To be relevant in any sport, one needs to perform consistently. Just like it is in cricket, player needs to put everything to deliver consistent performance throughout their careers. But not everyone gets success and stays for a long time. Just like we can see in the 50-year history of the ODI cricket, there are only 23 bowlers, who have taken 250 or more wickets.
It is very hard for a bowler to perform, which is why bowlers had shorter career than the batsman. But who are the bowlers that impressed everyone with their performances. In this list we will cover the bowlers who are the fastest to take 250 wickets in ODI cricket.
Fastest to 250 Wickets in ODI
| Bowler | Vs | Venue | Match Date | Debut | Time | Mts Taken |
| Saqlain Mushtaq (PAK) | Sri Lanka | Sharjah | 20 Apr 2001 | 29 Sep 1995 | 5y 203d | 138 |
| Brett Lee (AUS) | West Indies | Brabourne | 18 Oct 2006 | 9 Jan 2000 | 6y 282d | 139 |
| Waqar Younis (PAK) | West Indies | Sydney | 14 Jan 1997 | 14 Oct 1989 | 7y 92d | 148 |
| Alan Donald (SA) | West Indies | Colombo (SSC) | 13 Sep 2002 | 10 Nov 1991 | 10y 307d | 148 |
| Shane Warne (AUS) | India | Visakhapatnam | 3 Apr 2001 | 24 Mar 1993 | 8y 10d | 161 |
| Glenn McGrath (AUS) | New Zealand | Colombo (SSC) | 15 Sep 2002 | 9 Dec 1993 | 8y 280d | 161 |
| Makhaya Ntini (SA) | Pakistan | Multan | 26 Oct 2007 | 16 Jan 1998 | 9y 283d | 162 |
| Ajit Agarkar (IND) | West Indies | Port of Spain | 26 May 2006 | 1 Apr 1998 | 8y 55d | 163 |
| Lasith Malinga (SL) | Pakistan | Fatullah | 25 Feb 2014 | 17 Jul 2004 | 9y 223d | 163 |
| Wasim Akram (PAK) | Sri Lanka | Colombo (SSC) | 22 Aug 1994 | 23 Nov 1984 | 9y 272d | 173 |
5. Shane Warne (AUS) – 161 Matches
Australia’s best spinner of all time, Shane Warne is the joint-fourth fastest bowler on this list. He was the first Australian bowler to take 250 wickets. Warne completed this landmark in 161 games during his career. The legendary bowler retired with 293 wickets in his career in 191 games at an economy rate and average of 4.25 and 25.73 and 5/33 as his best.
4. Alan Donald (SA) – 148 Matches
Allan Donald was the first South African bowler to reach 250-wicket landmark in the 50-over cricket. He is also the joint-third fastest to achieve this feat in the world at the moment. Donald did this in his 163rd ODI match of his career. He played 12 years for South Africa and took 272 wickets in his entire career at an excellent average of 21.78.
3. Waqar Younis (PAK) – 148 Matches
Waqar Younis was only the third bowler in the ODI history to take 250 wickets in career. He was an incredible bowler and one of the best that Pakistan has produced in this game. He had a glorious international career, where he took 789 wickets across formats. In ODIs, he reached 250 wickets in just 148 games and retired with 416 wickets with a record 13 five-wicket hauls.
2. Brett Lee (AUS) – 139 Matches
Australian speedster and one of the fastest bowlers to play the game, Brett Lee is also the second fastest bowler on this list. Lee was a different bowler, who had speed, swing and accuracy, which made difficult for the opposition batters to face him. He took 250th wicket of his career in the 139th game. Lee took a total of 380 wickets in 221 ODIs in his career.
1. Saqlain Mushtaq (PAK) – 138 Matches
The fastest bowler on this list if Pakistan’s best spinner Saqlain Mushtaq. He was a brilliant bowler and performed exceedingly well across formats. Mushtaq didn’t play much tests but was a brilliant ODI bowler. He completed 250 wickets in just 138 games. In his career, he took 288 wickets in 169 games at an average of 21.79 and a best bowling figure of 5/20.