The News Mill - England wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler and former fast bowler Stuart Broad have selected their top 10 bowlers of the 21st century, placing Indian pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah third, ahead of renowned players such as Australian Glenn McGrath and Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan.
Speaking on their podcast ‘For the Love of Cricket’, Buttler and Broad ranked Shane Warne as the number one bowler. Warne, the late Australian leg-spinner, concluded his international career with 1,001 wickets and a World Cup victory. He is the only bowler besides Muralitharan to reach the 1,000-international-wicket milestone and is Australia’s highest wicket-taker.
James Anderson, England’s all-time leading wicket-taker with 991 wickets, was placed second. Anderson has formed a highly successful bowling partnership with Broad over his career.
Bumrah, regarded as one of India’s finest pace bowlers and a standout of the modern era, has taken 511 wickets in 243 matches, including 18 five-wicket hauls. He is India’s eighth-highest wicket-taker and has achieved significant success both abroad and in spin-friendly conditions in India. His accolades include two T20 World Cup titles, earning Player of the Tournament in 2024 and Player of the Match in the 2026 final against New Zealand.
Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins, captain of the 2023 World Cup and World Test Championship-winning teams with 535 international wickets, was named fifth. Muralitharan, the leading international wicket-taker with 1,347 wickets and winner of the 1996 Cricket World Cup and 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, was placed sixth. McGrath, who won three World Cups and holds the record for most wickets in World Cup history with 71, ranked fourth.
The seventh, eighth and ninth positions were occupied by South African bowlers Dale Steyn (699 wickets), Kagiso Rabada (631 wickets), and Shaun Pollock (823 wickets), respectively. Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc, with 773 international wickets and two World Cup titles, was selected tenth.
Notably absent from the list were prominent bowlers such as Ravichandran Ashwin, Nathan Lyon, Ravindra Jadeja, Anil Kumble, and Tim Southee.
The full list of top 10 bowlers of the 21st century, according to Buttler and Broad, is: Shane Warne, James Anderson, Jasprit Bumrah, Glenn McGrath, Pat Cummins, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Shaun Pollock, and Mitchell Starc.