Top 5 fastest bowlers to 50 men's ODI World Cup wickets ft. Mitchell Starc

Star Australian pacer Mitchell Starc reached a significant milestone during the ongoing ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 match between India and Australia. The high-octane encounter is currently being played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Starc, who took Ishan Kishan's wicket in the very first over, achieved the feat of taking 50 ODI World Cup wickets.

Batting first, Australia endured a tough outing. Despite batting for 49.3 overs, they could only put 199 runs on the board. Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets for India, while Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav took two wickets each.

However, a high-spirited Aussie bowling attack came out with aggression and made it extremely strenuous for the Indian batters. The Men in Blue lost all three of Kishan, Rohit Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer for ducks.

While Rohit and Iyer were dismissed by Josh Hazlewood, Kishan nicked one behind to the first slip off a Starc delivery.

By completing his 50 ODI World Cup wickets, Starc etched his name into the list of bowlers who have been exceptionally successful in the biggest ODI cricket event.

On that note, let's take a look at the top five fastest bowlers to 50 Men's ODI World Cup wickets and where does Mitchell Starc rank on it?

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#5 Wasim Akram - 32 Matches

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Wasim Akram - an all-time Pakistani legend [Getty Images]

Pakistani legend Wasim Akram played across five editions of the ODI World Cup, from 1987 to 2003. He was a key member of the World Cup-winning Pakistani team in 1992 and also captained the Asian giants to the summit clash of the 1999 World Cup.

The influential left-arm pacer took 55 wickets at an average of 23.83 across 36 innings at the ODI World Cups. He completed his 50 ODI World Cup wickets in his 32nd World Cup game.

Akram's best bowling performance in an ODI World Cup match came in the 1992 semi-final against New Zealand. He took 3 wickets for 35 runs in 10 overs, as Pakistan won the match by 7 wickets and advanced to the final.

However, it was his majestic spell in the final of that World Cup, against England, that is of legendary status. In that spellbinding display of reverse-swing bowling, Akram dismissed Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis of successive deliveries, putting his team on course to clinching the title.

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#4 Muttiah Muralitharan - 30 matches

Muttiah Muralitharan played his last ODI game in 2011 [Getty Images]

The second-highest wicket-taker in ODI World Cup history, Muttiah Muralitharan, is fourth on the list. The legendary off-spinner completed his 50 ODI World Cup wickets in 30 matches.

Featuring across four editions (1996 to 2011), the Sri Lankan tweaker played a major role in his side's triumph in 1996, as he went wicketless just once throughout that tournament.

With 4 four-wicket hauls, he is among the bowlers with the most four-fers in ODI World Cup history.

Muralitharan's best bowling figures came in a Super Eight game against Ireland at the 2007 ODI World Cup. He took 4/19 while bowling only five overs in that game.

Iconically, Muralitharan played his last ODI World Cup match at the 2011 World Cup final against India. He hung up his boots after the heartbreaking loss.

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#3 Glenn McGrath - 30 matches

Glenn McGrath of Australia [Getty Images]

Inarguably one of the best pacers ever to play the game, Glenn McGrath is the only seamer to win as many as three ODI World Cup tournaments.

Despite bowling at medium pace, he used his metronomic accuracy in line and length to deliver consistent performances.

He picked up 71 wickets at an immaculate average of 18.19 across 39 ODI World Cup matches.

McGrath completed his 50 scalps in the tournament during a group stage game at the 2007 World Cup against the Netherlands. It was his 30th match in the tournament's history, where he took 2/33.

He was the cornerstone of Australia’s seam bowling attack in all the three editions, from 1999 to 2007, and helped his team in lifting three consecutive titles.

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#2 Lasith Malinga - 25 matches

Lasith Malinga celebrating during the Afghanistan v Sri Lanka - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 [Getty Images]

The third-highest wicket-taker in the history of ODI World Cups, Lasith Malinga took 56 wickets at an average of 22.87 across 28 innings at the showpiece event.

For Sri Lanka, he spearheaded the pace unit with aplomb and won several matches for his country by dishing out phenomenal performances.

However, one of his all-time greatest moments took place when he bamboozled the South African batting line-up by taking four wickets in consecutive balls.

He also took a brilliant six-wicket haul in his side's first game at the 2011 World Cup against Kenya.

Malinga played a key role in Sri Lanka's run to the finals both at the 2007 and 2011 ODI World Cups.

The unorthodox pacer completed his 50 ODI wickets during Sri Lanka's memorable win over England at the 2019 ODI World Cup. He took a match-winning 4/43 in that tie.

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#1 Mitchell Starc - 19 matches

Mitchell Starc is the fastest pacer to complete 50 ODI wickets [Getty Images]

The latest entrant on the list, Mitchell Starc smashed all records and became the fastest-ever bowler to complete 50 wickets in ODI World Cups. The mighty Aussie pacer is known to trouble both the right and left-handers with his left-arm angle.

Despite playing his first World Cup in 2015, Starc has been sensational and has taken only 19 matches to get to his 50th wicket in the ultimate tournament.

In the 2015 World Cup, Starc took 22 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 10.18 and was named as the Player of the Tournament for his heroics with the ball.

In the very next edition in 2019, the world-class pacer once again proved to be a menace as he ended up as the highest wicket-taker, with 27 wickets across 10 games.

In fact, in his 19-match ODI World Cup career, Starc has never gone wicketless. This just shows that pressure situations and high-octane matches bring the best out of the 33-year-old.

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