A player’s career is full of many challenges that come as hurdles and end the career. Bad form, injuries, and selection criteria all come against a player to stop him from playing for a long time. Only a very limited number of players in history went on to play more than 15 years and retired as legends of the game.
Our article is also related to some of the legends, who showed excellent longevity throughout their careers and set a new benchmark. In this article, we will talk about the bowlers who have taken the fastest 550 wickets in their test careers. There are only six bowlers to have touched this special landmark in the 150-year history of Test cricket.
Fastest to 550 Wickets in Test Cricket
| Bowler | Span | Mts Taken | Date | Career Mts | Total Wkts |
| Muthiah Muralidaran (SL) | 1992-2010 | 94 | 12/09/2005 | 133 | 800 |
| Anil Kumble (IND) | 1990-2008 | 115 | 25/05/2007 | 132 | 619 |
| Shane Warne (AUS) | 1992-2007 | 117 | 26/11/2004 | 145 | 708 |
| Glenn McGrath (AUS) | 1993-2007 | 121 | 01/12/2006 | 124 | 563 |
| James Anderson (ENG) | 2003* | 140 | 10/08/2018 | 180 | 686* |
| Stuart Broad (ENG) | 2007* | 156 | 01/07/2022 | 163 | 588* |
6. Stuart Broad (ENG) – 156 matches
Veteran English pacer Stuart Broad made his test debut in December 2007 against Sri Lanka and has performed consistently since then. He recently joined the elite list of bowlers with 550 wickets. He took 156 games to achieve this landmark and became the second English bowler to do so. Broad is on his way to taking 600 wickets very soon.
5. James Anderson (ENG) – 140 matches
Being a pacer for more than two decades is very difficult, but James Anderson has gotten better with age. Despite crossing the age of 40, he is doing a fantastic job for his team and was only the fifth bowler to cross the 550 test wicket mark. He did it in his 140th game. Anderson has 686 wickets in 180 games, and he is on his way to 700 wickets.
4. Glenn McGrath (AUS) – 121 matches
Australia’s best pacer of the previous generation Glenn McGrath was a role model for all those who wanted to become good pace bowlers with line and length. Without having much pace, he was a threat to the opposition batter. McGrath took his 550th wicket in his 121st test. Overall, he picked up 563 wickets in 124 games.
3. Shane Warne (AUS) – 117 matches
The spin legend from Australia mastered the art of leg-spinner and made it a wicket-taking option in this game. Shane Warne was the best leg-spinner ever to play this game and the first bowler to take 700 test wickets. In his journey, he reached the mark of 550 wickets in his 117th game. He retired with 708 wickets in 145 games.
2. Anil Kumble (IND) – 115 matches
Anil Kumble started his cricket career as a fast bowler. But his initial coach asked him to bowl spin and the rest is history. Kumble holds the record for India’s highest wicket-taker in international cricket. He took 619 wickets in 132 games and completed 550 wickets in his 115th game.
1. Muthiah Muralidaran (SL) – 94 matches
Muthiah Muralidaran broke all the bowling records during his successful international career and was the greatest off-spinner of all time. Murali is the only bowler who claimed 800 wickets in the longest format. He reached 550-test wickets in just 94 games, which is more than 5 wickets per game. It speaks volumes about Murali’s ability.