Elite list: Top 5 bowlers with most international wickets since 2018
In the past couple of years, we have witnessed some high-quality bowling at the international level. Even though spinners have been mighty effective during this time, the fast bowlers take the cake with their fearsome performances. Let us take a look at the top 5 bowlers with the most international wickets since 2018:
5. Tim Southee – 154 wickets
The New Zealand pacer Tim Southee has been at the peak of his career since 2015. Even though he has not regularly featured in the limited-overs set-up, his red-ball performances have kept him recurring. Since 2018, he has played 72 matches and picked up 154 wickets for his country. During this time, his bowling average and strike rate has been 26.34 and 40.6. His economy has been quite good as well, standing at 3.88.
4. Jasprit Bumrah – 154 wickets
Ever since his debut in 2016, Jasprit Bumrah has remained one of the top bowlers in the world. Initially emerging as a white-ball specialist, he has moulded his game perfectly to perform equally well in Test cricket. He has been a key reason for India’s success across formats for the past couple of years, in home and away conditions. During this time, he has picked up 154 wickets from 72 matches. His bowling average is among the best during this time, standing at 24.07. His strike rate has been 41.2 while the economy has been 3.50.
3. Trent Boult – 154 wickets
The New Zealand left-arm swing bowler Trent Boult has been mighty accurate with his lengths and has been rewarded in all sorts of conditions. He has been one of the pillars of his country’s cricket team and is a major reason why New Zealand has done well across formats in the last few years. Since 2018, Boult has picked up 154 wickets at the international level in just 64 matches across formats. He has taken those wickets at an average and strike rate of 27.08 and 41.7 respectively. His best bowling figures in an innings was 6 for 30.
2. Mitchell Starc – 155 wickets
The Australian left-arm pacer was sensational in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, where he became the highest wicket-taker for the second time in back to back editions. His pace has been quite effective in the past couple of years and a little bit of change in action has also helped him to gain a little more accuracy. Since 2018, he has featured in 63 matches for Australia and managed to take 155 wickets with an average of 28.01. His strike rate has been 40.8.
1. Pat Cummins – 196 wickets
The Australian fast bowler has been arguably the most consistent bowler in world cricket in the past few years. The numbers are complete proof of all the praises he gets. He has been carrying Australia’s bowling unit on his shoulders with regular performances. Starting from 2018, Pat Cummins has taken a record 196 wickets across three formats for Australia. He has played only 70 matches during this time. His bowling average has been 22.34 while the strike rate has been 39.5.
