5 Bowlers With Most Wickets In Test Cricket

Bowlers are going to win for their nation on most occasions in Test cricket if they have the ability to pick up 20 wickets in the five days and it is very tough to last long as a bowler in Tests. The competition for slots and the pressure behind the performances make it really difficult as a bowler and he has to put in the hard yards too.

The fitness levels of the bowlers have to be of the highest order to persist for a long time in tests and these bowlers are really special and unique in their own way. With a note on it, let us look at the 5 bowlers with the most wickets in Test cricket.

5 Bowlers With Most Wickets In Test Cricket:

Glenn Mcgrath:

Glenn Mcgrath had a terrific career as a fast bowler for Australia and he was one of the key players in the famous Australian side that conquered and dominated the whole cricket world with some legendary players. Mcgrath was phenomenal with his consistency in bowling the good length deliveries and he also used his height to his advantage.

Mcgrath was predominantly a seam bowler who got a lot of movement off the pitch and his lines and lengths were so good that made him really tough to play as a batsman. He picked up 562 wickets in 124 Tests at an average of 21.64 with 29 five-wicket hauls and three 10 wicket hauls. He is still the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the world in Tests after retiring in 2007.

Anil Kumble:

Anil Kumble was very effective for India as a spinner and he holds the record for the most number of wickets taken by an Indian bowler in both Tests and ODIs. He wasn’t the traditional leg-spin bowler who turned a lot but his speed variations and his googlies gained him a lot of wickets in the Tests.

Kumble is also among the few bowlers to pick 10 wickets in an innings in a test and he was very good against the tail-enders especially. Kumble picked up 619 wickets in 132 Tests at an average of 29.65 and is the joint third-highest wicket-taker of all time in Tests.

James Anderson:

James Anderson has equalled Anil Kumble to become the third-highest wicket-taker of all time in Tests in the ongoing test series against India. He also has the most number of wickets among the fast bowlers in world cricket and is the only active cricketer on the list at 39 years.

Anderson is an excellent swing bowler who has pretty good control of his lines and lengths and he is a nightmare to play in the English conditions. Anderson has picked up 619 wickets in 163 Tests at an average of 26.61 with 30 five wickets and 3 ten-wicket match hauls.

Shane Warne:

Shane Warne is popularly called the spin wizard as he extracted a lot of turn from the surface. Warne had an excellent action that allowed him to use his wrists and the leg spinner bowled the ball of the century against England. He is the all-time highest wicket-taker for Australia in Tests.

Warne relied on the excellent drift he got while bowling and he was unbelievably good with his lengths too. He picked up 708 wickets in 145 Tests at an average of 25.41 with 37 five-wicket hauls and 10 ten-wicket match hauls. Warne is the second-highest wicket-taker in the longer format.

Muttiah Muralitharan:

Muttiah Muralitharan is regarded as the greatest ever bowler in international cricket as he holds the record for the most number of wickets in both the Test and ODI formats. Murali had an unorthodox action that was often suspected to be illegal but it was in the limitations of the game.

The off-spinner was quick in the air as well as off the pitch and he was deadly on the rough pitches too. He had a decisive doosra that castled the batsmen’s minds on most occasions. He is the only bowler to have crossed the 800 wicket landmark and the Sri Lankan played 133 tests with a bowling average of 22.72 and picked up 67 five-wicket hauls and 22 ten-wicket match hauls.