Top 10 Best Bowler in the World (2025 Updated Rankings)

Cricket has always been hailed as the batsmen’s game because of the sheer number of sixes and fours that they hit, which provides entertainment to the fans. Moreover, conditions have also gone on to increasingly favour the batters after the advent of limited-overs cricket. However, there have still been some great bowlers who have taken the cricket world by storm with their mesmerising display of skills and the daunting challenges that they have provided to the best of the batters. They have imprinted their name in the batsman-dominated game with the sheer number of wickets that they have scalped. In this listicle article, we will take a look at the top 10 bowlers in the world.

Top 10 Best Bowlers in the World - Updated List (2025)

In the present times, the best bowler in the world in international cricket are renowned for their consistent performances across various formats, including Tests, One Day Internationals (ODIs), and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). These bowlers have shown exceptional skill in taking wickets, maintained low economy rates, and delivered under pressure, making them one of the most important players to their respective teams. Their ability to adapt to different playing conditions and formats shows how adaptability and commitment are required in international cricket.

Who is the Best Bowler in the World Right Now?

There are a number of bowlers who are doing well consistently at the international level and have earned a name in the world of cricket. Many bowlers have not been playing all formats and are still performing well. But to become one of the best bowler in the world is not an easy task, where the bowlers have to show their worth in all three formats of the game and perform well in them consistently. Here is the answer to who is the best bowler in the world.

10. Kuldeep Yadav | India | 306 Wickets

Kuldeep Yadav is known for his variations in spin bowling and is considered to be one of the promising spin bowlers. He has a good hand over deceiving batsman with his flight and turn. In 166 matches, Indian Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav has taken a remarkable total of 306 wickets across all formats of the game, showing his wicket-taking ability and sharp bowling skills. His best bowling performance in ODIs stands at 6 wickets for just 25 runs, reflecting his capacity to change the game in a single spell. He has an impressive career economy rate of 5.10 and an average of 20.89, which places him among the world best bowler.

9. Matt Henry | New Zealand | 338 Wickets

Matt Henry is one of the best fast bowler in the world who has made his name in the world of cricket through his exceptional bowling. He is ranked as a very underrated bowlers who has shown positive results with his performance. He can swing the ball in both directions which troubles the batsmen. In his international career, Kiwi Pacer Matt Henry has played 148 international matches across the three formats of the game, where he has taken 338 wickets with an average of 24.17 and an economy rate of 5.54. He has decent experience of playing white-ball cricket, but now he is showing his capabilities in red-ball cricket too, which places him in the list of the best bowler in the world.

8. Ravindra Jadeja | India | 615 Wickets

Ravindra Jadeja is one of those players who balances his batting and bowling equally and perform well in both departments. He has been part of the Indian cricket team for several years and has been playing all three formats before he took retirement in the shortest format of the game. He is known for his economical bowling and the speed of finishing overs quickly. He is the best fielder in the world, known for his quick fielding and good catching.

In his international career, he has played a total of 363 matches, where he has taken 615 wickets in his international career with an average of 30.14 and a 4.85 economy rate across the formats. With respect to each format, he has taken 330 wickets in test cricket, 231 wickets in ODIs, and 54 wickets in T20Is. Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been a key player in the Indian team set up who can anchor the innings with the bat and handle the game with the ball very well, which makes him one of the top 10 bowlers in the world.

7. Josh Hazlewood | Australia | 507 Wickets

Josh Hazlewood is one of the best bowler in the world who has a good control over his line and length. He has performed exceptionally for the Australian cricket team since his debut and even gave match-winning performance during the big tournaments. He is that kind of bowler who will trouble the batsman with his pace and bounce with a swing in it.

In his international career, he has played 224 matches, where he has taken 507 wickets with an average of 24.59 and an economy rate of 5.19. He has been impressive in all three formats of the game, where he took 295 wickets in test cricket, 139 wickets in ODIs, and 73 wickets in T20Is. Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood has done well and has put in many match-winning performances.

6. Pat Cummins | Australia | 518 Wickets

Pat Cummins is known for his pace, consistency, and ability to take important wickets. He has been an integral part of the Australin bowling lineup across the three formats of the game. He is also one of the best test captains in the world. He has played a total of 218 matches for the Australian national team and has taken a total of 518 wickets across all formats of the game.

Australian skipper Pat Cummins achieved his career best bowling figures in Tests of 6 wickets for 23 runs, showing his skill in breaking strong batting partnerships. Looking at each format, he has taken 309 wickets in Tests, 143 wickets in ODIs, and 66 wickets in T20Is. He also has an impressive economy rate of 5.19 and an average of 24.81. Cummins keeps the runs low while being a constant threat to batsmen.

5. Nathan Lyon | Australia | 592 Wickets

Nathan Lyon is one of the greatest bowlers for Australian cricket team who is known for his spin bowling and long spells. He has been a part of the Australian cricket team for several years, where he usually plays test cricket only. Aussie Spinner Nation Lyon has become the frontline spinner for the Australin test team over the years and has got a lot of success in it.

In his international career, he has played more than 170+ matches across the three formats of the game where he has taken more than 590+ wickets with an impressive average and economy rate. He has taken 26 four-wickets hauls and 24 five-wicket hauls in only test cricket where his best bowling figures of match is 13/154.

4. Rashid Khan | Afghanistan | 409 Wickets

Rashid Khan is renowned for his dangeorus leg-spin bowling. He has evolved as one of the greatest spinners and is ranked among Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan. He has been ruling the world of white-ball cricket where he is very dangeorus with his spells. He has become the highest wicket taker in the T20I format. Rashid has played a total of 218 matches for his national team, claimed 409 wickets across all formats, which shows his dominance in world cricket.

Afghan spin wizard Rashid Khan achieved his career best bowling figures of 7 wickets for just 18 runs in the ODI format. A closer look at his format-wise performance reveals 45 wickets in Tests, 199 wickets in ODIs, and 165 wickets in T20Is. Rashid Khan also has an exceptional economy rate of 4.42 and an average of 18.19, which puts him among the best bowlers in international cricket.

3. Kagiso Rabada | South Africa | 580 Wickets

Kagiso Rabada, fiery proteas pacer, has a good control over bowling and he is also known for his pace and agression and ability to take wickets consistently. He has played 248 international matches for the South African National Cricket Team across the three formats and has taken 580 wickets in total. He achieved his career best bowling figures in Tests of 7 wickets for 112 runs.

Breaking it down by format, Right-arm bowler Kagiso Rabada has taken 336 wickets in Tests, 168 wickets in ODIs, and 76 wickets in T20Is. He also has an impressive career economy rate of 5.57 and an average of 25.44. He is one of the top 3 best bowler in the world.

2. Mitchell Starc | Australia | 725 Wickets

Mitchell Starc is among the best bowlers in the world who has been the main bowler for the Australian cricket team since many years. He is known for his firey pace, deadly yorkers, and bouncers and that too at high speed consistently. He has done well for his side and deleivered many match-winning spells. He has taken retirement from the shortest format of the game and will focus more on other formats.

In his international career, he has played 292 matches across the three formats of the game, where he has taken 725 wickets at an average of 24.74 and an economy rate of 5.47. Australian star bowler Mitchell Starc is a very dangerous bowler, especially in the ICC tournament, where his performance boosts during those matches. He is the second best bowler in the world.

1. Jasprit Bumrah | India | 457 Wickets

Jasprit Bumrah is currenlty the best bowler in the world who has a good kanck of taking wickets consistently without leaking mnay runs. He is known for his deceptive bowling style and unique action which also creates trouble for batsmen to oick him properly. As per the latest stats, he has featured in 207 international matches for the Indian national team and has taken a total of 457 wickets across all formats.

He achieved his career best bowling figures in the ODI format, which is 6 wickets for 19 runs. Breaking it down by format, Yorker King Jasprit Bumrah has claimed 219 wickets in Tests, 149 wickets in ODIs, and 89 wickets in T20Is. He has an excellent career economy rate of 4.54.

Who is the Best Bowler in the World of All Time?

Cricket has seen a number of great bowlers who have performed well in the game. But the best bowler in the world of all time is Joel Garner, a West Indies bowler, who has created his name with deadly fast bowling. He is one of the tallest cricketers in the world, where his height is 6 feet and 8 inches, which helps him in getting extra pace and bounce. His international career spanned 10 years from 1977 to 1987. He has played 58 test matches in which he took 259 wickets with an average of 20.97 and an impressive economy rate of 2.47.

In his ODI career, he played 98 matches where he took 146 wickets with an average of 18.84 and an economy rate of 3.09, which is hard to achieve in the limited over format. He has been the top-rated bowler of all time in the history of cricket with the all-time highest ratings of 970. He is one of the best bowler in the world who has troubled a lot of batsmen in his era with deadly bounce and pace.

Best Fast Bowler in the World (2025) - Updated List

The best fast bowler in the world is distinguished by their exceptional pace, accuracy, and consistency across all formats of international cricket. These bowlers consistently bowl at high speeds, often crossing the mark of 150 km/h, and maintain a low economy rate, making them match-winners in all three formats.

Best Spin Bowler in the World (2025) - Updated List

The best spin bowler in the world is known for exceptional skill in turning the ball, maintaining accuracy, and consistently taking wickets across all formats of cricket. These bowlers have shown great skill in controlling the game by keeping the run rate low and building pressure on the batsmen.

How We Ranked the Best Bowlers in the World

The ranking has been done on some specific and universal factors so that all the best bowler in the world are ranked on a fair basis. Here is the list of the factors on which the ranking has been done, which will help us to find the answer to who is the best bowler in the world.

• Bowling Average: The bowling average of the bowler indicates the number of runs conceded per wicket taken, which tells how many runs the bowler leaks on average while taking a wicket. The lower bowling average of the bowler indicates high effectiveness, which is best to judge the best bowler in the world.
• Strike Rate: The Strike rate of a bowler tells the balls taken by the bowler to take a wicket, which is a key measure of the wicket-taking ability of the bowler. This shows the efficiency of the bowler to take wickets in less number of balls.
• Economy Rate: Economy rate is the number of runs conceded by the bowler in each over of a match, which tells how many runs the bowler will leak in an over. It is important to control the economy rate, especially in limited-over matches.
• Wickets Taken (Overall and Format-Specific): The number of wickets taken by the bowler involves the total number of wickets taken across the three formats of the game, which include Test, ODIs, and T20Is. This shows the overall performance of the bowler and how well he is bowling to scalp a good number of wickets.
• ICC Rankings and Awards: ICC rankings and awards achieved by the bowler show the success of the bowler in the department of bowling. This includes the bowler's official global recognition and rankings by the ICC for doing well in bowling.