Buttler and Broad were speaking on the ‘For the Love of Cricket’ podcast, which they co-host. England wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler and former pacer Stuart Broad chose the top 10 bowlers of the 21st century, putting Indian pace stalwart Jasprit Bumrah at number three over greats of the game, including Australian pacer Glenn McGrath and Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan. The leading wicket-taker in international cricket, Muralitharan (1,347), who won a Cricket World Cup (1996) and ICC Champions Trophy (2002) in a career spanning 20 years, was placed at sixth spot, while McGrath, a three-time World Cup winner and the leading wicket-taker in the tournament history (71 wickets), was placed at fourth spot. McGrath has taken 949 wickets in 376 matches and is the fifth-highest wicket-taker.
Warne is the second-highest Test wicket-taker of all time and Australia’s top wicket-taker. his ability to extract wickets at spin-friendly Indian conditions makes him a legend in his own right While he has achieved memorable heroics in away Tests. He is India’s eighth-highest wicket-taker ever.
At the top spot was leg-spin genius, the late Shane Warne of Australia, who ended his international career with 1,001 wickets and a World Cup title to his name. He is the only member of the 1,000-international-wicket club besides Murali. Bumrah is one of the finest Indian pacers ever and one of the finest of the modern era, with 511 wickets in 243 matches, including 18 five-wicket hauls. He has won two T20 World Cup titles with India, winning the ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the 2024 edition and ‘Player of the Match’ in the 2026 final against New Zealand. On the fifth place in Australia’s 2023 World Cup-winning and World Test Championship-winning skipper Pat Cummins (535 international wickets), followed by Muralitharan. Seventh, eighth, and ninth spots are taken by the South African trio of Dale Steyn (699 wickets), Kagiso Rabada (631 wickets) and Shaun Pollock (823 wickets), respectively. The 10th spot went to Australia’s left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc, a two-time World Cup winner and World Test Championship winner (773 international wickets).
