Top 10 Bowlers with most wickets in List A cricket

Top 10 Bowlers with most wickets in List A cricket: Bowlers have always had a much more tough time than batsmen in limited overs cricket. They have to follow very tough rules and have to bowl with field restrictions, while the batsmen are free to hit anywhere they wish. Still some of bowlers in the List A history have managed to pick up wickets despite the handicaps placed on them in form of rules. Here the Top 10 Bowlers with most wickets in List A cricket: 10. Derek Underwood (1963-1987) M: 411 W: 572 BB: 8/31 5 wkts in an innings: 8 Derek Underwood has 572 List A Career wickets in 411 matches. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Nicknamed ‘Deadly’ for his ability to run through an opposition on a rain affected pitch, Derek Underwood was the perfect spinner in the then newly limited overs format. Underwood was a tall left handed orthodox bowler. He main weapons were accuracy and the pace at which he bowled, which was near to a medium pace bowler. Underwood spent his career at English county Kent and he was very effective in limited overs format due to his accuracy and nagging line length. In a career spanning 24 years, he took 572 wickets with best bowling figures of 8/31. 9. Shaun Pollock (1992-2008) M: 435 W: 573 BB: 6/21 5 wkts in an innings: 7 South-African Shaun Pollock has 573 List A Career wickets in 435 games. (Photo Source: AFP) Shaun Pollock burst onto the cricket scene with 4 wickets in 4 balls on his English county debut. Nephew of the great Graeme Pollock and son of former South African fast bowler Peter, Shaun had big shoes to fill and he more than filled them up. Pollock made his List A debut with KwaZulu-Natal in 1992-93 and his South Africa debut in 1995. He formed a formidable opening bowling pair with Allan Donald and picked up wickets with his nagging line and length and off cutters. Pollock played for Warwickshire and Durham in English county and in all took 573 List A wickets. He was made captain of South Africa after the Hansie Cronje match fixing saga in 2000 and was removed after South Africa’s group stage exit in the 2003 World cup at home. 8. Darren Gough (1990-2008) M: 420 W: 598 BB: 7/27 5 wkts in an innings: 7 Darren Gough has 598 wickets his 420 List A Career games. (Photo Source:Getty Images) The short and stocky Darren Gough headed the English fast bowling in the mid-1990s with both speed and swing. He made his List A debut with Essex in 1989 and his English debut in 1994. Gough was a character on field often engaging in banter with the batsmen, umpires and the crowd. Gough was also the first Englishman to successfully exploit the art of reverse swing. A perfect foil for the mild mannered Andy Caddick, Gough complimented his calm demeanor with a fiery personality. Darren Gough retired from List A in 2006 after a recurring knee problem ended his playing days. He ended with 598 List A wickets. 7. Sir Ian Botham (1972-1993) M: 470 W: 612 BB: 5/27 5 wkts in an innings: 3 Sir Ian Botham, one of the greatest all-rounder ever in cricket history, he has 612 List A Career wickets in 470 matches. (Photo Source:Getty Images) Sir Ian Botham was the foremost English all-rounder in the 1980s. He was a predominantly swing bowler with decent pace and bounce. Botham also was a very dangerous batsman who once changed the course of a whole Ashes series in 1981. Botham was also a successful limited over player. Though he was not as flashy as he was in Test matches, he was more than better in limited overs. Botham played for counties like Durham, Somerset and Warwickshire apart from representing England. In a career spanning from 1973-1993, he played 470 List A matches and took 612 wickets at an average of 24.94 with a best bowling of 5/27. 6. John Emburey (1975-2000) M: 536 W: 647 BB: 5/23 5 wkts in an innings: 3 John Emburey had a List A career that started in 1975 and ended in 2000.(Photo Source: Getty Images) John Emburey had a List A career that started in 1975 and ended in 2000. He was a brilliant right arm off break bowler who served England for 64 Tests and 61 One Day matches. He is mostly remembered for his looping action and making spin popular in limited overs before Shane Warne appeared on the scene. He also played for Middlesex and Northamptonshire in county cricket. He ended his career with 647 wickets in 536 List A games with an economy of 3.82. 5. Waqar Younis (1988-2004) M: 411 W: 674 BB: 7/36 5 wkts in an innings: 17 Waqar Younis has taken 674 wickets in 411 matches of his List A Career. (Photo Source: Reuters) The sultan of swing and Yorkers, Waqar Younis burst onto the scene of international cricket alongside Sachin Tendulkar in the same Test in 1989. He made his List A debut in 1988 and has played for teams like Karachi, Lahore, National Bank of Pakistan. An out and out pace bowler with terrific control on swing, Younis also possessed a lethal in-swinging Yorker which was good enough to break the batsman’s toes. Waqar Younis formed a fabled opening bowling combo with the number one entrant on this list, Wasim Akram and terrorised the batsmen in 1990s. Add reverse swing and control over line and length, Younis was the most complete bowler of his time. He played 411 matches in List A till 2003 and pickd up 674 wickets with 416 ODI wickets in them. He picked all these wickets at a great average of 22.37 and with an economy of 4.56. His best bowling of 7/36 was the second best bowling figures in ODI cricket for a year. 4. John Lever (1986-1990) M: 481 W: 674 BB: 5/8 5 wkts in an innings: 8 John Lever has 674 wickets in his 481 List A Career matches. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Former Essex and England left arm pacer John Lever took 674 wickets in 481 List A matches. His career spanned from 1968-1990. Lever picked all these wickets at an average of just 19.70 and economy of 3.43. He is famous for his stamina and a lethal ins-winging delivery which was bowled with a slightly side arm action. 3. Mutthaih Muralitharan (1991-2011) M: 453 W: 682 BB: 7/30 5 wkts in an innings: 12 Mutthaih Muralitharan, The wizard of Emerald Island and current world record holder for most wickets in ODIs lies in the 3rd place in this list. (Photo Source : Associated Press) The wizard of Emerald Island and current world record holder for most wickets in both Tests (800) and ODIs (534) lies in the 3rd place in this list. Muralitharan single-handedly won matches for Sri Lanka on any pitch. He used to just bowl and bowl until batsmen made mistakes and lost their wickets. Murali played for teams like Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club, Kent and Gloucestershire apart from Sri Lanka in List A cricket. He picked up a total of 682 wickets with an average of 22.39. 2. Allan Donald (1985-2004) M: 458 W: 684 BB: 6/15 5 wkts in an innings: 11 Allan Donald, also known as ‘White Lightning’ was one of the fastest bowlers in the world in early to mid-1990s. (Photo Source: ESPNcricinfo Ltd) Allan Donald, also known as ‘White Lightning’ was one of the fastest bowlers in the world in early to mid-1990s. Donald was the spearhead of the reintegrated South African team in international cricket and he made an immediate impact, picking up 5 wickets on his ODI debut against India in 1991. Donald made his List A debut in 1985 and he played for teams like Orange Free State, Free State and English counties like Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Allan Donald was devastatingly fast with a lethal bouncer and a good yorker thanks to his speed which exceeded 142kmph on good days. He was also very accurate in his line and length, hence was very difficult to hit in the death overs. Donald contributed immensely to the successful establishment of the South African team in 1990s. He bid his goodbye to international cricket after a disappointing 2003 world cup where he picked just 1 wicket. He is now the bowling coach of South African cricket team. 1. Wasim Akram (1984-2003) M: 594 W: 881 BB: 5/10 5 wkts in an innings: 12 Wasim Akram is considered the greatest left arm fast bowler and is counted amongst the top 5 greatest fast bowlers of all time. (Photo Source : PA Photos ) Wasim Akram is considered the greatest left arm fast bowler and is counted amongst the top 5 greatest fast bowlers of all time. He had it all- pace, swing, bounce, reverse swing, yorker, slow ball everything. It also helped that he as mentored by the great Imran Khan and Javed Miandad when he made his entry into international cricket. Akram had a very slingy side on action which helped him hide the ball in his hand till the very last moment. Wasim Akram, along with Waqar Younis formed the greatest modern era opening bowler pair. Wasim Akram had complete mastery over almost every aspect of the ball. Swing, reverse swing, he could bowl a lethal yorker that tailed in to both left and right handed batsmen. Akram was the first bowler to take 2 hat-tricks in ODI cricket and the first one to reach the 500 wicket milestone in the 2003 World cup. He also captained Pakistan in 1997, 1999 and 2001. In all the most complete bowler ever to play cricket. He took 881 List A wickets at 21.91 average and economy of 3.89. (All Stats Updated Till 24th July, 2015)