A golden duck happens when a batter is dismissed on the very first ball they face. It is one of the most unwanted records in cricket. Some players have played hundreds of international matches and, as a result, have also collected several golden ducks. Here are some of the players known for recording the most golden ducks in international cricket. Golden-duck figures can vary between statistical databases depending on the formats and matches included.
| Rank | Player | Country | Golden Ducks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wasim Akram | Pakistan | 14 |
| 2 | Shahid Afridi | Pakistan | 13 |
| 3 | Muttiah Muralitharan | Sri Lanka | 13 |
| 4 | Lasith Malinga | Sri Lanka | 13 |
| 5 | Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka | 11 |
| 6 | Daniel Vettori | New Zealand | 10 |
| 7 | Chaminda Vaas | Sri Lanka | 10 |
| 8 | Chris Gayle | West Indies | 9 |
| 9 | Romesh Kaluwitharana | Sri Lanka | 8 |
| 10 | Younis Khan | Pakistan | 8 |
Wasim Akram recorded 14 golden ducks in ODIs, while Shahid Afridi, Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga also had 13 each in the format. A golden duck does not necessarily mean a player had a poor career. Many of the players on this list were bowlers or aggressive batters who played a large number of international matches. Muralitharan, for example, finished his career with 1,347 international wickets and 800 Test wickets.
It shows how difficult cricket can be, where even some of the greatest players can be dismissed without scoring a run. For aggressive batters, taking risks from the first ball can also increase the chance of a golden duck.