It’s not quite often we see bowlers running through a batting side in ODI matches. Given the limited resources at hand, it’s not easy to take five-wicket hauls in 50-over cricket.
So even if a bowler can’t manage to grab fifers more often, they have dealt significant blows to opponents by picking up three or more wickets consistently. These three-plus wicket hauls have proven crucial in teams gaining an advantage over their opponents.
So here are the bowlers who have taken the most three-wicket hauls in ODI cricket.
Most 3+ Wicket Hauls in ODI
| Player | Innings | 3+ Wickets | Total Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wasim Akram (PAK) | 351 | 76 | 502 |
| Muthiah Muralidaran (SL) | 341 | 68 | 534 |
| Brett Lee (AUS) | 217 | 55 | 380 |
| Waqar Younis (PAK) | 258 | 53 | 416 |
| Shaun Pollock (SA) | 297 | 48 | 393 |
| Saqlain Mushtaq (PAK) | 165 | 48 | 288 |
| Glenn McGrath (AUS) | 248 | 45 | 381 |
| Lasith Malinga (SL) | 220 | 45 | 338 |
| Chaminda Vaas (SL) | 320 | 43 | 400 |
| Allan Donald (SA) | 162 | 42 | 272 |
Key Insights on Bowlers with Most Three-Wicket Hauls in ODIs
Bowlers with Most ODI Three-Wicket Spells
Wasim Akram has claimed the most three-wicket hauls in ODIs, with 76 such instances for Pakistan.
Akram’s 502 wickets are the second-most behind Muttiah Muralitharan’s 534. The former Pakistani fast bowler was the first-ever bowler to breach that mark back in 2003.
Waqar Younis, who is fourth on the list, has bagged the most four-plus and five-plus wicket hauls in ODIs. He took 27 four-plus and 13 five-plus wicket hauls in the format.
11 bowlers have racked up 40 or more three-plus wicket hauls in ODIs, though only three spinners feature among them. Apart from Muralitharan (68) and Saqlain Mushtaq (48), former Pakistani leg spinner Shahid Afridi is the only other tweaker, having taken three or more wickets 42 times.
Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane is the only bowler from an associate team to take 30 or more three-wicket hauls in ODIs.
Most Three-fors by ODI World Cup and Conditions
Four bowlers have taken three or more wickets in more than 10 ODI World Cup innings. Glenn McGrath, Mohammed Shami and Muthiah Muralidaran have taken 11 three-plus-wicket hauls each, while Lasith Malinga picked up 10.
Shaun Pollock picked up 27 of his 48 three-fors in South Africa, the most by a bowler at home in ODIs.
Akram took 26 of his 76 in away fixtures. This is the most three-wicket hauls by a bowler in away ODIs.
Akram and Younis share the record for the most three-wicket hauls at a single venue in ODIs. Both bagged 18 spells each at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE.
Three-for Records by Series, Opponent and Year in ODIs
Craig Matthews (SA vs AUS, 1994), Javagal Srinath (IND vs NZ, 2002), Clint McKay (AUS vs PAK, 2010), Amit Mishra (IND vs ZIM, 2013) and Kuldeep Yadav (IND vs SA, 2018) hold the joint record for the most three-fors in a bilateral ODI series, picking up four each.
Muralitharan (SL vs PAK), Shakib Al Hasan (BAN vs ZIM) and Akram (PAK vs SL & WI) share the record for the most three-fors against an opponent in ODIs, with 14 spells each.
Akram is the only bowler to take 10 or more three-wicket hauls against four different opponents, with Australia (11) and New Zealand (10) being the other teams.
Saqlain Mushtaq has picked up the most three-wicket hauls in a calendar year in ODIs, with 13 spells for Pakistan in 1997.
Mushtaq is the only bowler to grab more than 10 three-fors in two calendar years, with his 11 spells in 1996 being the other instance.
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