Fastest to 50 wickets in World Cup history

The ODI World Cup has seen several legendary bowlers grab the spotlight as they bowled their team to victory from the most unwinnable situations. In the history of the World Cup, a few bowlers have etched their names with golden words with their marvellous performances. So far only seven bowlers have taken over fifty wickets in World Cup history. However, there have been a few who have reached the landmark much more quickly than others. On that note, let’s take a look at the top three bowlers with the fastest to 50 wickets in World Cup history:

3. Lasith Malinga (25 innings)

The Sri Lankan speedster made a name for himself with his pin-point yorkers delivered through his slingy action. Malinga rose to fame after picking four wickets in four balls against South Africa in the 2007 World Cup. He went on to pick 50 wickets in just 25 innings and finished his World Cup career with 56 wickets from 28 innings at an average of 22.87 and an economy of 5.51.

2. Mitchell Starc (19 innings)

The left-arm speedster rose to fame with his sensational five-wicket haul against New Zealand in the 2015 edition which almost won the game for Australia in a low-scoring match. Starc finished as the leading wicket-taker of consecutive editions of the World Cup in 2015 and 2019 and got his name among the legends. Starc reached fifty wickets in just 19 innings in the World Cup making him the second fastest player to achieve the milestone. Starc has so far scalped 62 wickets in World Cup career from 27 innings at an average of 19.33 and an economy of 5.14.

1. Mohammed Shami (17 innings)

Shami has been on record record-breaking spree thanks to his performance in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023. The speedster became the leading wicket-taker for India in the history of the World Cup leaving behind Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath. The 33-year-old went on to complete fifty wickets in just 17 innings and currently has 54 wickets to his name at an average of 12.90 and an economy of 5.05.