Decoding spinners with 500-plus wickets in Test cricket
Ravichandran Ashwin completed his 500th wicket in Test cricket when he dismissed Zak Crawley in the third Test between India and England in Rajkot. He became the ninth bowler and fifth spinner to achieve the milestone in Tests. Notably, he also became the second-fastest bowler to reach the sensational landmark in only 98 Test matches. Here we decode the spinners with 500-plus Test wickets.
Muthiah Muralidaran leads the charts with 800 Test wickets
Muthiah Muralidaran with 800 wickets owns the most scalps in Test cricket. The Sri Lankan legend featured in 133 Tests to achieve the record at an average of 22.72. Notably, the off-spinner has claimed 67 fifers in Test cricket, at least thirty fifers more than any other bowler in this format. He returned with as many as 22 ten-wicket match hauls in Test cricket.
Shane Warne finished with 708 Test scalps
Australian great Shane Warne finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket with 708 wickets. He completed his 500 Test wickets against SL in March 2004 in only 108 matches. Overall, the leg-spinner featured in 145 Tests across his 15-year career in the longest format. Warne finished with an impressive average of 25.41. He claimed 37 fifers and 10 ten-wicket match hauls.
Anil Kumble was India's first bowler with 500 Test wickets
Before Ashwin reached the milestone, Anil Kumble was the only Indian bowler with 500-plus wickets in Test cricket. He accomplished 500 Test wickets against England in 2006 in his 105th Test match. Overall, he is the fourth-highest wicket-taker with 619 wickets in Tests. Notably, he owns the fourth-most fifers in Test cricket (35). He is the highest wicket-taker in Tests on Indian soil (350).
Nathan Lyon recently surpassed 500 scalps
Of the active bowlers, only Australia's Nathan Lyon is ahead of Ashwin with 517 Test wickets. The veteran off-spinner completed 500 scalps against Pakistan in Perth, December 2023. It took him 123 Test matches to complete the milestone. Overall, he has claimed 517 wickets at 30.73, returning with 23 fifers. Notably, he became the first spinner to play 100 consecutive Test matches.
Second Indian bowler with 500 Test wickets
Ashwin became the latest bowler to accomplish 500 Test scalps. Notably, Ashwin owns the most wickets for India against England in Test cricket (98). Ashwin now needs just a couple of scalps to become the second bowler after James Anderson (145) to complete 100 wickets in India-England Tests. Overall, he has claimed 34 Test fifers at an average of 23.92.
