Australia pacer Mitchell Starc holds the record for being the fastest to 150 ODI wickets having taken just 77 matches to do so. Starc achieved the feat in the 10th match of the 2019 World Cup against West Indies where he ended up taking five wickets in a 15-run win.
Since making his debut in 2010 against India, Starc has played 99 ODIs, taking 195 wickets at an average of 22.45. Interestingly, he is one of just 13 players in ODI cricket to have picked six wickets in an innings and still end up on the losing side.
While Starc tops this list for fastest to 150 ODI wickets, Saqlain Mushtaq took just a little over two years to reach the landmark. In comparison, it took Starc a whopping 8 years and 229 days to reach the milestone.
But since we are only considering the number of matches played, it is imperative to note that the Pakistan great played 78 ODIs to take 150 wickets in the 50-overs format.
The off-spinner, who mastered the doosra, played 169 ODIs during his career in the limited-overs format, picking 288 wickets in the process. Two years after making his debut in 1995, Mushtaq picked 69 ODI wickets in 1997, which remains the most wickets any bowler has picked in a calendar year in cricket.
The latest entrant in the list for fastest to 150 ODI wickets is Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, who breached the milestone during his 80th match, which ended in a seven-wicket over Bangladesh.
Mushtaq and Rashid are the only spinners in the top five list as New Zealand’s Trent Boult (81 matches) and former Australia pacer Brett Lee (82 matches) round up the remaining spots.
Fastest bowlers to 150 ODI wickets
| Player | Team | Matches | Time |
| Mitchell Starc | Australia | 77 | 8y 229d |
| Saqlain Mushtaq | Pakistan | 78 | 2y 109d |
| Rashid Khan | Afghanistan | 80 | 6y 133d |
| Trent Boult | New Zealand | 81 | 6y 329d |
| Brett Lee | Australia | 82 | 4y 42d |
Featured photo: AFP
