West Indian and New Zealand fast bowlers surprisingly make this list of 9 fastest to 300 Test wickets
There have been 39 international cricket bowlers who have reached the 300 Test cricket wicket landmark, a point that separates the best from the rest.
Many have toiled for years to reach the coveted 300-Test wicket club, finally, but for some, the milestone was shattered at a lightning pace.
Achieving 300 Test wickets not only required vast levels of skill, but it also required longevity and mental fortitude to keep finding line and length, over after over, and Test match after Test match.
From Englishman Fred Trueman becoming a pioneer and the first man to take 300 Test wickets in 1964, the list of Test cricket greats to have joined the prestigious club continues to grow.
Here’s a countdown of the 9 men who raced to 300 Test wickets in the fewest matches…
9. Glenn McGrath – 64 matches to 300 Test wickets
McGrath was a master of disciplined line and length, while his ability to extract bounce and movement from even the flattest of pitches made him a nightmare for batters.
The Australian quick seldom had to rely on raw pace, instead using his pinpoint precision to build pressure and break down the best batters in the world.
=7. Allan Donald – 63 matches to 300 Test wickets
Often known as ‘White Lightning’, Donald brought the perfect mix of express pace and aggression to the South African bowling attack.
He led their international Test cricket bowling group with both hostility and heart, utilising his steep bounce and late movement to beat the bat and take wickets in clumps.
=7. Shane Warne – 63 matches to 300 Test wickets
The ‘Spin King’ revolutionised the art of leg-spin bowling with his craft, competitiveness and charisma with the ball in hand – batters simply couldn’t reliably pick his variations.
He used ripping leg-breaks and deceptive flippers to reach 300 wickets with guile, flight, and an understanding of what it took to get a batter out.
=4. Dale Steyn – 61 matches to 300 Test wickets
Steyn was a truly brutal pace bowler for South Africa, with late swing, aggression and a knack for bowling 90 mph+ with ease.
He was incredibly deadly with the new ball but equally effective with the old, and his energy, accuracy, and desire to take wickets made him one of the most feared pacers in recent history.
=4. Malcolm Marshall – 61 matches to 300 Test wickets
Though not the tallest, Marshall was deceptive, skilful and vicious with his bowling, using his snappy action to generate troubling bounce and sharp movement off the deck.
Though physically relentless, it was his mental ability to outfox batters that made him the heartbeat of the West Indies’ dominant bowling attack.
=4. Richard Hadlee – 61 matches to 300 Test wickets
Hadlee treated bowling as his craft, relying on swing, seam, and razor-like precision rather than speed off the surface.
Almost always the leading wicket-taker for New Zealand, Hadlee’s ability to adapt, no matter the conditions, made him one of the most complete fast bowlers in Test cricket.
3. Muttiah Muralitharan – 58 matches to 300 Test wickets
Murali’s off-spin was as unique as it was baffling. His high-arm action, huge turn and un-pickable doosra made life extremely difficult for whoever faced his bowling.
He had a knack for running through sides quickly, especially in favourable sub-continent conditions – a true match-winner with ball in hand.
2. Dennis Lillee – 56 matches to 300 Test wickets
Lillee demonstrated the perfect combination of aggression with control, targeting batters with a mix of short ball bombardment and deceptive late swing.
He played through injuries for Australia and still dominated, making his rise to 300 Test wickets even more incredible.
1. Ravichandran Ashwin – 54 matches to 300 Test wickets
Ashwin truly mastered off-spin, especially to left-handers, using his height for turn and bounce supplemented by his intellect and variety.
From regulation off-spin to carrom balls and deceptive variations through the rough, Ashwin always had a plan and never seemed to come off second-best.