Josh Tongue Creates WTC History with 50-Wicket Milestone
England fast bowler Josh Tongue has became the first bowler to take 50 wickets in the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle. He achieved the milestone in the first innings of the opening Test against Pakistan at Headingley in Leeds, when he took five wickets for the Joe Root-led team.
Tongue reached this milestone in just 10 matches, making him the only bowler in the current WTC edition to reach 50 wickets. He currently has three five-wicket hauls in this cycle and was England’s most effective bowler during the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Tongue leads the wicket-takers’ chart for the 2025-27 WTC. Mitchell Starc of Australia is second with 48 wickets from nine matches, followed by Mohammed Siraj of India, who has 41 wickets from ten matches.
Most wickets in WTC 2025–27
| 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 |
Where does Josh Tongue place among England’s World Cup wicket-takers?
Josh Tongue is the sixth English bowler to reach 50 wickets in a single WTC edition. Stuart Broad was the first to reach that milestone for England, ending the 2019-21 cycle with 69 wickets from 17 matches, a record for English bowlers in a single edition.
During the 2021-23 World Cup, England’s James Anderson grabbed 58 wickets, while Ollie Robinson took 53. The 2023-25 season saw Gus Atkinson take 52 wickets in 11 matches and Chris Woakes dismiss 51 batters in 12 games. Tongue’s current tally of 50 from 10 bouts puts him near those names, and he still has several matches left in the 2025-27 cycle to increase his total.
What overall WTC bowling records could Josh Tongue set?
| 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 |
Nathan Lyon owns the all-time record most wickets in a single WTC edition. The Australian spinner removed 88 batsman in 20 matches during the 2021-23 cycle, the most by any bowler in a single WTC edition.
Pat Cummins set the standard for fast bowlers in the 2023-25 World Cup, capturing 80 wickets in 18 matches for Australia. Both goals are far beyond Tongue’s current total of 50, but with the 2025-27 cycle still underway, he will have further opportunities to reduce the gap on both figures.
