Bowlers are the important part of the any team as like the batting unit. Batters can score big but it is always the bowling unit that will win you the games by bowling well. A team having a good bowling attack always win from crunch situations. Here we will also discuss about some bowlers, who scripted history with their performances.
Performing in the initial part of the career and doing well consistency both are different. This article will include the list of bowlers who delivered consistent performances and became the fastest to reach the 200-wicket mark in the ODI career. So let’s check this exclusive list.
Fastest to 200 Wickets in ODI
| Bowler | Vs | Venue | Match Date | Debut | Time | Match Taken |
| Mitchell Starc (AUS) | Zimbabwe | Townsville | 3 Sep 2022 | 20 Oct 2010 | 11y 318d | 102 |
| Saqlain Mushtaq (PAK) | South Africa | Nottingham | 5 Jun 1999 | 29 Sep 1995 | 3y 249d | 104 |
| Brett Lee (AUS) | England | The Oval | 12 Jul 2005 | 9 Jan 2000 | 5y 184d | 112 |
| Alan Donald (SA) | Zimbabwe | Chelmsford | 29 May 1999 | 10 Nov 1991 | 7y 200d | 117 |
| Waqar Younis (PAK) | India | Bengaluru | 9 Mar 1996 | 14 Oct 1989 | 6y 147d | 118 |
| Shane Warne (AUS) | Pakistan | Lord’s | 20 Jun 1999 | 24 Mar 1993 | 6y 88d | 125 |
| Makhaya Ntini (SA) | Australia | Cape Town | 3 Mar 2006 | 16 Jan 1998 | 8y 46d | 126 |
| Lasith Malinga (SL) | India | Pallekele | 4 Aug 2012 | 17 Jul 2004 | 8y 18d | 127 |
| Mitchell Johnson (AUS) | England | Southampton | 16 Sep 2013 | 10 Dec 2005 | 7y 280d | 129 |
| Shoaib Akhtar (PAK) | England | Cardiff | 30 Aug 2006 | 28 Mar 1998 | 8y 155d | 130 |
5. Waqar Younis (PAK) – 118 matches
One can find former Pakistani speedster Waqar Younis on almost every bowling list. This is because he was a consistent performer who ended up with the most five-wicket hauls (13) in ODI cricket. Waqar reached 200 wickets in his ODI career in his 118th game. He retired with 416 wickets in 262 ODIs at an average of 23.84 and a best of 7/36.
4. Alan Donald (SA) – 117 matches
Alan Donald was the first South African bowler to take 200 or more wickets in ODIs. He was the one of few players who took more wickets than scoring runs in ODIs. Donald completed 200 wickets in his 117th ODI match. Overall he took 272 wickets in 164 matches at an average of 21.78 and a best of 6/23. He scored only 95 runs in his ODI career.
3. Brett Lee (AUS) – 112 matches
Former Australia pacer and one of the premium fast bowler of the previous generation Brett Lee was a thunderbolt with the speed, swing and accuracy. He won countless games with his own and was one of the reason that Australia dominated during 2003 and 2007 World Cups. He completed 200 wickets in just 112 ODIs. In his career, he took 380 wickets in 221 games at a strike rate of 29.4 with nine fifers.
2. Saqlain Mushtaq (PAK) – 104 matches
Saqlain Mushtaq was the inventor of the spin-variation called “doosra ” which we see bowling bowling to deceive the batters. He was probably the most successful Pakistani ODI spinner in history, who holds the second of most and second most ODI wickets in a calendar year. Saqlain reached 200 wickets in 104 games and made a record at that time.
1. Mitchell Starc (AUS) – 102 matches
It took Mitchell Starc 11 years and 318 days to reach 200 ODI wickets in his career since his debut. But guess what? He is the fastest to do so in terms of matches. The Australia spearhead took only 102 matches and broke Saqlain’s record in 2022 to complete 200 wickets. So far, he has taken 2019 wickets in 110 games with nine fifers and many more to come.