Fastest 400 wickets in Test

Fastest 400 wickets in Test – Test Match if undoubtedly the most grueling form in world cricket, and it will remain this way in the future. In the longest format of the game, a batter has to remain focused while he is at the crease, and slowly construct a meaningful innings. For bowlers, the job is even harder in red ball cricket, as they might have to bowl several overs before they get a breakthrough.

Fastest 400 wickets in Test

In this article, we will have a look at players who are quickest to 400 test wickets. The list features several iconic players like Muttiah Muralitharan, R. Ashwin, Dale Steyn among many others.

Muttiah Muralitharan is one of the icons of the game. The Sri Lankan spinner holds the record for being the fastest player to take 400 wickets in Test cricket. Muralitharan went on to achieve the milestone in just 72 Test matches played over a span of 9 years.

Here’s list of bowlers with fastest 400 wickets in Test

Bowler	Matches to 400 Test wickets	Years Taken
Muttiah Muralitharan	72	9y 137d
R. Ashwin	77	9y 110d
RJ Hadlee	80	17y 0d
Dale Steyn	80	10y 225d
Rangana Herath	84	18y 6d
Anil Kumble	85	14y 58d

His 400th wicket came against Zimbabwe at Galle on January 12, 2002. The Sri Lankan spinner did not stop there, as he went on to pick 400 more Test wickets, taking his total tally to 800 wickets. He holds the record for most wickets picked in the longest format of the game.

Picking up 400 wickets in Test cricket is an incredible feat, and to be among the fastest to do is another achievement in itself.

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R. Ashwin, Dale Steyn in the list of Quickest to 400 test wickets

Indian spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin recently picked up his 400th Test wicket against England in 2021 in his 77th Test match. Just like Muttiah Muralitharan, the Indian took just 9 years to achieve this feat. Hence, the off-spinner is ranked second in the list for fastest 400 wickets, and as things stand, there are many more to come.

Richard Hadlee and Dale Steyn are placed on third spot in the same list. What is more special about the duo is that being quick bowlers, picking up wickets at a blistering pace becomes a bit difficult because of the limited overs one can bowl in a spell. Richard Hadlee picked up 400 wickets in 80 Test matches, although it took him exactly 17 years to do so. On the other hand, South African pacer, Dale Steyn managed to achieve the feat in just over 10 years and 80 Test matches.