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Pakistan Bowlers With Highest Wickets In All Formats, Shaheen Afridi Yet To Enter Top 5

Aakash Saini

Pakistan bowlers with highest international wickets [Source: @ICC/x]Pakistan bowlers with highest international wickets [Source: @ICC/x]

Pakistan’s pace maverick Shaheen Afridi picked up match-winning figures of 4-51 against West Indies in the first ODI of the three-match series at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad. The speedster, aged just 25, also completed 350 wickets in international cricket in the process.

Despite breaching the landmark figure, the cricketer is yet to crack into top 10 Pakistani bowlers with the highest number of wickets across all formats, let alone top five. Following Shaheen Afridi’s milestone moment, here is a look at five most successful Pakistan bowlers in history, in terms of number of wickets.

5. Saqlain Mushtaq – 496 wickets

Legendary Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq racked up a staggering haul of 496 international wickets in his playing career. He was 27 by the time of playing his last international match for Pakistan. Saqlain started off his career during Pakistan’s all-format home series against Sri Lanka in September 1995, from where he went on to become one of the mainstays of Pakistani bowling line-up for the next decade.

He picked up 208 wickets in just 49 Test matches for Pakistan at a bowling average of 29.83. Saqlain Mushtaq snared another 288 wickets in just 165 ODI innings, at an average of 21.78.

4. Shahid Afridi – 538 wickets

Often hailed as one of the greatest ball-strikers of all time, Shahid Afridi also carved a legacy with the ball, evolving into a match-winner whose deceptive leg-spin and guile brought Pakistan countless breakthroughs on the grandest stages. The legendary all-rounder also completed his career as Pakistan’s most successful spin bowler of all time with 538 wickets, including 395 in 372 ODI innings.

Shahid Afridi scalped 98 wickets in 99 T20I matches for Pakistan, and another 48 in 27 Tests, all during his two-decade long journey between October 1996 and mid-2016.

3. Imran Khan – 544 wickets

Over 7,500 international runs, 544 wickets and a World Cup as Pakistan captain; legendary all-rounder Imran Khan has done it all for his country. Imran’s collection of 544 wickets also makes him Pakistan’s third most successful bowler of all time. Making his Test debut in June 1971 and playing up until January 1992, the cricketer picked up 362 wickets in the format in just 142 innings at a splendid bowling average of 22.81, harvesting 23 five-wicket hauls in the process.

In 153 ODI innings spanning 175 matches, Imran Khan snared 182 victims, which included the knockout blow against England at the MCG that brought Pakistan the World Cup glory of 1992.

2. Waqar Younis – 789 wickets

Fearsome fast bowler Waqar Younis formed one of world cricket’s most prolific portmanteaus with Wasim Akram. Despite being primed to get overshadowed by his senior pace mate, Waqar carved a legacy of his own, picking up 789 wickets in his international career, including 416 of them in ODIs to finish as the third highest wicket-taker in the format. The right-arm fast bowler scalped 373 wickets in just 154 innings spanning 87 Tests for Pakistan, doing so at an impressive average of 23.56 between the years November 1989 and January 2003.

Astonishingly, he amassed such a colossal tally despite hanging up his boots at just 31, leaving fans to wonder how much higher his wicket mountain could have risen had he prolonged his tear through batting line-ups.

1. Wasim Akram – 916 wickets

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram continues to remain the most successful fast bowler in ODI history, with 502 wickets to his name in just 351 innings at an average of 23.52. He also featured in 38 ODI World Cup games for Pakistan, and was the ‘Player of the Match’ of the 1992 World Cup final against England for tilting the tide of the game with his match-winning three-fer. Wasim Akram picked up another 414 wickets in Test cricket from just 181 innings, and glittered his red-ball career with 25 five-fers and five 10-wicket match hauls.