Most Test Wickets In 21st Century Among Bowlers Who Have Played Only Tests

There have always been certain bowlers who are test specialists and they haven’t been tried out in limited-overs cricket by their countries despite showing a lot of promise. It is very hard for a bowler to serve in just one format for his country and it does take a lot of mental pressure too.

It is still a great honour to be representing their nation in the greatest format of test cricket and not many have managed to make their Test debut despite making a lot of consistent performances in test cricket. Here are the bowlers that have taken the most tests wickets in the 21st century who have played only the longest format.

Most Test Wickets In 21st Century Among Bowlers:

Lasith Embuldeniya:

Lasith Embuldeniya is one of the brightest talents going around in world cricket at the moment and the Sri Lankan left-arm spinner is expected to make wonders for the nation in the future. He has made his test debut in 2019, and since that he has played 11 tests so far.

Embuldeniya has picked up 49 wickets in his career so far which is the fifth-highest in the 21st century among bowlers that have played test cricket. The 24-year-old will make his debut for Sri Lanka in the limited-overs format soon and he will be a key factor for Sri Lanka in the near future.

Mark Craig:

The New Zealand off-spinner Mark Craig was picked up as someone who can be a consistent wicket-taker in tests and he still has been actively playing in domestic cricket. The 34-year-old is a handy batsman down the order and last played for the Blackcaps against India in the 2016 test series.

Craig played 15 tests for New Zealand after making his debut in 2014 and went on to pick up just 50 wickets with one five-wicket haul. He scored three fifties as a lower-order batsman but couldn’t make it to the limited-overs side for New Zealand.

Jack Leach:

Jack Leach will be always remembered for the famous 2018 Ashes test series in which he formed a crucial partnership alongside Ben Stokes as a number 11 batsman and took England to victory. The 30-year-old is among the England test squad at present and will have a role to play against India in the five-match test series.

Leach has played just test cricket for England so far and has managed to pick up 62 wickets in 16 Tests at an average of 30. The left-arm spinners keep hitting the right lengths and his consistency is a great hallmark to his game. He can be handy with the bat down the order too.

Shane Shillingford:

Shane Shillingford played a big hand in the West Indies test team from 2010 to 2014 and he is currently playing in the domestic setup of his nation. Shillingford has always gone under the hammer for his illegal action being questioned and he even faced suspension due to it.

Shane Shillingford played 16 tests for West Indies picking up 70 wickets at an average of 34.5. He bowled those long overs for the nation and picked up 6 five-wicket hauls in a short international career. The 38-year-old holds the second position for most wickets among the bowlers who have played only tests.

Neil Wagner:

It is very surprising to see Neil Wagner not have played limited-overs cricket for New Zealand but it is also to note that the Kiwis have the luxury of so many fast bowlers coming in the ranks and the veteran bowlers haven’t been required yet. Wagner has been phenomenal with the ball for his country by keeping up his pace always and his energy levels.

He is one of those fast bowlers who like to take the challenge and he is always at the face of the batsmen in the best possible manner. He played a big hand in New Zealand winning the ICC World Test Championship recently and he has the most number of wickets by a bowler who has played test cricket only in the 21st century with 229 wickets in 54 tests,