Top 5 bowlers with most wickets between 2007 and 2011 World Cup

The 2007 edition of the ICC ODI World Cup proved to be a cakewalk for Australia as they continued their domination at the global stage by lifting their third ODI Wolrd Cup trophy on the trot.

Australia's win over Sri Lanka in the final also marked the retirement of the legendary Glenn McGrath as he chose to bid farewell at the height of glory.

Several other bowlers also walked away from the sport at the end of the tournament with many others taking on the mantle for their sides as the leading bowler.

The period between the 2007 and 2011 editions of the ODI World Cup (28 April 2007 to 19 February 2011) saw a few bowlers establish their supremacy as one of the world's best while a few enjoyed a golden run of form that saw them dominate the period in-between.

Let's have a look at the 5 bowlers who took the maximum number of wickets in ODIs between the 2007 and 2011 ICC ODI World Cup.

#5 James Anderson (England) - 92 wickets

With 92 wickets from 71 ODIs during the said period, James Anderson opened the bowling for England alongside Stuart Broad forming a formidable bowling partnership for the side.

Anderson had an underwhelming 2007 World Cup picking up just 6 wickets from as many matches but that was largely down to a broken finger he had sustained just days prior to the start of the tournament.

With Duncan Fletcher making way for Peter Moores after the 20007 World Cup, Anderson began to establish himself as a vital member of the England side across all formats of the game.

In ODIs, Anderson began to show the kind of consistency that helped him leap from the status of a good bowler to a world-class one.

Anderson's 92 ODI wickets during the period came at an average of 33.23 while he possessed a strike rate of around 38 with the ball.

He also recorded his best bowling figures in an ODI during the period as he picked up 5/23 against South Africa at Port Elizabeth in 2009 helping his side dismiss the Proteas for a paltry total of 122 runs.

The visitors went on to win the match by seven wickets with Anderson picking up the Man-of-the-Match award.

#4 Kyle Mills (New Zealand) - 97 wickets

Kyle Mills had the best average among the top 5 wicket-takers during the period

Kyle Mills was an integral member of the New Zealand ODI side since making his debut in 2001 and went on to represent the national side for a period of fourteen years until his retirement in 2015.

He is New Zealand's second highest wicket-taker in ODI history with 240 wickets from 170 matches and enjoyed a highly successful period from 2007 to 2011.

Mills picked up 97 wickets from just 61 ODIs played between the 2007 and 2011 ODI World Cup at an astonishing average of 24.87 - the best among the Top 5 bowlers on this list.

He also conceded less than 5-runs-an over and possessed a strike rate of just under 31 with the ball during the period.

His first and only 5-wicket haul in ODIs also came during the period as he picked up 5/25 against South Africa at Kingsmead, Durban in 2007. But it was still not enough to prevent the hosts from clinching a thrilling 2-wicket victory.

#3 Shakib al Hasan (Bangladesh) - 101 wickets

Shakib Al Hasan was the most economical among the Top 5 wicket-takers during the period.

Shakib-al-Hasan is undoubtedly the greatest player to have emerged from Bangladesh and is one of the best all-rounders in history, considering the fact that he had little support from his teammates, at least during his early years, often fighting a lone battle.

He has found himself at the top of the all-rounder charts on numerous occasions excelling with both and ball in all formats of the game.

During the period between the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, Shakib took 101 wickets from 74 ODIs at an average of 28.62.

Among the top 5 wicket-takers during the said period, Shakib is the most economical bowler conceding just 4.40-runs-an-over.

It was during this period that Shakib established himself as a true all-rounder, after being considered more of a batsman who could bowl in his early years.

Apart from the obvious pressure he had to contend with as the side's best player, Shakib also captained Bangladesh during the period.

#2 Mitchell Johnson (Australia) - 109 wickets

Johnson was named the ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2009

The year 2007 saw both Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne bid adieu to international cricket and it was always going to be a tough task to fill the big shoes of the two legendary cricketers.

However, in Mitchell Johnson, Australia found someone who could intimidate the opposition with his pace and guile and he arguably had the best period of his career in between the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, as evident by being named the ICC Cricketer of the Year award in 2009.

Johnson took 109 wickets from 71 ODIs and secured four of his six Man-of-the-Match awards in the 50-over format during this period. He was instrumental in Australia's 4-2 triumph over India in a 7-match ODI series, picking up 14 wickets.

The left-arm pacer's wickets came at an average of 26.03 while he was also economical with the ball conceding less than five-runs-an-over.

#1 Stuart Broad (England) - 119 wickets

Broad picked up 119 wickets from just 67 ODIs during the said period

Despite making his ODI debut in 2006, Stuart Broad was overlooked for the 2007 World Cup, but soon became an integral part of the English ODI side opening the bowling along with James Anderson.

Broad picked 119 wickets from just 67 ODIs between the 2007 and 2011 ODI World Cups at an average of 24.95 and a super strike rate of 29.

Though he was slightly expensive with the ball, he made up for the drawback with his wicket-taking abilities and proved useful to the side with the bat as well.

He picked up two Man-of-the-Match awards as well as his only Man of the Series award in ODI cricket during the period helping England to 3-2 series win away to the West Indies.

He was an ever-present in the England ODI side and remained so until England's dismal 2015 World Cup campaign which saw them knocked out of the group stages.