2018 has been the year of bowlers in Test cricket. After almost two decades of being slaughtered, the ball finally came to the fore. Pitches across the world seamed and spun the ball plenty all over the world. The result being? We witnessed one of the most competitive years in the whites in recent times.
India’s close fought series with the Proteas was a see-saw contest all its entirety. England’s versatility against India’s resilience made for great viewing. The Kiwis battled it tough in the desert against Pakistan. Sri Lanka’s bouts with West Indies proved that even the lower ranked teams could promote Test cricket as well as the big guys.
One major statistic shows how much bowlers have dominated this year. The number of Test centuries in this calendar year equate to the number of the five wicket hauls, both locked in at 65 so far. No other year in recent decades comes so close in terms of parity, with batting being the dominant force so far. In the charitable Christmas spirit, we look at the most successful bowlers in Tests in a calendar year.
- Shane Warne
Matches: 15; Wickets: 96; Average: 22.02; Strike Rate: 45.1; BBI: 6/46; BBM: 12/246; 5×6, 10×2
- Muttiah Muralitharan
Matches: 11; Wickets: 90; Average: 16.9; Strike Rate: 39.2; BBI: 8/70; BBM: 12/225; 5×9, 10×5
- Dennis Lillee
Matches: 13; Wickets: 85; Average: 20.95; Strike Rate: 43.6; BBI: 7/83; BBM: 11/159; 5×5, 10×2
- Allan Donald
Matches: 14; Wickets: 80; Average: 19.63; Strike Rate: 40.4; BBI: 6/88; BBM: 8/74; 5×7, 10×0
- Muttiah Muralitharan
Matches: 12; Wickets: 80; Average: 21.3; Strike Rate: 58.6; BBI: 8/87; BBM: 11/170; 5×7, 10×4
- Joel Garner
Matches: 15; Wickets:77 ; Average: 20.83; Strike Rate: 46.6; BBI: 6/60; BBM: 9/108; 5×4, 10×0
- Muttiah Muralitharan
Matches: 10; Wickets: 75; Average: 19.50; Strike Rate: 49.8; BBI: 7/84; BBM: 13/171; 5×7, 10×3
- Kapil Dev
Matches: 18; Wickets: 75; Average: 23.18; Strike Rate: 46.2; BBI: 9/83; BBM: 10/85; 5×5, 10×1
- Dale Steyn
Matches: 13; Wickets: 74; Average: 20.01; Strike Rate: 35.8; BBI: 6/72; BBM: 10/154; 5×5, 10×1
- Kapil Dev
Matches: 18; Wickets: 74; Average: 23.24; Strike Rate: 49.0; BBI: 6/63; BBM: 9/121; 5×5, 10×0
