The Best of 2017: Top 5 bowlers with most wickets in Tests

If you want to become a great Test team you need world class bowlers on your side. As it is a well-accepted truth that the team that has the fire to pick 20 wickets wins a Test match. A team can score 600 runs but it can’t win the match unless they have the bowling power to bowl the opposition out twice. This is why wicket-taking bowlers are such a prized possession in a Test team.

We take a look at top 5 bowlers who claimed the most wickets in Test cricket in 2017. The list contains 4 spinners and just 1 fast bowler. And when we talk about the spinners, Asian bowlers are expected to dominate the list and they’ve done just that. So let us take a look at the bowlers who had a big role in the success of their respective teams in 2017.

5. Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka) – 52 wickets

It was another distressed year for Sri Lankan cricket in terms of their overall performance. The team has failed to emerge out of the transition phase since the retirement of the previous generation of cricketers who were also the greats of the game. Despite the failures, their lead spinner Rangana Herath did all he could to ensure they pulled a few results in their favour.

He was the catalyst behind Sri Lanka’s clean sweep over Pakistan in the UAE. The left-arm spinner has had yet another good year on a personal level taking 52 wickets in 11 matches in 2017. Sri Lanka’s no.1 spinner is 39, but he is still not showing any signs of slowing down.

4. Ravindra Jadeja (India) – 54 wickets

The Indian team was on the rise, this year they won 3 out of the 3 Test series they played. They ended the year at the no.1 position of the ICC Test rankings and the credit for that goes to their bowlers, especially the spinners who ruled the opposition one after the other. Most of the matches weren’t played on rank turners but they still found success.

Ravindra Jadeja won the player of the series vs Australia and was the one who ensured the hosts constantly maintained the edge. The left-arm spinner took 54 wickets in 10 Test matches he played in 2017. His exploits with the bat give an added balance to the team and allow India to play 5 bowlers. It will be interesting to see how things transpire as the hosts turn tourists this year.

3. Kagiso Rabada (South Africa) – 54 wickets

Rabada has been a revelation this year as he has taken charge as the lead bowler of the South African team across formats. The prodigy has taken his game to another level this year grabbing 54 wickets in just 10 matches at an average less than 21 which is incredible.

He cherishes when there is life in the wicket and bends his back to earn purchase when the surface is dead. He has the skill to swing the ball, is express in terms of pace and a very smart bowler. Kagiso Rabada at just 22 years of age has shown a lot of promise and the Proteas no longer look less fatal even without their ace pacer Dale Steyn.

2. Ravichandran Ashwin (India) – 56 wickets

He is one of the most consistent bowlers in Test cricket at the moment. Ashwin became the fastest bowler to take 300 wickets in Test matches this year. The off-spinner scalped 56 wickets in 11 matches this year which is incredible.

Having been kept out of the limited-overs squad has given Ashwin who is a thinking bowler more time to hone his skills and he came up with a couple of subtle variations in his bowling that are tough to recognize but make a lot of difference by the time they reach the batsman.

India will expect their lead spinner to rise on the overseas tours as well. Decent to good performances in South Africa, England and Australia will earn Ashwin the rightful tag of being a complete bowler.

1. Nathan Lyon (Australia) – 60 wickets

Australia were always looking for a spinner who could take wickets irrespective of the conditions since the retirement of legendary Shane Warne. They tried a lot of spinners before coming to a conclusion that Nathon Lyon was their best bet. In the last couple of years, Lyon has without a doubt been the number 1 spinner for Australia and is also considered a GOAT from the country.

He was the leading wicket-taker of the season gone by and is the reason for Australia‘s success throughout the year. The off-spinner took 60 wickets in 10 Tests this year including 5 five-wicket hauls. He has provided great support to the pacers in the ongoing Ashes having picked 14 wickets in 3 matches that won them the Ashes.