ODI Records
Most Wickets in ICC Cricket World Cup History — All-Time Leaderboard
Glenn McGrath has taken the most wickets in ICC Cricket World Cup history, with 71 wickets.
71 wickets
Wickets
Wickets
71
Lead over #2 (Muttiah Muralitharan)
3
Top 8 All-Time ODI Records
Ranked among the 8 players currently tracked in CricLegacy's stats database.
| # | Player | Country | Mat | Inn | Wkts | Avg | Econ | BBI | 5W | 4W | Mdns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glenn McGrath | Australia | 39 | — | 71 wickets | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | Muttiah Muralitharan | Sri Lanka | 40 | — | 68 wickets | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | Mitchell Starc | Australia | 28 | — | 65 wickets | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | Lasith Malinga | Sri Lanka | 29 | — | 56 wickets | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | Wasim Akram | United Arab Emirates | 38 | — | 55 wickets | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | Mitchell Johnson | Australia | 22 | — | 52 wickets | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | Chaminda Vaas | Sri Lanka | 31 | — | 49 wickets | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | Zaheer Khan | India | 23 | — | 44 wickets | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wickets Leader by Country
Australia
Glenn McGrath71
Sri Lanka
Muttiah Muralitharan68
United Arab Emirates
Wasim Akram55
India
Zaheer Khan44
Methodology & Data Source
Covers men's ODI cricket only. Based on the 8 players currently tracked in CricLegacy's ODI bowling stats database, sourced from our own match records. As more historical players are added to the database, this leaderboard will expand accordingly. Career totals across all ODI Cricket World Cup tournaments. Curated from published match records, not computed from CricLegacy’s own match database.
Last updated 24 August 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has the most wickets in ODI cricket?
Glenn McGrath has taken the most wickets in ICC Cricket World Cup history, with 71 wickets.
Who is closest to the all-time ODI wickets record?
Muttiah Muralitharan is closest among currently tracked players, with 68 — 3 behind Glenn McGrath.