There are bowlers who take a number of wickets in a calendar year and then there are some bowlers who take the most number of wickets out of any bowler in a calendar year and become the best bowler of the whole year in ODIs. These are special Bowlers who know the art of taking wickets regularly and with ease.
There are few Bowlers who hold the record for taking the most number of wickets in a calendar year out of anyone in the world so it’s a very special achievement. So, let’s look at the top 5 bowlers who have taken the most number of wickets in a calendar year.
1. Saqlain Mushtaq (69 Wickets):
This legendary leg spinner from Pakistan holds the record for taking most number of wickets in a calendar year. He is one of Pakistan’s greatest bowlers and has won lots of matches single handedly for his nation. Taking 69 ODI wickets in a full year is extraordinary and shows how great of a bowler he was and how easily he fixed the batters and for them out regularly. He was one of the finest leg spinners in history and his impact is still felt around the world. The year was 1997 when he bowled this well to take an insane 69 wickets in one year.
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2. Saqlain Mushtaq (65 Wickets):
The year before he set the world record of taking 69 wickets in a calendar year , he took a record breaking 65 ODI wickets in 1996. This shows how consistent he was to have the top Two spots in this list till now. And it also shows how extraordinary of an achievement it really is to pick so many ODI wickets in a year. Saqlain Mushtaq was an all time great leg spinner and the future generations vof leg spinners are inspired by him.
3. Saeed Ajmal (62 Wickets):
Another Pakistani spinner in this list and it shows how regularly great their spinners are. Saeed Ajmal was an unique spinner and it was extremely difficult to read him as the batters were unsure whether he was bowling leg or off spin. The year was 2013 when he achieved this extraordinary feat and completely bamboozled the batters that year and consistently dismissed the top players in the world with ease. He was a rare talent with the ball and a great servant of Pakistan cricket.
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4. Shane Warne (62 Wickets):
This legendary leg spinner from Australia had to be in this record lost because he was one of the best of all time and in the 1990s and the 2000s he was the best. His main format of the game was test cricket but he was extremely good in the ODI format as well as is evident by this great performance of his in 1999. He picked 62 Wickets that year which is really impressive considering the level of batters that were there around the world at that time. He was a once in a generation great.
5. Anil Kumble (62 Wickets):
In the year 1996 when Saqlain Mushtaq picked 65 Wickets, Anil Kumble picked 62 Wickets and thus earned his spot in the top 5 in this list. Anil Kumble was reaching his peak during that time and for a young spinner to pick up so many Wickets shows the level of skill and guile he had and while he didn’t Play ODI cricket as much as the test format he wad still a great threat for all the batters whenever he played the game. He is an all time legend in Indian cricket.
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