Who Is the Best Bowler in the World?
Based on the ICC rankings checked 6 Nov 2026
There is no single official "best bowler in the world" award, so the fairest answer comes from the ICC rankings. The world No. 1 bowlers are Mitchell Starc of Australia (Test 881) and Rashid Khan of Afghanistan (ODI 760 and T20I 731).
Across all three formats, Jasprit Bumrah comes out on top of our all-format index with an average rating of 659 (Test #5, ODI #30, T20I #31). The index averages each player's ICC rating in Test, ODI and T20I cricket, counting a format as zero if they are outside its top 50, so it rewards bowlers who perform in every format.
World No. 1 bowlers by format
Test bowlers
Points| 1 | Mitchell Starc Australia | 881 |
| 2 | Marco Jansen South Africa | 875 |
| 3 | Matt Henry New Zealand | 861 |
| 4 | Ollie Robinson England | 856 |
| 5 | Jasprit Bumrah India | 853 |
ODI bowlers
Points| 1 | Rashid Khan Afghanistan | 760 |
| 2 | Keshav MaharajSouth Africa | 660 |
| 3 | Mitchell SantnerNew Zealand | 644 |
| 4 | Abrar Ahmed Pakistan | 642 |
| 5 | Shaheen AfridiPakistan | 621 |
T20I bowlers
Points| 1 | Rashid KhanAfghanistan | 731 |
| 2 | Adam ZampaAustralia | 700 |
| =3 | Adil RashidEngland | 695 |
| =3 | Abrar AhmedPakistan | 695 |
| 5 | Mitchell SantnerNew Zealand | 676 |
All-format index: top 20 bowlers in the world
| # | Player | Test | ODI | T20I | Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jasprit BumrahIndia |
#5 853 |
#30 532 |
#31 593 |
659 |
| 2 | Josh HazlewoodAustralia |
#10 785 |
#14 585 |
#35 584 |
651 |
| 3 | Matt HenryNew Zealand |
#3 861 |
#19 553 |
#50 538 |
651 |
| 4 | Mitchell SantnerNew Zealand |
#40 493 |
#3 644 |
#5 676 |
604 |
| 5 | Blessing Muzarabani Zimbabwe |
#17 687 |
#33 528 |
#36 581 |
599 |
| 6 | Shaheen AfridiPakistan |
#32 593 |
#5 621 |
#41 572 |
595 |
| 7 | Jofra ArcherEngland |
#37 530 |
#11 593 |
#11 637 |
587 |
| 8 | Axar PatelIndia |
#50 431 |
#44 506 |
#14 631 |
523 |
| 9 | Rashid KhanAfghanistan |
– | #1 760 |
#1 731 |
497 |
| 10 | Marco JansenSouth Africa |
#2 875 |
– | #49 545 |
473 |
| 11 | Mitchell StarcAustralia |
#1 881 |
#48 485 |
– | 455 |
| 12 | Abrar AhmedPakistan |
– | #4 642 |
#3 695 |
446 |
| 13 | Keshav MaharajSouth Africa |
#27 635 |
#2 660 |
– | 432 |
| 14 | Asitha Fernando Sri Lanka |
#13 732 |
#25 539 |
– | 424 |
| 15 | Kuldeep YadavIndia |
#23 650 |
#6 620 |
– | 423 |
| 16 | Nathan EllisAustralia |
– | #17 577 |
#6 675 |
417 |
| 17 | Adil RashidEngland |
– | #21 551 |
#3 695 |
415 |
| 18 | Mehidy Hasan Miraz Bangladesh |
#24 648 |
#8 597 |
– | 415 |
| 19 | Adam ZampaAustralia |
– | #22 544 |
#2 700 |
415 |
| 20 | Mohammed SirajIndia |
#16 696 |
#25 539 |
– | 412 |
Index = average of the player's ICC rating in Test, ODI and T20I; a format counts as 0 if they are outside its top 50. Rank and rating shown for each format.
Best women's bowlers in the world
| # | Player | ODI | T20I | Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sophie Ecclestone England |
#2 696 |
#3 723 |
710 |
| 2 | Deepti Sharma India |
#8 638 |
#2 748 |
693 |
| 3 | Sree CharaniIndia |
#21 530 |
#1 803 |
667 |
| 4 | Charlie DeanEngland |
#11 599 |
#4 722 |
661 |
| 5 | Annabel Sutherland Australia |
#5 667 |
#14 643 |
655 |
| 6 | Marizanne Kapp South Africa |
#6 650 |
#12 648 |
649 |
| 7 | Ashleigh GardnerAustralia |
#3 692 |
#21 605 |
649 |
| 8 | Kim GarthAustralia |
#9 619 |
#10 669 |
644 |
| 9 | Hayley Matthews West Indies |
#7 639 |
#13 646 |
643 |
| 10 | Nashra Sundhu Pakistan |
#10 601 |
#9 676 |
639 |
Women's index averages the ODI and T20I ratings.
Rankings guides
Frequently asked questions
Who is the best bowler in the world right now?
By ICC rankings, Jasprit Bumrah is the best all-format bowler, with the highest average rating across Test, ODI and T20I cricket (659). The No. 1s by format are Mitchell Starc (Test) and Rashid Khan (ODI and T20I).
Who is the world No. 1 Test bowler?
Mitchell Starc (Australia) is No. 1 in the ICC men's Test bowling rankings with 881 rating points.
Who is the world No. 1 ODI bowler?
Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) is No. 1 in the ICC men's ODI bowling rankings with 760 rating points.
Who is the world No. 1 T20I bowler?
Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) is No. 1 in the ICC men's T20I bowling rankings with 731 rating points.
Who is the best Indian bowler in the world?
Jasprit Bumrah is India's best bowler on the all-format index (average rating 659), ranked Test #5, ODI #30, T20I #31.
Who is the best women's bowler in the world?
Sophie Ecclestone (England) has the highest average rating across the women's ODI and T20I rankings (710).