Famous Cricket Bowling and Team Records Explained

Landmark bowling and team records in cricket: Muralitharan's 800 Test wickets, Jim Laker's 19 in a Test, Kumble's 10 for 74, record team totals in Tests, ODIs and T20Is.

Famous bowling records include Muttiah Muralitharan's 800 Test wickets, Jim Laker's 19 wickets in one Test and Anil Kumble's 10 for 74. Team records include Sri Lanka's 952 for 6 declared in a Test and England's 498 for 4 in an ODI.

Test bowling

Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka took 800 Test wickets, the most in Test history; Shane Warne took 708. Jim Laker of England took 19 wickets for 90 runs against Australia at Old Trafford in 1956, the best match figures in a Test. Anil Kumble took all 10 wickets in an innings, for 74 runs, against Pakistan in Delhi in 1999.

One Day Internationals and speed

Chaminda Vaas of Sri Lanka has the best bowling figures in an ODI: 8 wickets for 19 runs against Zimbabwe in 2001. Shoaib Akhtar bowled the fastest recorded delivery in international cricket, 161.3 km/h against England at the 2003 World Cup, though speed readings vary between systems.

Team totals

Sri Lanka scored 952 for 6 declared against India in Colombo in 1997, the highest team total in a Test. The lowest Test total is 26, made by New Zealand against England in Auckland in 1955.

England made 498 for 4 against the Netherlands at Amstelveen in 2022, the highest ODI total. Nepal's 314 for 3 against Mongolia at the 2023 Asian Games is the highest T20I total.

Why team records change

Team totals often come against weaker opponents or on small grounds, and the growth of T20 has made big scores more common. Always read a team record alongside the opposition, the ground and the format.

A note on currency

These records stood as of the time of writing. New records are set each year, so check the ICC and a trusted statistics source for the current position.

Frequently asked questions

Who took the most Test wickets?

Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka took 800 wickets in Test cricket.

What is the highest team score in a Test?

Sri Lanka's 952 for 6 declared against India in Colombo in 1997.

Who took 10 wickets in a Test innings?

Only two bowlers have done it: Jim Laker (10 for 53 against Australia in 1956) and Anil Kumble (10 for 74 against Pakistan in 1999).