Josh Tongue, a fast bowler from England, is the first bowler in the 2025–2027 World Test Championship cycle to take 50 wickets. In the first innings of the first Test match against Pakistan at Headingley in Leeds, he achieved the milestone by taking five wickets for the Joe Root-led team.
Tongue became the only bowler in the current WTC edition to reach this milestone in just ten games. He was England’s most successful bowler during the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy and has now claimed three five-wicket hauls this cycle.
Tongue is unquestionably at the top of the 2025–2027 WTC wicket-takers leaderboard. Mitchell Starc of Australia is in second place with 48 wickets from nine games, while Mohammed Siraj of India is in third place with 41 wickets from ten games.
WTC 2025–2027’s most wickets
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | MATCHES | INNINGS | WICKETS | BEST FIGURES (INNINGS) | BEST FIGURES (MATCH) | 5W | 10W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Tongue | England | 10* | 19 | 50* | 5/45 | 8/182 | 3 | 0 |
| Mitchell Starc | Australia | 9 | 18 | 48 | 7/58 | 10/113 | 3 | 1 |
| Mohammed Siraj | India | 10 | 19 | 41 | 6/70 | 9/190 | 2 | 0 |
| Ben Stokes | England | 11 | 20 | 39 | 5/23 | 6/105 | 2 | 0 |
| Jayden Seales | West Indies | 12 | 23 | 35 | 5/20 | 6/93 | 2 | 0 |
In terms of England’s WTC wicket-takers, where does Tongue stand?
Tongue is the sixth bowler from England to reach 50 wickets in a single WTC tournament. Stuart Broad, who finished the 2019–21 cycle with 69 wickets from 17 games—a total that sets the standard for English bowlers in a single edition—was the first to reach that milestone for England.
During the 2021–2023 WTC, James Anderson took 58 wickets for England, while Ollie Robinson took 53. Gus Atkinson took 52 wickets in 11 games during the 2023–25 season, while Chris Woakes dismissed 51 batters in 12 games. Tongue is currently among those names with a total of 50 from 10 games, and he still has a few games left in the 2025–2027 cycle to increase his total.
Which WTC bowling records might Tongue aim to break?
| PLAYER | MATCHES | INNINGS | WICKETS | BEST FIGURES (INNINGS) | BEST FIGURES (MATCH) | 5W | 10W | WTC CYCLE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stuart Broad | 17 | 32 | 69 | 6/31 | 10/67 | 2 | 1 | 2019-21 |
| James Anderson | 15 | 28 | 58 | 5/60 | 6/62 | 2 | 0 | 2021-23 |
| Ollie Robinson | 13 | 25 | 53 | 5/49 | 7/81 | 3 | 0 | 2021-23 |
| Gus Atkinson | 11 | 21 | 52 | 7/45 | 12/106 | 3 | 1 | 2023-25 |
| Chris Woakes | 12 | 24 | 51 | 5/62 | 7/111 | 1 | 0 | 2023-25 |
| Josh Tongue | 10* | 19 | 50* | 5/45 | 8/182 | 3 | 0 | 2025-27 |
The record for most wickets in a single WTC edition is held by Nathan Lyon. During the 2021–2023 cycle, the Australian spinner removed 88 batters in 20 games, which is still the most of any bowler in a single WTC edition.
Pat Cummins, who took 80 wickets in 18 games for Australia during the 2023–25 WTC, raised the bar for fast bowlers in particular. Both criteria are significantly higher than Tongue’s current total of 50, but as the 2025–2027 cycle is still ongoing, he will have more chances to go closer to those numbers.
