10 bowlers with the highest percentage of their team's ODI wickets

Since its inception in 1971, several brilliant bowlers have played ODI cricket with a number of them ending their one-day careers as one of the greats of the formats.

Several such bowlers have been instrumental in their team’s success and a number of them have taken a good fraction of the team’s wickets during their respective careers. Here are 10 bowlers with the highest percentage of their team’s wickets throughout their careers.

Note: A minimum of 50 ODIs have been considered which is the reason why Afghan bowler Rashid Khan (29.85%) doesn’t make the list

---

#10 Heath Streak - 23.55%

The greatest bowler that Zimbabwe have ever produced, Heath Streak’s ODI career spanned 12 years from 1993-2005. During that period, Zimbabwe picked up 1015 wickets in ODIs and Streak took 239 of them (23.55%) from 189 ODIs.

Streak averaged 29.82 with the ball throughout his ODI career and a spell of 5/32 against India at Bulawayo in 1997 is his highest ODI score. Zimbabwe went on to win that game by 8 wickets and Streak was adjudged the Man of the Match. This was his second of eight ODI Man of the Match awards.

During Streak’s career, Zimbabwe had some decent bowlers like Henry Olonga, Eddo Brandes, Grant Flower, Guy Whittall and Douglas Hondo. However, Streak was always the spearhead of the Zimbabwean bowling attack and his knack of getting wickets helped him bag quite a decent percentage of his team’s wickets throughout his career.

#9 Brett Lee - 23.63%

Lee took 23.63% of Australia's ODI wickets during his career

The first of two Aussies to appear on this list is the ever-fast and ever-lethal Brett Lee. Binga played 12 years of OD cricket for Australia from 2000-2012. During this period, Australia bagged 1608 wickets with Lee picking up 380 of them (23.63%) from 221 ODIs.

Lee averaged 23.36 in ODIs and picked up 9 five-wicket hauls, the joint third-highest in ODI history. A spell of 5/22 against South Africa at Melbourne in 2006 is his best ODI spell.

Lee spent half of his career bowling with Glenn McGrath and also played with a number of brilliant bowlers like Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz and Mitchell Johnson. Despite the presence of such bowlers, Lee managed to take a good percentage of his team’s wickets.

#8 Saeed Ajmal - 23.87%

The spinner was one of the best in the world during his ODI career

Ajmal was a late-bloomer in international cricket as he made his ODI debut in 2008 when he was 31. Ajmal played 7 years of ODI cricket from 2008-2015 and during this period, Pakistan bagged 771 wickets. Ajmal picked up 184 of those (23.87%) from 113 matches.

The off-break bowler averaged 22.72 in ODIs and had two five-wicket hauls to his name with a spell of 5/24 against India at Delhi in 2013 being his best ODI figures.

During Ajmal’s ODI career, Pakistan had several fine bowlers like Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul and Junaid Khan but Ajmal was always Pakistan’s talisman throughout his career when it came to bowling and managed to take a strong percentage of his team’s wickets throughout his career.

#7 Waqar Younis - 24.05%

The former Pakistan skipper took more than 24% of his team's wickets throughout his career

One of the greatest bowlers of all-time, Waqar Younis’ ODI career spanned from 1989-2003. During this time, Pakistan took a total of 1730 wickets in the format and Waqar Younis had 416 (24.05%) of those to his name.

Waqar played 262 ODIs and averaged 23.84 with the ball. He picked up 13 five-wicket hauls which is the most number of five-wicket hauls in ODI history. A spell of 7/36 against England at Headingley in 2001 is his best figures in ODIs. Waqar was captaining Pakistan at the time and his spell is the best by any skipper in ODI cricket.

Waqar Younis played in an era which was probably the golden age of Pakistan bowling with the likes of Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq playing. Yet, his ability to reverse- swing the ball often fetched him wickets and that is a key reason behind his percentage of the team’s ODI wickets.

#6 Allan Donald - 24.26%

Allan Donald was one of the best pacers in the world during his career

One of the greatest South African pacers of all-tie, Allan Donald played ODI cricket from 1991-2003 and during this time, South Africa bagged 1121 wickets. Donald picked up 272 of them (24.26%) in 164 ODIs.

Donald averaged 21.78 with the ball and had 2 five-wicket hauls to his name with a spell of 6/23 against Kenya at Nairobi in 1996 being his best spell in ODIs. This was the best bowling spell by a South African bowler before being bettered by Makhaya Ntini against Australia in 2006.

Despite the presence of the likes of Shaun Pollock, Lance Klusener and Makhaya Ntini, Donald managed to take a good fraction of the team’s wickets during his ODI career.

#5 Ajantha Mendis - 24.32%

Mendis took 24.32% of Sri Lanka's wickets during his seven-year-long ODI career

One of the most lethal bowlers during his short prime, Ajantha Mendis played seven years of ODI cricket from 2008-2015. During this period, Sri Lanka bagged 625 wickets and Mendis took 152 of them (24.32%) from 87 ODIs.

The “mystery spinner” averaged 21.86 with the ball and had three five-wicket hauls to his name, all three coming within his first 20 matches. A spell of 6/13 against India at the 2008 Asia Cup final at Karachi is his best figures in ODIs. This spell remains to be the best spell in Asia Cup history.

Throughout his short career, Mendis was a talismanic figure in the Sri Lankan bowling and managed to bag a good percentage of Sri Lanka’s wickets.

#4 Saqlain Mushtaq - 24.47%

Mushtaq took a good percentage of Pakistan's ODI wickets

One of the greatest spinners in the history of the game, Saqlain Mushtaq’s ODI career lasted from 1995-2003. During this period, Pakistan took 1177 ODI wickets. Saqlain’s career ended prematurely at the age of just 27 but he took 288 of the 1177 ODI wickets (24.47%) from 169 ODIs.

He averaged 21.78 in ODIs and had 6 five-wicket hauls to his name which is the third-most five-wicket hauls for any spinner in ODI history. The off-spinner’s final five-wicket haul of 5/20 against England at Rawalpindi in 2000 is his best figures in ODI cricket.

Saqlain Mushtaq’s career was during a time when Pakistan had their golden era of bowling which had the likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi and Mushtaq Ahmed. Yet, the inventor of the doosra managed to take a pretty good percentage of his team’s wickets.

#3 Mitchell Starc - 24.82%

The Aussie has picked up nearly a fourth of his team's ODI wickets so far

Probably the best fast bowler in the world at present, Mitchell Starc’s ODI career began in 2010 and since then, Australia have bagged 568 ODI wickets. Starc has 141 of those (24.82%) to his name.

Starky currently averages 20.13 in ODIs and has 5 five-wicket hauls to his name which is the third most for an Australian bowler and the most for any bowler who made his ODI debut in or after 2010. Starc’s final 5-wicket haul so far, a spell of 6/28 against New Zealand at Auckland during the 2015 World Cup is his best figures in ODI cricket.

Starc has been Australia’s bowling spearhead for quite some time and it should come as no surprise that he has managed to take a good fraction of the team’s wickets during his career so far.

#2 Shane Bond - 25.79%

Bond picked up more than a fourth of New Zealand's ODI wickets during his career

For someone whose career was plagued with injuries, Shane Bond has picked up a very good percentage of his team’s ODI wickets. Bond’s ODI career lasted 8 years from 2002-2010 and during that period, New Zealand took 570 wickets. Bond took 147 of those (25.79%).

The current Mumbai Indians bowling coach averaged just 20.88 (10th best average) in ODIs and had 4 five-wicket hauls to his name which is the joint second-most for a New Zealand bowler. A spell of 6/19 against India at Bulawayo is his best figures in ODIs.

Despite his periods of inactivity owing to injuries, Shane Bond was an extremely lethal bowler during his playing days.

#1 Chris Pringle - 28.93%

Pringle picked up nearly 29% of his team's ODI wickets during his short ODI career

And the top position on this list isn’t taken by an Akram or a Muralitharan or a McGrath. It is a New Zealand pacer Chris Pringle who takes the top spot. This player played ODIs for 5 years from 1990-1995 before an ankle injury ended his promising career. During this period, New Zealand took 356 wickets and Pringle took 103 of those (28.93%).

Pringle averaged 23.87 in ODIs and a spell of 5/45 against England at Edgbaston in 1994 is his best bowling figures in ODIs.

During Pringle’s career, New Zealand had a couple of fine bowlers like Danny Morrison, Gavin Larsen, Chris Cairns and Chris Harris. However, Pringle’s knack for wickets helped him take a very strong percentage of the team’s wickets during his career.