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Which team has the best bowling attack in Test cricket? | Which nation boasts the best Test bowling attack?
It is almost impossible to win a Test match without taking 20 wickets.
Yet, we as fans tend to hurl our admiration to the Virat Kohli’s of the world. Don’t get me wrong, the importance of runs cannot be overstated, but I do believe that given the way the game has developed over the years, we have lost sight of the ‘art’ that is bowling in Test cricket.
It wasn’t too long ago that the dynamics of Test cricket; or rather the contest between bat and ball, was vastly different. A string of fast bowling Caribbean giants from the late 60’s though to the early 2000’s made sure of it. The ‘fearsome foursome’ of Andy Roberts, the towering Joel Garner, Colin Croft and Michael Holding (AKA ‘whispering death’) were particularly devastating throughout the 70’s and 80’s, with 835 wickets between them at an average of just over 23!
Any team in world cricket would be happy to have had just one of the of the ‘fearsome foursome’ at their disposal, which gives some context as to just how destructive it was to have all four together. By the mid-to-late 80’s, many would have thought that the era of fast bowling may have ended with the careers of the Roberts, Garner, Croft and Holding.
Many would be wrong.
A young Malcolm Marshall burst onto the scene in the late 70’s and became, in my opinion, the greatest fast bowler to ever play the game. His career overlapped with the likes of Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Ian Bishop, who, between the four of them, boast a record of 1461 test wickets and 22.57 a piece.
Courtney Walsh retired in 2001; the last of the West Indies fast bowling giants. Since then, we have seen many world class bowlers come and go with a number of partnerships that we won’t forget in a hurry. The likes of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne come to mind, greatly assisted by Brett Lee and the underappreciated Jason Gillespie. Zaheer Khan and the spinning duet of Kumble and Harbhajan. Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald, followed soon after by the likes of Ntini, Steyn, and Philander.
But, which country boasts the most impressive attack today?
Enjoying Dan’s content so far? Check out some of his other work:
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Which current bowling attack reigns supreme?
We’re all very aware of the ‘fab four’; Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Joe Root and Kane Williamson. However, who are the best bowlers at present? Who are the elites?
Having a glance at the latest ICC test bowling rankings, I am relatively surprised. I see just one Englishman, one South African, one Indian, and one West Indian. The remaining six positions are occupied by three Aussies and three New Zealanders. Without looking at the rankings, I would have said that it is a toss up between the Australians and the Indians, with New Zealand and England in close pursuit.
This gives us a good point of reference, but it does not paint the full picture at all. Much like batting, bowlers form partnerships and work off one another to form a bowling unit. They operate as a pack.
So, which country offers the most devastating pack at present time? There were a number of variables that I looked at, including their:
- Career records
- Records away from home
- Records against quality opposition; and
- Performances in high pressure situations
With all this in mind, I find the case for Australia the strongest.
Why do Australia possess the best bowling attack?
Starting at the summit of the ICC test rankings, Australia’s bowling ‘unit’ consists of Pat Cummins, the number one ranked bowler in world cricket, left arm speedster Mitchell Starc (6th), Josh Hazlewood (10th) and last but most definitely not least, Nathan ‘Gary’ Lyon (16th).
Many would disagree, but I believe Nathan Lyon to be the most pivotal member of the Aussie pack. The role of the spinner in Test cricket is something that is overlooked all too often. Fast bowlers, and particularly the Aussie quicks, operate at ‘optimum efficiency’ when rotated in short spells, where they are able to bowl at full tilt for six or so overs before having a breather and coming back for more.
Nathan Lyon gifts Tim Paine the ability to rotate his trio of quicks from one end, while he operates from the other. What makes Lyon quite remarkable is not necessarily his ability to keep an end quiet, but also his ability to take wickets. Many aren’t aware that Lyon is the third-highest wicket taker (390) in Australian Test cricket history, with only the legendary Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne ahead of him.
Moving on, as I mentioned earlier, these bowlers operate as a pack and variation within that pack is a crucial aspect to their success. Pat Cummins, the spearhead of the attack (at the tender age of 27), is the full package as a fast bowler. He can not only operate at 150 clicks, but can do so while taking the ball away from the right hander, and doing so consistently over three spells in a day of cricket. His effectiveness doesn’t diminish with the shine of the kookaburra given his ability to get the ball to reverse swing in most conditions. He is hostile, aggressive and intimidating and has rightly earned the title of the worlds best. Furthermore, Cummins appears to have been successful on the road as well, averaging 21.86 with the ball away from home with an almost unprecedented strike rate of 45.89 deliveries per wicket!
Mitchell Starc is one of the fastest bowlers in the world. In fact, he is one of only a few bowlers to ever reach the 160km/h mark. He adds natural variety as a left armer, and like Cummins, posses the ability to generate both conventional and reverse swing; not to mention the most lethal yorker in Test cricket which comes in handy against the tail. Starc is often criticised for being a tad on the expensive side for Test cricket, going at roughly 3.4 to the over. But, with a career strike rate of 48.17, I can’t imagine Tim Paine being too bothered about it.
Josh Hazlewood is one of the more underrated or unappreciated fast bowlers in Test cricket. He is the McGrath of this bowling attack in the sense that he has the ability to put the ball in that corridor of uncertainty all day. He doesn’t have the pace of Cummins or Starc, but relies on movement off the wicket and through the air. If need be, I believe that he is perfectly capable of bowling longer spells than the likes of Cummins and Starc, and I’ve found him to be particularly dangerous against the left handers.
Final say
All in all, I believe that we are blessed to have a number of quality bowers at the moment. The partnership formed between Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad has been exceptional for many years for England. A young Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are more than capable to lead that attack going forward.
Jaspit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav have done exceptional work for India, and often don’t get the recognition they deserve given the magic that is so often produced by their spinners Ashwin and Jadeja.
Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Tim Southee (all of whom are in the ICC top 10 rankings), have made New Zealand one of the toughest places to visit in Test cricket. Wagner in particular is arguably the most underrated Test bowler in the world.
With Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander having moved on for South Africa, Kagiso Rabada will need to find two quicks to share the load with. I’m excited by Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi, and the prospect of having a young seam attack that can work together for the next 7-10 years.
Having said that, the Aussies attack of present is the best that Test cricket has to offer. The unit as a whole checks all the boxes necessary – variety, pace, consistency, aggression, and patience. The Aussies have reached the summit of Test cricket, and I believe that their bowlers are largely responsible.
And, with a number of youngsters already in the side and more on the fringes, they will occupy that top spot for quite some time.
Written by Dan Orsmond. Follow Dan on Twitter today.
