Most underrated Test bowlers at the moment

Test cricket has only seen an upscale amongst the true fans over the years and with the introduction of the World Test Championship, it has become more competitive. Test cricket is usually told to be a batter’s game and the bowlers are generally left out of the praise they deserve to get. The bowlers are recognized in a Test match only if they pick at least a fifer. Here, many bowlers are left out and most of them are still unsung for their efforts. The limelight they get in other formats is no way nearer to the toils they put in Test cricket. The performance of the bowlers should always be at the best level. Those who have consistently been the best have been recognized and there are some bowlers who get forgotten amongst them. Here, let us take a look at the- Most underrated Test bowlers who faded away despite great contribution 1. Neil Wagner Neil Wagner. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images) Neil Wagner is a New Zealander and is a left-arm-fast-medium bowler. He debuted for the national side in 2012 and has found it difficult to seal a place for himself and has been in and out of the squad. His services are only used in the Test format. Despite being effective with his bowling, he faded away amongst the other bowlers such as Tim Southee and Trent Boult who were popular in the other formats. He has played 58 Test matches till now and has taken 244 wickets at an amazing average of 26.49. The 35-year-old bowler is deadly with his bouncers and the angles he produces. He has nine five-wicket hauls in his career. Wagner claimed his career-best innings of 7/39 and set a New Zealand record to pick those wickets within a day and within just two sessions of play. But still, his services are not well-spoken like the others. 2. Chris Woakes Chris Woakes. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) Chris Woakes is an all-rounder of the England cricket team. He is a right-arm-fast-medium bowler and his debut came in 2013’s Ashes. He is one of the ten players in Test cricket to have his name on the honours board for scoring a century and picking a fifer in an innings. It was difficult for Woakes to cement his spot in the Test format as there were already two fixed spots of James Anderson and Stuart Broad on the side. He has been a part of 45 Test matches and has taken 130 wickets which includes four fifers and a ten-wicket haul. Woakes has his best figures of 11/102 in a match against Pakistan. As being an all-rounder, his batting stats were also in consideration, and hence, missed many matches as Ben Stokes stole the spot as he seemed to be a better all-rounder. 3. Shardul Thakur Shardul Thakur v South Africa. (Photo Source: Twitter) Shardul Thakur, the young Indian right-arm-medium-fast bowler is underrated for his wicket-taking skills. He played his first Test match in 2018 against West Indies and unfortunately injured his leg. After his golden opportunity went in vain, he was not named in the squad for the next two years. Shardul made a comeback to the Test squad in 2021 and opened his wicket tally. He was effective with his bat too and managed to get a spot for himself in the eleven amongst the much-experienced pace bowlers of India. This 30-year-old player has played just seven matches and has grabbed 26 wickets at an excellent average of 21.03. His figures of 7/61 in an innings against South Africa are his personal best. He is not much spoken for his wicket-taking abilities and his spot in the eleven is not constant yet. 4. Keshav Maharaj Keshav Maharaj celebrates a wicket. (Photo Source: Twitter) Keshav Maharaj is a slow-left-arm-orthodox bowler who plays for South Africa. He made his Test debut in 2016 and is really an underrated bowler as he is just after Nathan Lyon, Ravi Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja in wickets list since his debut. As it is well-known that South African wickets are much more favourable for the pace bowlers, Maharaj still managed to get a position in the eleven as a specialized spinner. In playing just 40 matches, he has taken 134 wickets at an average of 32.88. This Proteas player has seven fifers and one ten-wicket haul in which his best bowling in an innings is 9/129 and best bowling in a match is 12/283. He also became only the second bowler from the nation to take a hat-trick in a Test match. He is overshadowed amongst the much-praised pace bowlers of South Africa. 5. Jason Holder Jason Holder. (Photo Source: Twitter) Jason Holder, the right-arm-fast-medium bowler is ranked third in the all-rounders list in the Test format but still, unfortunately, features in this piece. He played his maiden Test in 2014 and has contributed constantly to the team with both bat and ball. In 2015, he was given the captaincy and became the second-youngest skipper of the team. Even though he contributed well to the team in all aspects, he was sacked from the captaincy in 2021. He has played 56 Tests and has picked 142 wickets at an average of 28.03 This West Indian has eight fifers and a ten-wicket haul. In a world where there is enough praise given for all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja and Ben Stokes, not even a half appreciation is given for this pitiful player who is one of the top-ranked all-rounders ahead of his allies. 6. Mohammad Abbas Mohammad Abbas. (Photo by RANDY BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images) Mohammad Abbas is a right-arm-fast-medium bowler who represents the Pakistan cricket team. He is a bowler who bowls tight Test match lines and troubles the batters. In 2017, he was added to the Test squad and played his first match against West Indies. Abbas was honoured with the man-of-the-series award against England for his wonderful performance in 2018 and he was also named as the PCB’s Test player for that year. Abbas has taken 90 wickets in his 25 Test appearances at an amazing average of 23.02. His career-best bowling figures in a match is 10/95 in Abu Dhabi and he became the first person to achieve the feat at that ground. He has four fifers and a ten-wicket haul. Though he had an amazing start to his career, his wicket numbers fell down, and hence was dropped from the team. 7. Dilruwan Perera Dilruwan Perera of Sri Lanka. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images) The Sri Lankan team is ever famous for producing effective spin bowlers. One such spinner who represented the team is Dilruwan Perera. He is an all-rounder and bowls right-arm off-spin. Dilruwan had a late flourish to his Test career as he debuted only in 2014 at the age of 32. Though he performed really well, he was made to warm the bench as many new upcoming talents were focused on by the Sri Lankan cricket board. This 39-year-old player has been a part of just 43 Test matches and has picked 161 wickets which includes eight fifers and two ten-wicket hauls. He was decent with the bat too. Perera is definitely an underrated and unlucky player who deserved to play more. 8. Mehidy Hasan Mehidy Hasan. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Mehidy Hasan is a right-arm-off-break bowler and is also a good batter. He holds many individual records as a Bangladesh player and is a vital part of the team. He made his Test debut in 2016 when he was just 18 years old. Mehidy, in his first match itself, created a record by picking a fifer and became the youngest and seventh Bangladeshi to take a fifer on debut. He also won the man-of-the-series award and became the first countryman to bag this honor in a debut series. In 2018, this youngster took the best match figures of 12-117 and it became the best record from a Bangladesh player. On playing 31 Tests he has 119 wickets to his name with eight fifers and two ten-wicket hauls. Even though being the best performer for the side on many occasions, he is not lauded like the other cricketers. 9. Kemar Roach Kemar Roach of the West Indies. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) Kemar Roach, the right-arm-fast-medium bowler from West Indies , is capable of delivering extremely fast deliveries regularly. He made his Test debut way back in 2009 against Bangladesh and was the leading wicket-taker of the team in his debut series. Although Roach has been on the team for a long time, he has only played 71 Tests and has grabbed 242 wickets at an average of 27.18. The aforementioned statistics also include nine fifers and a ten-wicket haul. He has several other records under his belt but remains to be a bowler who is less talked about often. Even after serving his side for a long time now, he hasn’t received the due credit.

Most underrated Test bowlers at the moment

Test cricket has only seen an upscale amongst the true fans over the years.

5. Jason Holder