“Spin Bowling is like a software, if you don’t try and update it, you will fall by the wayside.”--Ravichandran Ashwin
It is at the end of the day the bowlers that win you Test matches. You can score a mountain of runs but if you don’t have bowlers who can pick up 20 wickets in a match, the team is going to struggle big time. Hence bowling becomes a very crucial aspect of cricket.
Let’s have a look at the bowlers who have taken 400 or more wickets in Test match cricket with the red ball.
1. Muttiah Muralitharan: On top of the list is Sri Lankan legendary off spinner Muralitharan with exactly 800 wickets alongside his name in 133 Test Matches. Add to that Muralitharan has conceded only around 22 runs per wicket he has taken. The numbers are enough to tell the kind of impact Muralitharan had on the opposition. Murali has 67 fifers and 22 10 wicket hauls to his credit.
2. Shane Warne: Australia’s Warne needs no introduction. On his day he could turn the bowl miles giving batsmen no clue whatsoever. Warne finished his career with 708 wickets in 145 matches at an average of 25.41. Warne famously bowled the bowl of the Century on Day 2 of the 1st Test of the 1993 Ashes when he bowled England’s Gatting in his very first bowl against England. Warne could produce such deliveries at will.
3. Anil Kumble: Anil Kumble, India’s present coach, is next in the list with 619 Test Wickets in 132 Tests. Kumble was not a big turner of the ball, but relied primarily on pace, bounce, and accuracy. He was nicknamed "Jumbo”. Kumble was selected as the Indian Cricketer of the Year in 1993 and one of the Wisden Cricket of the year three years later.
4. Glenn McGrath: Glenn McGrath was not the fastest of fast bowlers, yet he was special because of his metronomic consistent line and length. McGrath was one of the key reasons behind Australia’s domination of world Cricket Mid 1990’s onwards. McGrath is the highest wicket taker as far as fast bowling is concerned and number 4 on all time highest list with 563 wickets in 124 Test matches.
5. Courtney Walsh: The West Indian pacer’s contribution would be incomplete without mentioning his bowling opening partner Curtly Ambrose. Together the duo, shared 421 Test wickets. Walsh for a short while remained the highest Test wicket taker before Shane Warne broke his record. With 519 Test Wickets, he is number 5 in the list.
6. James Anderson: England's all-time highest international wicket-taker James Anderson comes next. Anderson has taken more than 460 Test wickets and still represents England in Test Match Cricket and can surely move up the notch if he remains fit and continues to play for England for some time. Anderson became the first seamer to take 50 wickets against all other 7 Major test playing nations.
7. Kapil Dev: India’s greatest all-rounder to have played the game Kapil Dev is at number 7 with 434 Test Wickets in 131 Tests. Kapil’s contribution with the bat makes him so much more vital to the team. Kapil Dev never missed a Test Match due to injury, which speaks a lot of his level of training, emphasis on fitness and his character.
8. Richard Hadlee: Richard Hadlee who represented New Zealand in Test Match Cricket is regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers and all-rounders in cricketing history. A bowlingall-rounder, he played 86 Test Matches taking 431 Testwickets and was the first bowler to pass 400 wickets, with an average of 22.29, and made 3124 Test runs at 27.16, including two centuries and 15 fifties.
9. Shaun Pollock: Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2003, Pollock is the leading South African wicket taker, taking 421 test wickets and scoring over 3,700 test runs in his 108 Test matches. Pollock was another example of assets that Proteas have been blessed regularly with- “all-rounders”. With Kallis and Pollock in one dressing room, you can only sense the balance of the squad.
10. Dale Steyn: Steyn widely regarded as one of the best bowlers of his generation can single handedly turn the match in South Africa’s side. He along with Anderson and Harbhajan are the only three bowlers who have not yet announced their retirement and can improve their figures if they remain fit and continue playing for a few more years for the national team. Steyn has over 417 wickets in Test Match Cricket.
11. Harbhajan Singh: India’s off spinner Harbhajan Singh is the first Indian to take a hat-trick in Test Match Cricket and India’s third highest wicket taker.A specialist spin bowler, he has the second-highest number of Test wickets by an off spinner, behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan. Harbhajan-Kumble duo went on to become a successful duo in Test match history. Ironically, it was Kumble’s injury that allowed Harbhajan the international stage. Harbhajan presently has 417 Test Wickets in 103 Tests.
12. Wasim Akram: Akram is regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers in the history of game. He holds the world record for most wickets in List A cricket with 881 and is second only to Sri Lankan off-spin bowler, Muttiah Muralitharan in terms of ODI wickets with 502. He is considered to be one of the founders and perhaps the finest exponent of reverse swing bowling. Akram could also bowl toe-crushing yorkers at will. With 414 Test Wickets, he is number 12 in all time highest wicket takers list.
13. Curtly Ambrose: Walsh’s bowling partner, Ambrose was partner in crime in destroying opponent batting line ups with superb display of fast bowling. In 98 Tests, Ambrose has 405 Test Wickets and is number 13 in the list.
