Five Highest Wicket-Takers in Ashes (All-Time)

The most awaited Test series of the year- the Ashes is all to kick off on Friday (June 16). In all likelihood, we will be able to see a fascinating contest between bat and ball.

Australia are recently coming off the WTC final win against India and will be high on confidence coming into the five-match series.

England, on the other hand, has played an ultra-aggressive brand of cricket in the last year and a half which has worked wonders for them. They won 12 out of their last 17 matches and most of them have been possible due to some exceptional power-hitting by the batters.

The Bazball style has changed England and world cricket for the good. But can they continue to play with flair and aggression against this quality Australian attack?

That surely remains a question, especially with the way the Pat Cummins-led side bowled in the WTC final, as they took 20 wickets. We might also see the return of Josh Hazlewood who missed the game.

Australia seem to have all their bases covered but haven't come against England since reinventing themselves in the purest form of the game. The combination of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum has helped England take giant strides in the last year and a half.

Over the years, the Ashes has been the ultimate rivalry in cricket. One of the oldest sporting rivalries, the first Ashes Test was played way back in 1882. Since then, we have witnessed some incredible performances from both teams.

Several top-class bowlers have emerged in this 141 years of rivalry. While the Australians lead the list of most wickets taken in the Ashes, the English bowlers are not far behind either.

With that said, let us have a look at five highest wicket-takers in the Ashes:

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#1. Shane Warne- 195 wickets

The undisputed king of spin bowling, the late Shane Warne holds the record for most wickets in Ashes. A magician and a wicket-taker per excellence, Warne picked 195 wickets in 36 Ashes Tests at an exceptional average of 23.25.

Back in 1993, Warne produced a delivery for the ages in his very first delivery on English soil. Bowling to Mike Gatting, he pitched the ball well outside leg, the ball drifted in the air and then spun viciously past Gatting to dislodge his off-stump.

Gatting was bemused and his reaction summed up the greatness of the delivery. It was enough to suggest what was to come in the coming years. Warne went on to dismantle several English batting line-ups and took wickets at an incredible rate.

He was at his incredible best in the 2005 Ashes, won by England. Australia's pace cartel weren't at their best and Warne had to rise to the occasion. He bagged 40 wickets in the series.

In his final Ashes series in 2007, Warne went on to bag his 700th Test wicket and finished with 23 wickets to his name in those five Tests.

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#2. Glenn McGrath- 157 wickets

Glenn McGrath was the leading wicket-taker among the pacers before James Anderson overtook him.

One of the finest ever pacers to have graced the game of cricket, Glenn McGrath has a stupendous record in the Ashes. In 30 Tests, the paceman scalped 157 wickets at an incredible average of 20.92.

He announced his retirement after the 2007 series along with the likes of Shane Warne and Justin Langer.

McGrath made his Ashes debut back in 1994 when he played just a couple of Tests and bagged six wickets.

His breakthrough year in the Ashes was 1998 when he ran through the England batting line-up and finished with 24 wickets in five games. He went a step further in 2001, bagging 32 wickets in the series.

His best figure at that time, having run through the English top order and the middle order, was 7/76.

Even in his farewell series in 2007, McGrath was well and truly among the wickets. He finished the series as one of the leading wicket-takers with 21 scalps to his name at an average of 23.90.

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#3. Hugh Trumble- 141 wickets

Trumble was one of the finest off-spinners of his time.

Not many would know his name but Hugh Trumble was one of the finest off-spinners of his time. Having made his Test debut in 1890, Trumble represented Australia in 31 Ashes Tests and bagged 141 wickets in the process.

He was not only a top-class spinner but was a reliable lower-order bat and chipped in with crucial knocks in his career.

He was deadly, especially on a wet wicket which was mostly the case in Australia. He managed to get vicious turn and bite from the surface. Batters had a hard time judging which way the ball was spinning due to the speed at which he bowled. He was more like a medium pacer but his accuracy was spot on.

One of his finest all-round performances came in the Oval Test back in 1902. He scored a fighting half-century in the first innings and also bagged 12 wickets in the game albeit in a losing cause. He played his last Ashes Test in 1904.

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# 4 Stuart Broad- 131 wickets

One of the spearheads of the English Test attack along with James Anderson, Stuart Broad has been a stand-out performer in the biggest rivalry in cricket. He has 131 wickets in 35 Ashes Tests and will look to add some more to his tally when the two teams square off in the first Test starting on Friday.

Having made his Test debut in 2007, it was not before 2009 that Broad made his Ashes debut. He had a good time with the ball and ended up bagging 18 wickets in his first series. His average was a bit on the higher side but it was enough to prove that he was a wicket-taking option and was there to stay.

The 2015 Ashes saw Stuart Broad bowl one of the finest spells ever seen in the history of cricket. He ran through the Aussie line-up with some exceptional bowling and accounted for eight Australian wickets for just 15 runs.

It was a spell for the ages as England skittled out Australia for just 60 runs in their first innings. Broad played just three Tests in the last Ashes back in 2021-22, bagging 13 wickets.

In the 2019 series at home, he just played a couple of matches, bagging four wickets. It clearly shows Broad hasn’t been at his best in the last few Ashes series. If he does gets a chance, he will definitely look to prove a point or two in the upcoming series.

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#5. Denis Lillee- 128 wickets

One of the most fearsome fast bowlers during his heydays, Denis Lillee was one of the most successful fast bowlers of his time.

Having made his Ashes debut back in 1971, Lillee played a total of 24 Ashes Tests during his career, bagging 128 wickets at an impressive average of 22.32.

Lillee made his presence felt in his very first Ashes series and bagged eight wickets in the two matches he played.

He bagged 31 wickets in five Ashes Tests in the next tour in 1972 and his record just kept improving from there on. Lillee’s most productive Ashes was in the year 1981 when he bagged 39 wickets in six Tests.