Fewest balls to 200 Test wickets

Pakistan’s Waqar Younis has taken the fewest number of balls to bring up 200 scalps in test cricket.

Waqar Younis – 7730 balls 

Waqar Younis is the second highest wicket taker in test cricket for Pakistan just behind Wasim Akram. Younis’ test career spanned from 1999 to 2003, during which he picked up 373 wickets from 87 matches.

He bowled a total of 16224 balls in test cricket and it was slightly after the halfway mark that he reached 200 test scalps. Younis finished his test career with an average of 23.56 and a strike rate of 43.4.

He has the best of 7/76 and an economy rate of 3.25. Younis picked up 28 4-wicket hauls, 22 5-wicket hauls and 5 10-wicket hauls in his test career. He was a giant in ODI cricket as well and picked up over 400 wickets in the format while forming a lethal combination with Akram. To date, he holds the record for being the quickest to reach 200 test wickets in terms of the number of balls bowled.

Dale Steyn – 7848 balls

Dale Steyn’s test career may have come to a premature end due to injuries but he still finished with a handful of records under his belt. Steyn has picked up the most wickets for South Africa in the history of test cricket.

He made his test debut in 2004 and went on to be active in tests till 2019. The ‘Steyn Gun’ knocked over 439 scalps from 93 matches at an average of 27.56.

He bowled a total of 18608 balls in his career and reached 200 test wickets after 7848 balls. Steyn conceded over 10000 runs but had a strike rate of 42.3 at the same time.

Kagiso Rabada – 8154 balls

Kagiso Rabada has played 44 test matches and has already become South Africa’s 8th highest wicket taker of all time. This is when he is not even a decade into his career.

Rabada has bowled over 8000 deliveries in test cricket and reached his 200th test wicket after 8154 balls, becoming the third fastest bowler in the history of test cricket to reach the milestone. Rabada’s strike rate of 41.1 is the best among bowlers with 200 test wickets.

If he can continue on the trajectory, Rabada will certainly end among the best of the lot in test cricket. Since taking South Africa to victory in the under 19 World Cup, Rabada was earmarked as a long-term prospect and is destined for greatness.