The ODI World Cup was first introduced in 1975, when England hosted the first edition. The West Indies won the first two editions, in 1975 and 1979. Later, Australia won five World Cup titles and became the most successful team. India also won two editions in 1983 and 2011, respectively.
With every successful tournament, various awards are distributed to those who had the best performance in the competition. The bowler who takes the most wickets gets the Golden Ball award. If there are two bowlers with the same number of wickets, then both will get this award. In this article, we will talk about the list of Golden Ball award winners in World Cup history.
Golden Ball Winners List in ODI World Cup History
| World Cup | Bowler | Wkts |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Gary Gilmour (AUS) Bernard Julien (WI) | 11 |
| 1979 | Mike Hendrick (ENG) | 10 |
| 1983 | Roger Binny (IND) | 18 |
| 1987 | Craig McDermott (AUS) | 18 |
| 1992 | Wasim Akram (PAK) | 18 |
| 1996 | Anil Kumble (IND) | 15 |
| 1999 | Geoff Allott (NZ) Shane Warne (AUS) | 20 |
| 2003 | Chaminda Vaas (SL) | 23 |
| 2007 | Glenn McGrath (AUS) | 26 |
| 2011 | Zaheer Khan (IND) Shahid Afridi (PAK) | 21 |
| 2015 | Mitchell Starc (AUS) Trent Boult (NZ) | 22 |
| 2019 | Mitchell Starc (AUS) | 27 |
1. Gary Gilmour (AUS) and Bernard Julien (WI) – 1975
Australia and the West Indies played the final of the inaugural World Cup in 1975 at Lord’s. The West Indies won it, and Australia finished as runners-up. Gary Gilmour (AUS) and Bernard Julien (WI) took 11 wickets each. Gilmour played only two games and took 11, while Julien played five matches. Both bowlers jointly won the Golden Ball award.
2. Mike Hendrick (ENG) – 1979
The 1979 World Cup was won by the West Indies, beating England in the final at Lord’s. England’s Mike Hendrick won the Golden Ball Award with 10 wickets in five games at an average of 14.90. His best was 4/15 against Pakistan.
3. Roger Binny (IND) – 1983
West Indies’ streak was broken by India in 1983 when they won the World Cup, which was unexpected. Roger Binny was one of the heroes of India who took the most wickets in the tournament. Binny took 18 wickets in 8 innings at an average of 18.67, with 4/29 against Australia.
4. Craig McDermott (AUS) – 1987
Australia won their first ODI World Cup in 1987, beating England in the final at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Craig McDermott was the top wicket-taker in the tournament and won the Golden Ball Award. He took 18 wickets in 8 games at 18.94, with one fifer and one four-wicket haul.
5. Wasim Akram (PAK) – 1992
Imran Khan led Pakistan to their maiden World Cup win in 1992, beating England in the final. However, Wasim Akram was at his peak in that game. His MOTM performance in the final helped his team win the title. Akram took 18 wickets in 10 innings at an average of 18.78 and a best of 4/32.
6. Anil Kumble (IND) – 1996
As a result of a controversial incident at Eden Gardens, India lost the semi-final against Sri Lanka. Then Sri Lanka went on to win the 1996 World Cup. That was the first time both the top scorer and the top wicket-taker were from the same team. Sachin Tendulkar won the Golden Bat, while Anil Kumble won the Golden Ball, with 15 wickets in seven games.
7. Geoff Allott (NZ) and Shane Warne (AUS) – 1999
Geoff Allott (NZ) and Shane Warne (AUS) jointly won the Golden Ball award in the 1999 World Cup. Australia won the tournament, while New Zealand lost the semi-final to Pakistan. Warne took 4/33 in the final. Both bowlers took 20 wickets each, with two four-wicket hauls each.
8. Chaminda Vaas (SL) – 2003
Sri Lanka made it to the semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup but lost to Australia. Chaminda Vaas ended the tournament as the highest wicket taker. He took 23 wickets in 10 games at an average of 14.39, with one fifer and one four-wicket haul.
9. Glenn McGrath (AUS) – 2007
Glenn McGrath holds the record for the most wickets in ODI World Cup history. His best came in 2007, when he won the Golden Ball Award. He took 3/18 in the semi-final against South Africa and won the MOTM award. Overall, he took 26 wickets in 11 games at an average of 13.73.
10. Zaheer Khan (IND) and Shahid Afridi (PAK) – 2011
India won the 2011 World Cup, and Zaheer Khan was one of the reasons behind it. India beat archrival Pakistan in the semi-final. Zaheer, along with Shahid Afridi, ended as the joint-highest wicket-taker with 21 wickets each. As a result, both bowlers won the Golden Ball Award.
11. Mitchell Starc (AUS) and Trent Boult (NZ) – 2015
Australia won their fifth title in 2015 at home, beating New Zealand in the final. One bowler from both teams ended the tournament with the joint-most wickets. Mitchell Starc and Trent Boult took 22 wickets each and won the Golden Ball Award. Interestingly, both are left-arm pacers.
12. Mitchell Starc (AUS) – 2019
Mitchell Starc created history when he became only the first bowler to win the Golden Ball Award in consecutive World Cup editions. Australia couldn’t win the tournament and lost the semi-final to England. But Starc took 27 wickets in just 10 games with two fifers and set the record for most wickets in a single World Cup edition as well.