Jos Buttler and Stuart Broad Rank the Top Bowlers of the 21st Century
Top Bowlers of the 21st Century Revealed
In a recent episode of the 'For the Love of Cricket' podcast, England's wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler and former fast bowler Stuart Broad shared their list of the top ten bowlers of the 21st century. Notably, Indian pace sensation Jasprit Bumrah was ranked third, surpassing legendary figures like Australian Glenn McGrath and Sri Lankan spin maestro Muttiah Muralitharan.
Muralitharan, who holds the record for the most wickets in international cricket with 1,347, was placed sixth. He enjoyed a remarkable career that included a Cricket World Cup victory in 1996 and an ICC Champions Trophy win in 2002. McGrath, a three-time World Cup champion and the leading wicket-taker in World Cup history with 71 wickets, was positioned fourth. He has a total of 949 wickets across 376 matches, making him the fifth-highest wicket-taker overall.
Topping the list is the late Shane Warne, an Australian leg-spin legend who concluded his international career with 1,001 wickets and a World Cup title. He remains one of only two bowlers to have achieved the milestone of 1,000 international wickets, alongside Muralitharan. Warne is also recognized as Australia's highest wicket-taker in Test matches.
In second place is James Anderson, England's all-time leading wicket-taker with 991 wickets, making him the most successful fast bowler in history. He has had a prolific partnership with Broad throughout their careers.
Bumrah, regarded as one of India's finest fast bowlers, has claimed 511 wickets in 243 matches, including 18 five-wicket hauls. His remarkable performances in challenging conditions, particularly in spin-friendly Indian pitches, have solidified his status as a cricketing legend. He ranks as India's eighth-highest wicket-taker and has contributed to two T20 World Cup victories, earning the 'Player of the Tournament' award in 2024 and 'Player of the Match' in the 2026 final against New Zealand.
Pat Cummins, the captain of Australia's 2023 World Cup-winning team, occupies the fifth spot with 535 international wickets. The South African trio of Dale Steyn (699 wickets), Kagiso Rabada (631 wickets), and Shaun Pollock (823 wickets) follow in the seventh, eighth, and ninth positions, respectively. Rounding out the top ten is Australia's Mitchell Starc, a two-time World Cup winner with 773 international wickets.
Interestingly, several prominent bowlers of the 21st century, including Ravichandran Ashwin, Nathan Lyon, Ravindra Jadeja, Anil Kumble, and Tim Southee, were notably absent from this list.
The final rankings of the top ten bowlers as determined by Buttler and Broad are: Shane Warne, James Anderson, Jasprit Bumrah, Glenn McGrath, Pat Cummins, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Shaun Pollock, and Mitchell Starc.