How the records tumbled - Fastest to highest Test wickets milestones
Ever since the first Test match on 15th March 1877, cricket has had a fair share of unpredictability. Men have come and gone but the game lingers on and on and on. Whilst most faded away into oblivion, fewer have carved out their names on the walls of glory. Whilst a handful of records have lasted for a mere game, a couple were made in the first ever Test match and still remain unbroken.
For 130 long years, records have been made and then broken. There were legends who scaled unheard of peaks for the first time and even more legends who broke the legacy. Let us take a look at who were the fastest to reach benchmarks in multiples of 50 and who (if anyone) broke those records to rewrite history books.
The original holder, by default, was fastest to each respective milestone.
| Original Holder | Broken by | Matches | Record Date | Record Period | Years Held (Rounded Off) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick Spofforth (Aus) | 8 | 17 Feb 1883 | 17 Feb 1883 – 30 Aug 1888 | 13 | |
| Charles Turner (Aus) | 6 | 22 Jun 1896 | 30 Aug 1888 – Present | 127 |
Vern Philander of South Africa came perilously close to equalling the 120-year-old record in 2012 but ended up requiring 7 tests in all, one more than the overall record.
| Original Holder | Broken by | Matches | Record Date | Record Period | Years Held (Rounded Off) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Turner (Aus) | 17 | 1st Feb 1895 | 1st Feb 1895 – 2nd March 1896 | 1 | |
| George Loahmann (Eng) | 16 | 2nd March 1896 | 2nd March 1896 – Present | 119 |
Charles Turner held the record for a little over a year to be broken by Loahmann by a single Test and the same has remained intact for 119 years that have followed. Cricket is indeed a funny game.
| Original Holder | Broken by | Matches | Record Date | Record Period | Years Held (Rounded Off) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney Barnes (Eng) | 24 | 13 Dec 1913 | 13 Dec 1913 – Present | 102 |
Sydney Barnes’ record of 24 matches to claim 150 wickets has never been broken since in International Cricket. Waqar Younis came closest, achieving the feat in 27 Test Matches.
| Original Holder | Broken by | Matches | Record Date | Record Period | Years Held (Rounded Off) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarrie Grimmet (Australia) | 36 | 15th Feb 1936 | 15th Feb 1936 – Present | 79 |
Grimmet achieved the milestone in 36 tests and till date holds the record of being the fastest to 200 wickets. Dennis Lillee and Waqar Younis came close in 1971 and 1989 respectively but took 2 more games to achieve this feat. Modern day legend Dale Steyn comes fourth on the list with 39 games.
| Original Holder | Broken by | Matches | Record Date | Record Period | Years Held (Rounded Off) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Trueman (Eng) | 56 | 15 Mar 1963 | 15 Mar 1963 – 7 Feb 1981 | 18 | |
| Dennis Lillee (Aus) | 48 | 7 Feb 1981 | 7 Feb 1981 – Present | 34 |
| Original Holder | Broken by | Matches | Record Date | Record Period | Years Held (Rounded Off) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Trueman (England) | 65 | 13-Aug-64 | 13-Aug-64 – 27-Nov-81 | 17 | |
| Dennis Lillee (Australia) | 56 | 27-Nov-81 | 27-Nov-81 – Present | 34 |
| Original Holder | Broken by | Matches | Record Date | Record Period | Years Held (Rounded Off) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis Lillee (Aus) | 70 | 02-Jan-84 | 02-Jan-84 – 12-Mar-87 | 3 | |
| Richard Hadlee (Nzl) | 69 | 12-Mar-87 | 12-Mar-87 – 6 Sep 2001 | 14 | |
| Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) | 66 | 6 Sep 2001 | 6 Sep 2001 – Present | 14 |
| Original Holder | Broken by |
Matches | Record Date | Record Period | Years Held (Rounded Off) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Hadlee (Nzl) | 80 | 02-Feb-90 | 02-Feb-90 – 12-Jan-02 | 12 | |
| Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) | 72 | 12-Jan-02 | 12-Jan-02 – Present | 13 |
Dale Steyn equalled Hadlee’s record of 80 test matches later on earlier this year, 8 tests more than the spin wizard from Sri Lanka.
Note: Muralitharan has since been the fastest to every other milestone starting from 450, laying his claim as one of the best bowlers the world of cricket has ever seen.