Cricket
Best ODI World Cup Bowlers of All Time – Ranking the Greatest Performers
The ODI World Cup has always courted plenty of drama, and it has also kept cricket fans engrossed over the years. Usually, the batsmen take more of the plaudits for their exploits, but the bowlers deserve plenty of credit too. It is the bowlers who have turned games on their head with either a dot ball to ramp up the pressure, or more crucially, a wicket, to swing a match in their side’s favour. Some are considered great death bowlers, making an impact in the final few overs, while others produce their best stuff in the early stages of a contest.
Glenn McGrath of Australia//Getty Images
Either way, SportsBoom has ploughed through the available data, checked, and cross-referenced all the stats to ensure they are up-to-date. From this, we have determined the best ODI World Cup bowlers of all time, so check out our comprehensive guide.
Top Bowlers in ODI World Cup History
Whether it is suggesting the best cricket betting sites for punters to explore ahead of ODI matches or you wish to marvel at incredible displays, our research is steeped in crunching through the stats.
We have sourced our findings from a range of highly respected digital cricketing publications to discover who is the best ODI World Cup bowler of all time. Our table illustrates this.
Performance Table
| Player | Wickets | Average | Economy |
| Glenn McGrath (AUS) | 71 | 18.19 | 3.96 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) | 68 | 19.63 | 3.88 |
| Mitchell Starc (AUS) | 65 | 19.29 | 5.15 |
| Lasith Malinga (SL) | 56 | 22.87 | 5.51 |
| Mohammed Shami (IND) | 55 | 13.52 | 5.13 |
| Wasim Akram (PAK) | 55 | 23.83 | 4.04 |
| Trent Boult (NZ) | 53 | 25.54 | 4.92 |
| Chaminda Vaas (SL) | 49 | 21.22 | 3.97 |
| Zaheer Khan (IND) | 44 | 20.22 | 4.47 |
| Javagal Srinath (IND) | 44 | 27.81 | 4.32 |
Ranking Based on Performance Metrics
We used a very specific system to determine the scoring of the table for the greatest bowlers in ODI World Cup history. Wickets are understandably the most valuable commodity as they are what bowlers are ultimately judged on. We, therefore, assigned the bulk of the scoring metrics (60%), in this case, to wickets.
The bowling average, which refers to how many wickets bowlers took per run, was allocated a 20% weighting. Meanwhile, the economy, which denotes how much runs a bowler concedes per over, also contributed 20% to the final scoring. Many of those that feature in the above table also possessed some of the best bowling averages in ODI cricket history.
Scoring of Table
| Player | Score |
| Glenn McGrath (AUS) | 0.942 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) | 0.901 |
| Mitchell Starc (AUS) | 0.873 |
| Mohammed Shami (IND) | 0.865 |
| Lasith Malinga (SL) | 0.831 |
| Wasim Akram (PAK) | 0.813 |
| Trent Boult (NZ) | 0.789 |
| Chaminda Vaas (SL) | 0.776 |
| Zaheer Khan (IND) | 0.762 |
| Javagal Srinath (IND) | 0.735 |
Methodology – How We Determined the Best ODI World Cup Bowler
We took a structured approach to determine who is the best ODI World Cup bowler in history. We started by collating stats from leading cricket sources. This showed the cold, raw numbers, and by all accounts, they were very impressive.
There was time to consider and delve into the top wicket-takers in World Cup history a little deeper by examining their performances at individual tournaments. For example, Mitchell Starc may have ranked third in the all-time list of best ODI World Cup bowlers, but he still holds the record for the most wickets taken at a single World Cup (27), which came in 2023 when Australia triumphed. Australia, let’s not forget, have won the most 50-over World Cups (six), and they have been the benchmark for other teams to aspire to.
Anyway, without digressing too much, the purpose of this guide was to use clear metrics to establish which bowler was the best in ODI World Cups. Naturally, there was a greater leaning toward those who took the most wickets in ODI World Cup games, and this was prioritised. The total wickets, naturally, reflect the ability of bowlers to shake things up and collect wickets at crucial times. That includes collecting the most prized wickets, which will usually be the batters who are near the top of the order.
Bowling average and economy were both given 20% weighting. While the latter is important in terms of stemming the run flow, they aren’t as important as wickets. With any other ranking system for cricket, such as Test cricket or T20 cricket, economy and bowling average may matter. But as mentioned, the true pedigree of a bowler is determined by the number of wickets they pick up.
The weighted system is supposed to be fair and give cricket fans a true picture of which player produced the best bowling performance in World Cup history.
Notable Mentions – Legendary World Cup Bowlers Who Missed the List
Although we would have preferred to have included more ODI World Cup bowlers, there was only room for 10, so some have missed the cut.
Despite that, we think it is only right we make some special mentions. These four bowlers, as you will discover, were greats in their own right. They should be recognised because they had a huge impact on their respective countries at the World Cups.
Shane Warne (AUS)
A spin wizard, the late Shane Warne thrived at ODI World Cups, and he was one of the greatest cricket captains of all time.
At the 1999 Cricket World Cup, Warne was the leading wicket-taker with 20 wickets from 10 matches at an average of 18.05. Warne was involved in one of the most memorable semi-finals in Australia vs South Africa, which was a thriller. He took 4 wickets from 10 overs for the loss of 29 runs in that game, and there was that dramatic run out towards the end when the Proteas grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory.
Anil Kumble (IND)
There are many variations of and types of spin bowling in cricket. However, few were as good at leg spinning as Anil Kumble.
Although he didn’t win the World Cup with India, Kumble was a special bowler. In 18 World Cup matches, he claimed 31 wickets at an average of 22.90, and his economy was exceptional, too (4.08).
His tournament-best figures came against the Netherlands in 2003 when he finished on 4/32, and he comes in just behind Warne, who claimed one more wicket (32).
Dale Steyn (SA)
Arguably one of the most feared ODI bowlers for South Africa during his heyday, Dale Steyn warrants a mention.
His overall ODI record is excellent, with 196 wickets taken with his best bowling figures being 6/61. However, if we are to focus on just World Cups, Steyn was the face of the South African team at the 2015 edition. However, the campaign resulted in failure after a defeat to New Zealand in the semi-finals. Steyn admitted his side moved on quickly from the loss, well within 24 hours, which was quick.
Although he was hit for six off the penultimate ball in that game by Grant Elliott, Steyn captured 23 World Cup career wickets at an average of 23.39, which suggests he did have an impact.
Shaun Pollock (SA)
A World Cup veteran with four appearances, Shaun Pollock is probably best remembered for South Africa’s 1999 failure, which we discussed earlier.
As captain, he won half of his World Cup matches (3/6), but he was effective as a medium-fast bowler, picking up 31 World Cup wickets, drawing him level with Kumble.
He was also a fabulous fielder, making 12 catches, but his catches weren’t probably as stunning as that of his team-mate Jonty Rhodes!
SportsBoom Suggests – The Best ODI World Cup Bowler
In terms of output and based on our analysis, Glenn McGrath comes out on top as the greatest ODI World Cup bowler of all time. Well, the sheer volume of Glenn McGrath World Cup wickets (71) suggests he was a man for the big occasion.
He had this uncanny knack of striking at just the right time. McGrath could swing the ball, and with his big frame, he was often an imposing presence as he sprinted towards the crease at the non-striker’s end.
McGrath ticks all the key performance metrics in terms of wickets, consistency, and economy rate. He was the complete ODI World Cup bowler; however, those who came in just behind him, like Muttiah Muralitharan, Mitchell Starc, and Lasith Malinga, all played key roles for their respective countries. They could change games at the flick of a switch, so their achievements shouldn’t be forgotten about.
Final Thoughts
ODI World Cups over the years have seen some iconic bowling performances, and the players mentioned on this list were invariably devastating with the ball.
Glenn McGrath leads the rankings, and his legacy as a World Cup great is cemented. Of course, Muralitharan and Starc have also made a name for themselves at World Cups, and they were also generally very consistent. Who is your favourite ODI World Cup bowler?
REFERENCES
- 1
Mitchell Starc’s ODI World Cup 2023 bowling stats: Starc struck 27 times for Australia with the ball in the 2023 edition - https://www.howstat.com/cricket/Statistics/WorldCup/BowlingAggregatesTournament.asp Accessed April 1, 2025
- 2
Dale Steyn on South Africa’s ODI World Cup loss in the 2015 semi-final to New Zealand: Steyn on South Africa’s heartbreak against the Black Caps - https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/didnt-speak-about-it-dale-steyn-looks-back-at-emotions-after-2015-world-cup-semis-heartbreak-1408629 Accessed April 2, 2025
Charles Perrin is a highly experienced sports betting content writer with over six years of working with some of the leading sportsbooks in the UK, including bet365 and William Hill.