Australia's off-spinner, Nathan Lyon, holds the record for the most wickets in the World Test Championship (WTC). He has taken 187 wickets in 43 matches at an average of 26.70. His teammate, Australian Test, and ODI captain Pat Cummins follows closely in second place with 175 wickets in 42 matches.

India’s Ravichandran Ashwin ranks third, having taken 174 wickets in 35 matches. Australia’s Mitchell Starc is fourth, with 147 wickets in 38 games. Starc averages 27.08 and has a strike rate of 46.83, with his best figures in the tournament being six for 66 against Pakistan in 2019.

Stuart Broad, who retired in 2023, is fifth on the list with 134 wickets in 33 games. Broad's bowling average is impressive at 24.09, and his best figures in the tournament are six for 31 against the West Indies in 2020. Kagiso Rabada, another standout bowler, comes in sixth with 123 wickets in 27 games. Rabada averages 22.52 with a strike rate of 40.30, and his best performance in the WTC is six for 50 against the West Indies in 2023.

James Anderson, who retired in July 2024, is next on the list with 116 wickets in 36 games. Anderson, who is the only pace bowler to take over 700 wickets in Test cricket, was just behind Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan in the all-time wicket-takers list. He averaged 23.81 in the WTC, with his best figures being six for 40 against Sri Lanka in 2021. Tim Southee, also with 116 wickets but in 30 games, shares the seventh spot with Anderson. Southee averages 28.45, and his best figures are five for 32 against the West Indies in 2020.

India’s ace bowler, Jasprit Bumrah with 110 wickets in 26 games, is ninth on the list. He boasts an impressive average of 20.16 and a strike rate of 43.32, with his best WTC figures being six for 27 against the West Indies in 2019. Rounding off the top 10 is Australia’s Josh Hazlewood, who has taken 109 wickets in 26 games. Hazlewood's standout performance was five for just eight runs against India in 2020, a match in which Australia bowled India out for just 36 at the Adelaide Oval.

Most Wickets in the World Test Championship

1: Nathan Lyon: 187 wickets in 43 games

Nathan Lyon is the leading wicket-taker in the World Test Championship (WTC), with 187 wickets in 43 matches at an average of 26.70 and a strike rate of 58.05. He has claimed 10 five-wicket hauls, playing a crucial role in Australia's success, particularly during the 2021-2023 WTC cycle, where he took 88 wickets in 20 games and was instrumental in Australia's victory, including a match tally of five wickets in the final against India. In the current WTC cycle, Lyon has already taken 43 wickets, continuing to be a key player for Australia.

2: Pat Cummins: 175 wickets in 42 games

Australia's current captain, Pat Cummins, is second on the list of leading wicket-takers in the World Test Championship (WTC) with 175 wickets in 42 matches. Cummins has been outstanding with the ball, boasting an average of just 22.81 and taking eight five-wicket hauls. He has a strike rate of 46.93, meaning he takes a wicket almost every eight overs. In the inaugural edition of the WTC, he took 70 wickets, making him the second-highest wicket-taker of that cycle. Cummins then led Australia to victory in the 2021-2023 WTC cycle. So far, in the current cycle, he has taken 48 wickets in 12 matches, continuing his strong performance as a bowler and leader.

3: Ravichandran Ashwin: 174 wickets in 35 games

Ravichandran Ashwin has claimed 174 wickets in 35 World Test Championship (WTC) matches, placing him just one wicket behind Pat Cummins. Ashwin has been exceptional, with 10 five-wicket hauls to his name, maintaining an impressive average of 20.43 and a strike rate of 44.79. He was the leading wicket-taker in the 2019-21 WTC cycle, taking 71 wickets in 14 games. In the following edition, he finished third in the wicket-taking charts, playing a crucial role in helping India reach another final. In the current WTC cycle, Ashwin has already taken 42 wickets in just 8 matches, continuing to be a vital part of India's bowling attack.