Vernon Philander and Yasir Shah. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Bowlers play an important role in Test cricket to win matches. For any side, it’s imperative to have bowlers who have the potential to pick 20 wickets in cricket’s longest format. Bowlers such as Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Anil Kumble, and Chaminda Vaas became huge figures in the cricketing world not just due to their performances in white-ball cricket but also because they proved themselves in Tests which is also called real cricket.
From 2010-19, some bowlers performed exceptionally for their teams and became the most successful bowlers of the last decade. Riding on their effective bowling displays, their teams pocketed a lot of Test matches in those ten years.
Here are the ratings of the 10 best Test bowlers of the previous decade (2010-19):
10. Vernon Philander (6.9/ 10)
Vernon Philander. (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
South Africa pacer Vernon Philander broke into Test cricket in 2011 and served South Africa until 2020. Along with his colleagues Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, he delivered a lot of match-winning bowling spells to his team with his disciplined pace bowling. From 2011-19, he played 61 Tests and took 220 wickets in 114 innings.
In his debut series, he became the leading wicket-taker with 14 wickets in four innings of two Tests. The speedster took a fifer in the second innings of the first Test in Cape Town and helped his team to fold the Aussies on an embarrassing total of 47. Riding on his sensational bowling, the Proteas won the game by eight wickets. Philander also received the Player of the Match award for his standout performance.
When South Africa toured England in 2012, Philander delivered a notable bowling performance to his team to win the three-match Test series by 2-0. In this huge victory, the speedster contributed 12 wickets to his side in six innings of three matches and ended up as the second-leading wicket-taker in the competition.
9. Yasir Shah (7/10)
Yasir Shah. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Yasir Shah will always be remembered as one of the finest spinners ever produced by Pakistan. At the age of 28, Shah played the maiden Test match of his international career against Australia in Dubai. On his Test debut, he took seven wickets in his team’s massive 221-run win over the Aussies.
Shah played a key role in Pakistan’s decent Test campaign in England in 2016. Playing the four-match series, Pakistan won two games against the home side and levelled the series. Shah, who claimed 19 wickets in eight innings of four matches, became the most successful bowler for Pakistan on the tour.
During Pakistan’s visit to Australia in 2019, he finished with his best bowling figures on Aussie soil. In the first match, he took a four-wicket haul in which the veteran Steven Smith also became his victim. The leggie concluded the previous decade with 209 wickets in 71 innings of 38 Tests.
8. Mitchell Starc (7.3/10)
Mitchell Starc. (Photo Source: Twitter)
PERTH, AUSTRALIA – NOVEMBER 15: Mitchell Starc of Australia bowls during day three of the second Test match between Australia and New Zealand at WACA on November 15, 2015 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Will Russell – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images)
Mitchell Starc has been active for Australia in Test cricket since December 2011 and currently, he is the most experienced pacer in the team. In the last decade, he was the second-most successful bowler for Australia in cricket’s oldest format with 240 wickets in 107 innings of 56 Tests.
Starc showcased his mettle with the ball in the Ashes 2015 played in England. In Australia’s unsuccessful campaign, he bagged 18 wickets in nine innings of five Tests and concluded the series as the second-leading wicket-taker. In Australia’s 2017 Ashes victory, he again played a vital role with the ball.
This time, he scalped 22 wickets in eight innings of four matches and became the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Australia whitewashed Pakistan in a two-match Test series in 2019 at home. Starc took 14 wickets in the series and guided his side to the victory.
7. Trent Boult (7.5/ 10)
Trent Boult. (Photo Source: BCCI)
Trent Boult broke into international cricket during New Zealand’s tour of Australia in December 2011 for a couple of Tests. He displayed his talent in his first match in Hobart. Picking up four wickets in the game, he made a vital contribution to his side’s intriguing seven-wicket win.
New Zealand contested against Pakistan in a three-match Test series in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2014-15. The series concluded in a stalemate with both teams winning one match apiece. After losing the first Test, the third match became do-or-die for the Kiwis. Utilising his experience, Boult clinched a four-wicket haul and helped New Zealand hammer Pakistan by an innings and 80 runs.
England hosted the Black Caps in 2015 and this time again, Trent Boult put up an impressive show with the ball. Picking up 13 wickets in four innings of two Tests, he ended up as the joint-leading wicket-taker along with England’s Stuart Broad. He also became the winner of the Player of the Series award, along with England’s skipper, Alastair Cook.
6. Dale Steyn (8/10)
Dale Steyn. (Photo Source: Getty Images)
Dale Steyn became the most successful bowler for South Africa in Tests played from 2010-19. The speedster bagged 267 wickets in 108 innings of 59 Tests. Riding on his magnificent bowling displays, the Proteas pulled off some crucial assignments in those 10 years. In 2012, the Proteas tasted success in a three-match Test series in England, winning the tournament by 2-0.
Spearheading the pace attack on the tour, Steyn clinched 15 wickets in six innings of three Tests and became the most successful bowler in the competition. In the same year, the Proteas also went to Australia for three Tests and emerged victorious by 1-0. This time, Steyn racked up 12 wickets in five innings and ended up as the second-leading wicket-taker in his team’s sensational triumph.
South Africa toured the UAE in 2013 and their campaign started with a seven-wicket defeat in the first Test in Abu Dhabi. With the loss in the opening game, the second Test became a must-win for Graeme Smith and his men. In the important match, South Africa bowlers displayed confidence and folded Pakistan at a score of 99.
Steyn took important three wickets in the innings. The match ended in the visitors’ favour as they emerged triumphant by an innings and 92 runs. Dale Steyn concluded the interesting series with 13 wickets in four innings of two matches. With these numbers, he became the leading wicket-taker in the competition.
5. Rangana Herath (8.3/ 10)
Rangana Herath (Photo Source: Indian Express)
Rangana Herath is the unsung hero of Sri Lanka’s success in Test cricket from 2010-19. The left-arm spinner showed up in 72 Tests for his national side in those 10 years and picked up 363 wickets in 133 innings. He proved his bowling skills during Sri Lanka’s tour of Australia in 2012.
On the rapid tracks of Australia, his team performed horrendously in a three-match Test series and got whitewashed but Herath showcased his best with the ball and became the most successful bowler for his team with 12 wickets in five innings of three Tests.
In 2014, Sri Lanka visited England to lock horns with the English side in all three forms of the sport. During the tour, they played a two-match Test series as well, in which they came out victorious with their 100-run win in the second game in Leeds. Rangana Herath took three wickets in the second innings to take the game away from the hosts.
4. Nathan Lyon (8.5/ 10)
Nathan Lyon. (Photo Source: Getty Images)
Nathan Lyon made his Test debut against Sri Lanka at Galle International Stadium in August 2011. In his maiden international match, he played a crucial role in Australia’s 125-run win. While defending 273 for his team, he clinched a fifer in the first innings and became the wrecker-in-chief to fold the hosts on a paltry 105.
In 2014, during Australia’s tour of South Africa, the right-arm off-break bowler took a five-wicket haul in the first innings of the second Test in Port Elizabeth. Lyon proved his efficiency with the ball during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2016-17. The veteran bagged 19 wickets in seven innings of four matches and became the joint-highest wicket-taker for the Aussies in the competition, along with Stephen O’Keefe.
Australia travelled to the UAE to take on Pakistan in September 2018 for a couple of Tests. In the series, Pakistan handed them a 1-0 defeat but for Lyon, it was a decent campaign. He claimed 12 wickets in four innings of two Tests and became the best bowler for his side on the tour. Talking about his overall bowling numbers from 2010-19, he scalped 380 wickets in 182 innings of 95 Tests.
3. Ravichandran Ashwin (9/10)
Ravichandran Ashwin. (Photo Source: ICC)
Ravichandran Ashwin became the best bowler for India in the previous decade. The star India bowler notched up 362 wickets in 131 innings of 70 Tests. In 2015, when India won its first Test series in Sri Lanka after 22 years, Ashwin became the Player of the Series for picking up 21 wickets in six innings of three matches.
In 2016, India hosted England for five Tests and thrashed the visitors by 4-0. The off-spinner took 28 wickets in 10 innings of five matches and played a huge role in India’s clinical victory against Alastair Cook and his men. Following this victory, Australia came to India in February 2017 for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
After the 333-run loss in the opening Test, India beat the visitors in the second Test in Bengaluru and made a perfect comeback. Ravichandran Ashwin paired up with Ravindra Jadeja and wreaked havoc on the Aussie batting line-up. In the second innings, he trapped six batters and took the team home by 75 runs. At the end of the tournament, India lifted the trophy with a 2-1 triumph and Ashwin concluded the series as the second-leading wicket-taker with 21 wickets in eight innings of four matches.
2. Stuart Broad (9.2/ 10)
Stuart Broad. (Photo Source: Reuters)
Stuart Broad did an exceptional job for England in the previous decade. The paceman added 403 wickets to his profile in 207 innings of 111 Tests. In 2011, England had an incredible home season in Tests, hammering Sri Lanka and India. They hammered India by 4-0 and in this unprecedented win, Broad grabbed 25 wickets in eight innings of four matches.
England’s last Ashes series win came in 2015. Contesting against the Aussies at home, they emerged victorious by 3-2. Broad contributed 21 wickets to his team’s triumph and became the best bowler of the tournament. In the fourth Test in Trent Bridge, he came heavily on the batters to wrap Australia on an embarrassing score of 60. Riding on his match-winning bowling display, the hosts registered an innings and 78-run win.
England had a successful campaign in South Africa in 2016, winning the Basil D’Oliveira trophy with 2-1 figures. In this amazing overseas triumph, Broad stepped up for England in the bowling attack and became the highest wicket-taker for them. He claimed 18 wickets in seven innings of four Tests. Recently, he bid adieu to international cricket post successful Ashes series equalizer.
1. James Anderson (9.5/10)
James Anderson celebrates after taking his 500th Test wicket. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
James Anderson became the bowler with the most wickets from 2010-19. He took 429 wickets in 200 innings of 106 Tests for England in the period of ten years. With the help of his extraordinary bowling skills, England achieved some incredible success in the longest format of the sport.
England won its first Ashes series on Australian soil after 24 years in 2010. Andrew Strauss and Co. won three Tests during their fabulous campaign in the five-match series and lost only one game. In this sensational success, Anderson played a major role with the ball. The speedster claimed 24 wickets in 10 innings of five matches and ended up as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.
In 2018, England registered an emphatic 4-1 victory against India at home. Contesting against Virat Kohli and his boys, James Anderson showcased his bowling potential and ended up as the leading wicket-taker in the competition. The pacer racked 24 wickets in 10 innings of five games.