The race is on to be the leading wicket-taker at this summer’s 2019 Cricket World Cup, with the planet’s best ODI bowlers all chasing the prize.
The two men who finished as joint-top wicket takers at the last World Cup – Australia’s Mitchell Starc and New Zealand’s Trent Boult – both return but will face stiff competition.
In Adil Rashid, England have the man with more ODI wickets since the last World Cup than any other player, while Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer will also be hoping to make a big impact.
India’s Jasprit Bumrah currently tops the ODI bowling rankings, while Afghanistan’s 20-year-old sensation Rashid Khan is tipped to be one of the stars of the tournament.
South Africa look well stocked too, with Imran Tahir and Kagiso Rabada having finished as the top two in the wicket-taking standings in this year’s IPL, while Sri Lanka have the only man to ever take four wickets in four balls at a World Cup, Lasith Malinga.
Leading wicket takers | Cricket World Cup
| Pos | Player | P | Overs | Runs | Wkts |
| 1 | Mitchell Starc (Australia) | 9 | 83.2 | 432 | 26 |
| 2 | Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh) | 8 | 72.1 | 484 | 20 |
| 3 | Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand) | 7 | 63.4 | 316 | 17 |
| 4 | Jasprit Bumrah (India) | 8 | 74.0 | 332 | 17 |
| 5 | Mohammad Amir (Pakistan) | 8 | 73.0 | 358 | 17 |
| 6 | Jofra Archer (England) | 9 | 80.5 | 387 | 17 |
| 7 | Shaheen Shah Afridi | 5 | 47.1 | 234 | 16 |
| 8 | Mark Wood (England) | 8 | 70.4 | 369 | 16 |
| 9 | Trent Boult (New Zealand) | 8 | 79.0 | 370 | 15 |
| 10 | Mohammed Shami (India) | 4 | 35.1 | 193 | 14 |
| 11 | Chris Morris (South Africa) | 7 | 63.4 | 341 | 13 |
| 12 | Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka) | 7 | 61.4 | 373 | 13 |
| 13 | Pat Cummins (Australia) | 9 | 79.1 | 393 | 13 |
| 14 | Mohammad Saifuddin (Bangladesh) | 7 | 58.0 | 417 | 13 |
| 15 | Sheldon Cottrell (West Indies) | 9 | 67.0 | 392 | 12 |
