Muralitharan, Warne, Kumble and Anderson ... the top 10 Test wicket takers – in pictures

The most prolific bowlers and their records in cricket's longest form

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  TOP 10 TEST WICKET-TAKERS: 10) RANGANA HERATH (Sri Lanka) 433 wickets: A Test career that spanned nearly 20 years, Herath holds the record for the most wickets taken by a left-arm bowler. He took five wickets in an innings 34 times and secured nine 10-wicket match hauls in his 93 Tests, at an average of 28.07. Herath's best bowling figures were 9-127 against Pakistan in Colombo in 2014. He played his final Test in 2018. AFP

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  9) KAPIL DEV (India) 434 wickets: Great Indian all-rounder who is the only player in the history to have taken more than 400 wickets and scored more than 5,000 runs in Tests. Dev took five wickets in an innings 23 times and secured two 10-wicket match hauls in his 131 Tests, at an average of 29.64. His best bowling figures of 9-83 came against the West Indies in Ahmedabad in 1983. Dev played his last Test in 1994. Getty

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  8) DALE STEYN (South Africa) 439 wickets: Ferocious Proteas quick-bowler who was No 1 in the ICC rankings for a record 263 weeks between 2008 and 2014. Steyn took five wickets in an innings 26 times and secured five 10-wicket match hauls in his 93 Tests, at an average of 22.95. His best bowling figures of 7-51 came against India in Nagpur in 2010. Steyn retired from Test cricket in 2019 to focus on shorter forms of the game. AFP

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  7) STUART BROAD (England) 501 wickets: Fast-bowler who is still going strong for England aged 33, alongside old partner in crime James Anderson. Broad has taken five wickets in an innings 18 times and secured three 10-wicket match hauls in his 140 Tests. His best bowling figures of 8-15 came against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2015. PA

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  6) COURTNEY WALSH (West Indies) 519 wickets: Top of a very fine list of Windies' pacers and was the first bowler to reach 500 wickets in Test cricket. Walsh took five wickets in an innings 22 times and secured three 10-wicket match hauls in his 132 Tests, at an average of 24.44. His best bowling figures of 7-37 came against New Zealand in Wellington in 1995, when he also took 6-18 in the second innings. Walsh played his last Test in 2001. Getty

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  5) GLENN McGRATH (Australia) 563 wickets: Remarkably accurate fast bowler who was at the heart of Australia's dominance of world cricket from the mid 1990s to mid 2000s. McGrath took five wickets in an innings 29 times and secured three 10-wicket match hauls in his 124 Tests, at an average of 21.64. His best bowling figures of 8-24 came against Pakistan in Perth in 2004. McGrath played his last Test in 2007. Reuters

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  4) JAMES ANDERSON (England) 589 wickets: The fact Anderson is still going strong as a fast bowler in Test cricket, having made his debut in 2003, is testament to his skill and longevity. 'The Burnley Express' has taken five wickets in an innings 28 times and secured three 10-wicket match hauls in his 153 Tests, at an average of 26.85. His best bowling figures of 7-42 came against the West Indies at Lord's in 2017. PA

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  3) ANIL KUMBLE (India) 619 wickets: No surprise that spinners occupy the top three slots. Not a prodigious spinner of the ball in the manner of Shane Warne or Muttiah Muralitharan, but a formidably accurate bowler nonetheless. Kumble took five wickets in an innings 35 times and secured eight 10-wicket match hauls in his 132 Tests, at an average of 29.65. In 1999 against Pakistan in Delhi, Kumble famously claimed all 10 batsman in their second innings to finish with 10-74. English bowler Jim Laker is the only other player to achieve that feat in Test cricket. Kumble played his last Test in 2008. Getty

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  2) SHANE WARNE (Australia) 708 wickets: Phenomenal leg spinner who, alongside McGrath, would help establish Australia's fearsome bowling attack when the team dominated world cricket. Warne took five wickets in an innings 37 times and secured 10 10-wicket match hauls in his 145 Tests, at an average of 17.32. His best bowling figures of 8-71 came against England in Brisbane in 1994. Warne played his last Test in 2007. Agency

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  1) MUTTIAH MURALITHARAN (Sri Lanka) 800 wickets: A haul of wickets that will surely never be beaten. Although questions about the legality of his action - due to an unusual hyper-extension of his arm - have followed him throughout his career, there is no doubting Muralitharan's incredible talent. He was the first wrist-spinning off-spinner in the history of the game and was capable of bowling marathon sessions, yet always appear to be on the attack. Murali took five wickets in an innings 67 times and secured 22 10-wicket match hauls in his 133 Tests, at an average of 22.72. His best bowling figures of 9-51 came against Zimbabwe in Kandy in 2002. Muralitharan played his last Test in 2010. Reuters

After an enforced absence due to the coronavirus pandemic, it finally appears that international cricket is edging closer to a return.

The West Indies arrived in England on Tuesday for a Test series that is now set to start in July.

Two bowlers hoping to play their parts in the series, James Anderson and Stuart Broad, have both earned their places in the top-10 Test wicket-takers of all time.

Anderson, though, accepted a series spanning just 21 days might mean England having to make the most of their pool of fast bowlers.

"There are concerns," he admitted. "We're not going to have had any competitive cricket before that first Test match and we've got three Tests in quick succession, so there are obviously things we need to look at in terms of workloads and whether we play all three as bowlers or whether we rotate.

"I'm sure the medical staff and coaches are doing their due diligence on that. It's something we'll have to look at in a few weeks' time but at the moment I'm enjoying being back and feeling really good."

So in the next part of our top-10 series, will be looking at the most prolific bowlers to have played the game's longest form.

To look through the photo gallery above, click on the arrows or simply swipe to look at the next image.