New Delhi, 22 August 2026: Josh Tong has become the first bowler to take 50 wickets in the current cycle of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC 2025-27). He achieved this feat by taking five wickets in the first innings of the second Test against Pakistan. This was the third incident in this cycle by the English fast bowler of taking five wickets in an innings. Let's take a look at the top five bowlers with the most wickets in this cycle; Indian bowler Mohammad Siraj is also included in this list.
Josh Tongue (England)
This fast bowler of England has taken 50 wickets in 19 innings during this cycle. He bowled a total of 331.3 overs including 33 maiden overs and gave runs at an economy rate of 4.09. His best performance in an innings has been 5/45.
Mitchell Starc (Australia)
Australia's fast bowler Mitchell Starc is second in this list; He has taken a total of 47 wickets in 18 innings of 9 test matches played during this cycle. He is just two wickets away from the 50 wicket mark and can achieve this feat during the second test against Bangladesh. He could not make much of an impact in the first test; Bangladesh defeated Australia in that match. The second test will start from Saturday, August 22.
Mohammed Siraj (India)
In third place is Indian fast bowler Mohammad Siraj, who has taken a total of 41 wickets in 10 matches played during the WTC 2025-27 cycle. In 19 innings, he bowled 301.3 overs and gave 1,094 runs. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, he has been at the helm of the Indian fast bowling attack and has also performed impressively on spin-friendly pitches during the first Test against Sri Lanka.
Ben Stokes (England)
Former England Test captain Ben Stokes is at fourth position; He played 11 test matches during this cycle and took 39 wickets. He took the surprising decision of retirement after the third Test against New Zealand in June. After that ECB appointed Joe Root as captain.
Shamar Joseph (West Indies)
West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph is at fifth position in this list; He has taken a total of 35 wickets in 14 innings of 7 test matches played during this cycle. It is noteworthy that the top five bowlers are fast bowlers.