Top 5 wicket-takers in ODIs between 2011 and 2015 World Cups
April 2nd, 2011 - The day will forever remain etched in the annals of Indian cricket history. On a balmy night at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the 'Men in Blue' lifted the World Cup after almost 28 years. The fervent joy surrounding the resplendent triumph of MS Dhoni's team spread far and wide across the country.
Four years later, Australia replicated India's rare feat by becoming only the second team to lift the World Cup by winning the final on home soil. Michael Clarke's team added an unparalleled fifth World Cup crown to Australia's burgeoning trophy cabinet.
Also Read: Top 5 run-scorers in ODIs between 2011 and 2015 World Cups
Between the 2011 and 2015 editions of the World Cup, a whopping 464 ODIs were played in various venues across the globe. Let us take a look at the five leading wicket-takers in ODIs played between 3rd April 2011 and 13 February 2015. All wickets taken in the two editions of the World Cup are not taken into consideration for this particular segment.
#5 Thisara Perera - 81 wickets
Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera eclipsed Pakistan's Shahid Afridi by just one scalp to enter the list of top five wicket-takers in the time period under consideration. With 81 wickets from 78 matches, the utility cricketer was a vital cog in his team's fortunes in the 50-over format. The right-arm seamer's 81 scalps came at an average of 33.46 and economy-rate of 5.75 including a career best haul of 6/44.
As evidenced by his impressive collection of 27 wickets from 17 matches, the Pakistani batsmen were Perera's favourite prey during the four-year phase. Aside from hitting the deck hard with the new-ball, he was also able to use canny variations such as slower deliveries and deceptive bouncers in the latter stages of the game. In addition to his handy bowling, he also scored a considerable amount of runs in the death overs.