2001. 6. Harbhajan Singh (India/Asia 1998-2013) Mt: 361 Balls: 41383 Wkts: 704 Harbhajan Singh was the first Indian to take a hat trick in Test matches, against Australia in the epic series of 2001. (Photo Source: Getty Images) The currently out of favour Indian off spinner Harbhajan Singh is 6th on our list of most balls bowled. As a spinner and being from an Asian team, he had the onus of bowling the most balls in the Test format. Harbhajan debuted as a 17 year old against Australia in 1998. Since then, he has been a valuable player in the Indian team. More so after the retirement of Anil Kumble in 2008. Harbhajan Singh also won the World cup in 2011 with the Indian team, but since then, his form dropped considerably and he has been out of contention for selection. Harbhajan Singh was the first Indian to take a hat trick in Test matches, against Australia in the epic series of 2001. 5. Glenn McGrath (Australia/ ICC 1993-2007) Mt: 376 Balls: 42266 Wkts: 949 Glen Mcgrath hold the world record for most wickets by a fast bowler in Test arena. (Photo Source: Reuters ) Perhaps the greatest modern fast bowler, Glenn McGrath has had an illustrious career spanning 14 years, which includes 3 World cup wins. He was also a part of a team that was number 1 from 1998-2007 in the test arena. McGrath himself is considered one of the greatest pace bowlers to ever play cricket and his 949 international wickets are proof of it. Australia were fortunate enough to have McGrath and Warne playing together at the same time which helped them dominated the modern era of cricket to this extent. Glen Mcgrath hold the world record for most wickets by a fast bowler in Test arena. 4. Daniel Vettori (New Zealand/ICC 1997-2015) Mt: 442 Balls: 43661 Wkts: 705 Daniel Vettori. (Photo Source: AFP) Kiwi spinner made his debut at the age of 17 in 1997 and has served the New Zealand cricket tirelessly. Daniel Vettori is regarded as the best left arm spinner in today’s cricket and has an envious record in every form of the game. Vettori was the answer for New Zealand’s prayer for a world class spinner. He is also handy with the bat and has batted as high as number 5 in the test team and is considered as an all-rounder. A clever spinner in classic mould, Vettori relies on the flight and revolutions on the ball to deceive the batsmen, rather than bowling the doosra or some other delivery. He is skilled at the art of containing the batsman until he makes a mistake. This is evident from his 362 wickets in test arena to go with 305 in One Day format. 3. Shane Warne (Australia/ ICC 1992-2007) Mt:339 Balls: 51347 Wkts: 1001 Warne ended his career with 708 Test and 293 ODI wickets. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Shane Warne made the almost dead art of leg spin bowling famous again in 1993 with his ball of the century to England’s Mike Gatting. He also bought back the value of playing a leg spinner in limited overs format. Along with contemporary Anil Kumble, Warne made leg spin bowling fancy again. He could turn the ball a mile on any surface. Whether it was fast pitch of Perth or a square turner in Bangalore, he could spin the ball with deadly accuracy anywhere. He also had the character to go with his skills and he paid a price in 2003 when he was banned for a year for using prohibited drugs just before the 2003 World cup. He retired from the One day format, but continued playing test cricket. He became the first bowler to take 600 and 700 wickets in test arena and had a very exciting contest with Muralitharan on who would take the most wickets. Warne ended his career with 708 Test and 293 ODI wickets. 2. Anil Kumble (India/ Asia 1990-2008) Mt: 403 Balls: 55346 Wkts: 956 He is the most wicket taker for India in both Tests and ODI formats. (Photo Source: AFP) The most successful Indian spinner ever and former India captain, Anil Kumble singularly shouldered the spinning duties for India for a long time. Anil Kumble debuted in 1990 as a spectacle wearing, lanky spinner who hopped to the crease and didn’t seem to spin the ball much. As he gained experience, he added the top spinner, wrong one to his quiver of skills. Former South African batsman Daryll Cullinan once said that he used to play Kumble like a medium pace bowler. Kumble used to keep bowling from one end unchanged on dead Indian pitches, but he was also successful in places like South Africa and Australia. Also holds many records such as being the second bowler ever to take 10 wickets in an innings, a feat he accomplished against Pakistan in Delhi in 1999. He also once bowled with a broken jaw in a Test match against West Indies, taking the wicket of Brian Lara before going to the hospital. He is the most wicket taker for India in both Tests and ODI formats. 1. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka 1992-2011) Mt: 495 Balls: 63132 Wkts: 1347 He is the only bowler in the world to take two 9 wicket hauls in Test cricket. (Photo Source: AFP) The Sri Lankan wizard, who had to play with everyone scrutinizing his action, which is unique due to a deformity in his arm he was born with. But he overcame that and went on to become the bowler with most wickets in Test and ODIs in international cricket. Muralitharan made his debut in 1992 and was a part of 1996 World cup winning Sri Lankan team, but he came into his own after 1998. He regularly started picking up wickets at the rate of 7-8 wickets per match in test cricket. He always used to bowl unchanged from one end and bowled an average of 50 overs per innings in his Test career. A true genius in every form, he performed everywhere in the world and in every format. He ended up with an astonishing 800 Tests and 534 ODI wickets, both of them World records. He is the only bowler in the world to take two 9 wicket hauls in Test cricket. (All stats updated till 12th September, 2015)