Stats: Bowlers fastest to 100 wickets in Test cricket
Pakistan leg spinner Yasir Shah entered the record books when he cleaned up Miguel Cummins in the first-ever day-night Test in Asia. Playing in the first Test of the 3-match Test series at Dubai, Shah returned with figures of 5/121. His efforts saw him reach the 100-wickets mark in Test cricket. He became the second fastest to reach the coveted milestone. It took him 17 matches to complete the tally of 100 Test wickets.
The fastest among all bowlers to scalp 100 Test wickets is legendary England bowler George Lohmann. He played only 18 matches for England in the 19th century, He scalped 112 wickets at the impressive average of 10.75, with his 100th scalp coming in only his 16th Test. Shah looked threatening to break his record. However, some silent performances in the last couple of Tests saw Shah reach the milestone in 17 Tests.
Other bowlers who have taken 100 wickets in 17 Tests are Australians Charlie Turner and Clarrie Grimmett, and England’s Sid Barnes. The currently number one ranked Test bowler, as on 16 October 2016, Ravichandran Ashwin, had taken his 100 wickets in 18 matches to be 3rd on the list. Ashwin achieved this feat against West Indies at Mumbai during the West Indies tour of India in 2012.
There have been 6 bowlers who have taken their first 100 wickets in 19 matches. One of Pakistan’s leading spinner Saeed Ajmal had reached the milestone in 19 Tests. There have been 8 bowlers who have taken 100 wickets in 20 matches.
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The bowlers who have reached the mark in 19 and 20 matches respectively are as follows:
Bowlers to take 100 wickets in 19 matches: Colin Blythe (Eng), Alf Valentine (WI), Andy Roberts (WI), Ian Botham (Eng), Saeed Ajmal (Pak), Vernon Philander (SA)
Bowlers to take 100 wickets in 20 matches: Bobby Peel (Eng), Maurice Tate (Eng), Bill O’Reilly (Aus), Wes Hall (WI), Erapalli Prasanna (Ind), Waqar Younis (Pak), Dale Steyn (SA), Mohammad Asif (Pak)
Here are the bowlers fastest to 100 wickets in Test cricket:
| Player | Opposition | Ground | Mat |
| GA Lohmann (ENG) | v South Africa | Johannesburg | 16 |
| CTB Turner (AUS) | v England | Sydney | 17 |
| SF Barnes (ENG) | v Australia | Sydney | 17 |
| CV Grimmett (AUS) | v West Indies | Brisbane | 17 |
| Yasir Shah (PAK) | v West Indies | Dubai (DSC) | 17 |
| R Ashwin (INDIA) | v West Indies | Mumbai | 18 |
| C Blythe (ENG) | v South Africa | Cape Town | 19 |
| AL Valentine (WI) | v England | Georgetown | 19 |
| AME Roberts (WI) | v England | Leeds | 19 |
| IT Botham (ENG) | v India | Lord’s | 19 |
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