The first ever game of cricket was played between Australia and England in 1877, which was a red-ball game. Meanwhile, the first ODI was played on January 5, 1971, between England and Australia. Since then, England has been a strong unit in this game. Although, since the start of 50-over cricket in 1971, it took England 48 years to win their maiden 50 over World Cup in 2019.
But over time, they have been a strong unit in this game. England is known for producing some great fast bowlers. That is why the English pacers have picked up the most wickets in ODI cricket for them. In this article, we will cover the list of England’s highest ODI wicket-takers.
5. Andrew Flintoff – 169 wickets in 138 ODIs
Arguable one of the best all-rounders that the game has seen. Andrew Flintoff was the three-dimensional cricketer who won many games with both bat and ball for England. He made his debut in April 1999 against Pakistan and scored a 50 on his debut. Flintoff played 141 ODIs and took 169 wickets in his career, with a best figure of 5/19. He also scored 3394 runs at an average of 32.01, with three centuries and 18 half-centuries.
4. Adil Rashid – 169 wickets in 119 ODIs
Veteran English leg-spinner Adil Rashid is fourth on the list. Rashid is a complete white-ball bowler for England, which is the reason for their success. He made his debut in August 2009 against Ireland in Belfast. So far, Rashid has played a total of 119 ODI matches and taken a total of 169 wickets at an average and economy rate of 33.05 and 5.64, respectively. He has also taken seven four-wicket hauls, with a best figure of 5/27.
3. Stuart Broad – 178 wickets in 121 ODIs
Veteran English pacer Stuart Broad, who has also led his country across formats, is third on the list. Broad made his ODI debut in August 2006 against Pakistan at Cardiff. Although he is not a regular feature in the white-ball format, he is still third on the list. Broad has played a total of 121 ODIs in his career and taken 178 wickets at an economy rate of 5.26 and a best figure of 5/23.
2. Darren Gough – 234 wickets in 158 ODIs
Former English pacer, who was the first bowler to take 200-plus wickets for his country in ODIs, Darren Gough is second on the list. Gough made his debut in May 1994 at Birmingham against New Zealand and took 2/36. He represented England in a total of 159 ODIs during his 12-year-old career. Gough took 235 ODI wickets in his career at an average and economy rate of 26.42 and 4.39, respectively. He also took 10 four-wicket hauls with the best figure of 5/44.
1. James Anderson – 239 wickets in 194 ODIs
Veteran pacer James Anderson has picked up most of wickets for England in international cricket. He is their highest wicket-taker in both ODIs and Tests. Anderson made his ODI debut in December 2022 against Australia at MCG. Despite playing his last ODI in March 2015 in the 2015 ODI World Cup, Anderson is at the top of this list. He has taken 269 wickets in 194 ODIs at an economy rate of 4.92, with a best figure of 5/23.
List of England Highest Wicket Taker in ODI
| Bowler | Span | Mts | Wkts | BBI | Econ | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Anderson | 2002-2015 | 194 | 269 | 5/23 | 4.92 | 2 |
| Darren Gough | 1994-2006 | 158 | 234 | 5/44 | 4.38 | 2 |
| Stuart Broad | 2006-2016 | 121 | 178 | 5/23 | 5.26 | 1 |
| Adil Rashid* | 2009-2022 | 119 | 169 | 5/27 | 5.64 | 2 |
| Andrew Flintoff | 1999-2009 | 138 | 168 | 5/19 | 4.33 | 2 |
| Chris Woakes* | 2011-2022 | 108 | 157 | 6/454 | 5.45 | 3 |
| Ian Botham | 1976-1992 | 116 | 145 | 4/31 | 3.96 | 0 |
| Liam Plunkett | 2005-2019 | 89 | 135 | 5/52 | 5.81 | 1 |
| Phil DeFreitas | 1987-1997 | 103 | 115 | 4/35 | 3.96 | 0 |
| Paul Collingwood | 2001-2011 | 197 | 111 | 6/31 | 4.96 | 1 |