Top 5 bowlers who were quickest to reach 150 wickets in ODIs

As we know, Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan is the highest wicket-taker amongst all bowlers in both ODIs and in Test Cricket, with 534 wickets and 800 wickets respectively. In ODIs, only two bowlers have bagged 500 or more wickets thus far - Wasim Akram and Muralitharan. But to reach such a milestone they took a span of 350 or more matches. But to reach the 150 wickets milestone, the legendary off-spinner had taken 110 matches.

Recently, in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, two frontline bowlers of their respective teams reached the 150-wickets mark in One Day Internationals. While Trent Boult bagged a late couple of wickets in the death overs against Bangladesh, Mitchell Starc stunned the in-form with a five-wicket haul. Both bowlers were the highest wicket-takers in the previous World Cup edition. From the magnificent Mitchell Starc to Sri Lanka's estranged mystery bowler Ajantha Mendis, here let's have a look at the bowlers who have taken the least number of ODI matches to reach the 150 wickets mark:

#1 Mitchell Starc

The Calypsos stormed into the World Cup scene with an unstoppable charisma and drive. They stunned the Black Caps in the warm-up fixture by posting a total of 421, in response to which the Kiwis could only manage 330 while chasing. Jason Holder and Co. carried their form into the main competition in their tournament-opener against Pakistan and bulldozed over them with a 7 wicket triumph. Then came the Australian challenge and the world is witness to the fact that the West Indies Cricket team looked solid against the Aussies too. The Kangaroos lost first five wickets for just 79 runs but managed to post a decent total of 288 after Nathan Coulter-Nile produced a gem of an innings (92 off 60) partnered by Steve Smith (73 off 103) who kept the ship sailing.

Given West Indies' monstrous form, a target of 289 didn't look look as big. To defend this, they needed something special. And that something special came from Australia's best, the left-arm quick Mitchell Starc. He stole himself a five-wicket haul by uprooting Gayle and the lower order, as the Calypsos fell just 15 runs short from a victory that seemed close for a while. He has six five-fers in One Day International Cricket now.

Additionally, he also reached another landmark in his cricketing career. The Player of the Tournament in the World Cup 2015 became the fastest to reach 150 wickets in ODIs, overhauling Saqlain Mushtaq's previous record by a difference of just one match. Since his debut in October 2010, Starc has featured in 77 ODI games and now has 151 wickets in the 50-over format.

#2 Saqlain Mushtaq

The one who maneuvered the 'Doosra' and also the 'Teesra' in Cricket, none other than the legendary Saqlain Mushtaq comes next in the list. The veteran off-spinner of the Pakistan Cricket team held this record for over a decade before the Australian superstar Mitchell Starc eclipsed Mushtaq's age-old record by just one game. While Starc took 77 matches to bag 150 ODI scalps, Mushtaq had taken 78 games for the same.

However, the span of the time covered by that record was way less than the 29-year-old Australian quick. From September 1995 to January 1998, the off-spinner took 2 years and 109 days to get to the 150-wickets mark. Whereas, Starc who is mostly away due to his injury troubles has taken 8 years and 229 days to do the same.

Saqlain Mushtaq of Pakistan appeals to the Umpire

In fact, until 2016, Saqlain (53 matches) was the fastest bowler in the history of ODI cricket to take 100 wickets but it was Starc (52 matches) again who stole the record from him and the margin was again one game. However, the Aghan prodigy Rashid Khan now holds that record who achieved the milestone in just 44 matches.

#3 Trent Boult

Mitchell Starc and Trent Boult, the two 29-year-old left-arm quicks reached the milestone of 150 ODI wickets just one day apart and during the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019. Besides, the two bowlers are the best pacers in their respective teams and were also the joint highest wicket-takers (22 wickets each) in the previous World Cup edition (2015). While Starc took a five-for against West Indies on Thursday, Boult took 2/44 against Bangladesh to reach 150 wickets in 81 outings.

West Indies v New Zealand – ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Warm Up

So far in this tournament, the New Zealand bowler has bagged three wickets from the first two matches. The Black Caps will need a little more spark from their best bowler, especially in Southee's absence, since everyone's aware of Boult's capacity being much bigger than what he has showcased so far.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's previously underused bowler Matt Henry has taken charge for the team. Against the Bangla Tigers on Wednesday, while Boult was struggling to take wickets in his first spell, Henry took some early wickets and ended up bagging a four wicket haul. Fortunately for Boult, he was finally able to bag a couple of wickets towards the end when he dismissed Mosaddek Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz.

Boult has been playing for New Zealand since 2012 and has five five-wicket hauls in ODIs, including the best figures of 7 for 34 which he has achieved against the West Indies in Christchurch in December 2017.

#4 Brett Lee

Undoubtedly one of the all-time fast-bowling greats in limited-overs history, Brett Lee spewed venom and aggression which perfectly complemented Glenn McGrath’s precision and efficiency in the invincible Australian side of the early 2000s. Clocking in regularly at speeds around 150 kmph, Brett Lee’s speed of taking wickets matched the pace of his deliveries. The New South Wales right-armer had a relatively slow start, taking 29 matches to get to his first 50 wickets over the better part of 2 years. He picked up thereon, becoming the fourth fastest bowler to 150 wickets, reaching the milestone in his 82nd game in February 2004 during Australia’s visit to Sri Lanka, a shade over four years after his debut.

Australia v India - Tri-Series Game 7

Lee went on to have a storied career, winning two World Cups and becoming a member of the prestigious 300-wicket club in ODI cricket, becoming the quickest man to reach that milestone. After 12 years in international cricket, Lee finished with an extraordinary haul of 380 wickets in 221 matches, and is currently the 8th-highest wicket-taker of all time in ODIs. For a bowler of such pace, a long career is pretty rare, and Binga’s longevity was a result of his fitness, quality and sheer wicket-taking ability.

#5 Ajantha Mendis

Unlike the rest of this list, who have succeeded to get to their first 150 scalps at a fairly uniform pace, Ajantha Mendis is an anomaly. The Sri Lankan spinner’s ascension to 150 career wickets was stop-start and frankly rather bizarre. Mendis burst on to the scene in 2008 and made an immediate impact. A ‘mystery-spinner’ whose deadliest weapon was a carrom-ball which no one could read, Mendis looked set to be the natural successor to Muralitharan. He was picking wickets for fun, most notably tearing through the Indian lineup for a six-for in the Asia Cup final, and soon became the fastest-ever bowler to 50 ODI wickets in just 19 matches within 6 months of his debut, shattering the previous record with ease.

Sri Lanka v Netherlands - ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014

However, Mendis hit quite a slump after that as opponents adapted to his variations very well and he failed to keep up, requiring 44 more games to get to his next 50, taking well over 5 years which saw him getting dropped repeatedly due to poor form. However, he picked up his pace by quite a bit after that, getting to 150 career wickets in a total of 84 games in late 2015, almost eight years after his debut. Once touted to top this list by a huge margin, Mendis comes in at number 5 here.