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Marizanne Kapp destroys England with 5-fer; Most wickets in Women’s World Cup history

Aakash Saini

Most wickets in Women World Cup [Source: @AusWomenCricket, @ProteasWomenCSA, @KnightsVibe/x]Most wickets in Women World Cup [Source: @AusWomenCricket, @ProteasWomenCSA, @KnightsVibe/x]

Marizanne Kapp skittled England Women in the first semifinal of the 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup in Guwahati. The speedster claimed career-best ODI figures of 5-20 on the big day to fire South Africa into their first-ever World Cup final.

Additionally, through the course of her spell, Marizanne Kapp also became the most successful bowler in the history of ICC Women’s World Cup matches. Celebrating Kapp’s landmark moment, here is an updated look at five bowlers with the highest number of wickets to their names in ICC Women World Cup history.

5. Carole Hodges (England Women) – 37 wickets

Former England off-spinner Carole Hodges picked up 37 wickets in 24 ICC Women World Cup games between the years 1982 and 1993. The cricketer held an impressive tournament bowling average of just 14.86, one of the best among all bowlers with more than 30 wickets to their names. She played a crucial role in helping England win the 1993 ICC World Cup at home. Notably, Carole’s World Cup collection of 37 sticks also constitutes a major share of her career ODI wickets, i.e., 58 wickets in 41 innings.

4. Megan Schutt (Australia Women) – 39 wickets

Legendary fast bowler Megan Schutt is Australia’s joint-most successful bowler in the history of ICC Women World Cups. The speedster also played a key role in Australia clinching the 2013 and 2022 World Cup titles in India and New Zealand respectively. In 28 World Cup games, Megan Schutt has snared 39 wickets at an impressive bowling average of 25.53, all while maintaining an economy rate of just 4.44. Despite her reputation, Schutt is yet to fire up the ongoing 2025 World Cup, as she has managed to pick up just five wickets in her first five appearances of the tournament so far.

3. Lyn Fullston (Australia Women) – 39 wickets

Late Australian left-arm spinner Lyn Fullston claimed 73 ODI wickets in her 41-match career between the years 1982 and 1988. Remarkably, she collected 39 of those wickets in ICC Women World Cup games alone, taking just 20 innings to rack up such an astonishing haul. Lyn Fullston’s bowling average of 11.94 is also the best among all World Cup bowlers with 30 or more wickets, let alone 39. The two five-wicket hauls she secured in her ODI career, both occurred in World Cup matches. To cap her glittering international profile, Fullston played and won both World Cup editions (1982 and 1988) along with her teammates.

2. Jhulan Goswami (India Women) – 43 wickets

Former India fast bowler Jhulan Goswami snared 43 wickets in 34 ICC Women World Cup matches spanning five different editions between the years 2005 and 2022. While the decorated Indian cricketer never lifted the coveted silverware in her career, she came agonizingly close in the 2005 and 2017 editions in South Africa and England respectively. Jhulan Goswami maintained a controlled bowling average of 21.74 and a tight economy rate of 3.45, all while bowling in an era when T20 cricket was rapidly molding ODI’s run-scoring rate. Remarkably, Goswami is also the leading wicket-taker in ODI history overall with 255 sticks in just 203 innings.

1. Marizanne Kapp (South Africa Women) – 44 wickets

Legendary South Africa all-rounder Marizanne Kapp became World Cup cricket’s most prolific bowler after decimating England in the first semifinal of the 2025 edition of the tournament. She picked up five wickets in the game to race past Jhulan Goswami’s collection of 43 sticks, and is currently sitting on an illustrious pile of 44 wickets from 28 Women World Cup innings at an average of 20.81 and a strike rate of 28.43. Both of Marizanne Kapp’s ODI five-wicket hauls have also occurred within the grand theatre of the ICC World Cup.