The Stunning Bowlers of the Test Circuit

Being a huge proponent of the argument that a balance should be struck between bat and ball in a game of cricket, I am obviously a huge fan of tests. Test matches are truly the epitome of the sport and the best platform for a player to showcase his skill and dexterity. The only issue with tests is the fact that it spans across five days and fans might not be able to enjoy the sport at leisure. A reduced audience led to the format being considered as a dying one.

In a move to rejuvenate the format, the ICC introduced the World Test Championship in 2019. The first cycle ended on June 23rd, 2021, with New Zealand emerging victorious. The second cycle started on 4th August 2021 with the highly anticipated clash between India and England.

It is pretty evident to anyone following test cricket closely over the past few years that the ball has tended to dominate the bat more often than not. The global batting average between 2013-17 was 31.76 has further slipped to 28.80 during 2018-21. Though this period has been dotted with many a spirited performance from batsmen, the team with the better bowling team has had the upper hand. This means that all around the world, there has been an emergence of highly skilled bowlers. Personally, I feel that this a trend that will carry onto the second cycle of the Test Championships as well. Having said (written) that, this article is simply an appreciation for all the brilliant and beautiful bowling attacks from all over the world.

So, which team do I start with? Of course, India. The Indian contingent has always been known to produce world class batsmen but only a mediocre bowling attack. The best Indian pacer in terms of wickets has been Kapil Dev and he retired in the 90s! Over the last 20 years, only three pacers have taken more than 200 wickets. This was a major weakness for the team. But now, you have a fine pick of quicks in the Indian arsenal. Ishant with his immense experience, Shami who hits the deck continuously, Bumrah and his unreadable action, Umesh’s skill, Shardul’s belief, Siraj’s swing and the talent of every other bowler in the side lines, awaiting their chance. Though all of them have less than 200 wickets, with the exception of Ishant, it is a line up which will surely scale great heights soon. Let’s move on to the spinners. Ashwin and Jadeja are currently hailed as the best spinners going around. Their skill in SENA countries is something to be applauded. But that is not the end! India has many more spinners waiting for their chance like Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar. With so many options to play around with, India surely do not have many concerns with regards to their bowling.

The next team I will be writing about are the World Champions – New Zealand. The Kiwis have an exceptional pace attack with all bases covered. Let’s start with Tim Southee, who is the leader of the pack. He is incredibly experienced and can both swing and seam the ball. Next is his partner-in-crime, Trent Boult, who swings the ball beautifully, utilising the angle created by his left arm. The latest addition to their line up is the 6 foot 8 inches tall Kyle Jamieson who seems to have a taste for test match cricket as well as five wicket hauls. Neil Wagner completes the four-man pace attack with his energy, commitment and ability to hit the deck all day long. But the list does not end there. Though not often seen in whites, both Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson are extremely talented bowlers who offer accuracy and sheer pace as their USPs. They also have two fast bowling all-rounders in Colin de Grandhomme and Daryl Mitchell. With such an all-rounded pace attack, other teams should definitely be wary of the Kiwis. The one area of weakness for the Blackcaps is the fact that they do not have a great spinner, although Ajaz Patel seems to be a promising new talent.

Moving on to their Tasmanian neighbours, let’s assess the Aussies bowling attack. With the exception of the recent tests against India, their bowling line up is considered to be the best in the world and for good reason. The Aussies have only four main bowlers - Cummins, Hazlewood, Starc and Lyon – each bringing a different skillset to the table. Patrick Cummins is the youngest bowler of the lot but arguably the most talented. The current world no.1 is extremely consistent has the ability to produce every variation in the book. Josh Hazlewood, though extremely talented, hardly ever gets the spotlight. A bowler who hardly ever concedes runs, he terrorises batsmen with his choice of lines and lengths. The last pacer on this list, Mitchell Starc, is a force to be reckoned with. Albeit his poor form recently, the angle he creates by being a left arm pacers, the way he swings the ball and the sheer pace he generates makes him a formidable opponent, especially to lower order batsmen. Last but not the least, let’s talk about their spinner, Nathan Lyon. An off spinner who possesses the know-how of playing in conditions which offer little to no aid to spin, he’s been a terrific asset to the Aussies. With a couple more bowlers waiting on the side lines, the men from down under have most bases covered.

Now, let me describe their rivals’ line up. The English line up strikes a balance between the experienced and the novice. The King of Swing, James Anderson is arguably the best bowler England has ever produced. His partner-in-crime Stuart Broad has scalped over 500 wickets and is equally talented. Apart from these two stalwarts, the Poms have a list of fantastic pacers. Whether they pick Jofra Archer whose sheer pace and deadly accuracy dismantles opposition, Chris Woakes who can swing the ball both ways with extreme precision or Mark Wood who steams in and hits the deck at about 145 clicks, all of them are excellent additions to the team. The Brits also have immense influx of talent, thanks to the county circuit. Pacers like Ollie Robinson, Ollie Stone, Craig Overton and Saqib Mahmood are waiting to shine at the international stage. Moreover, they have two brilliant all-rounders in Ben Stokes and Sam Curran who have proven to be exceptionally useful in tough situations. England’s only weakness is probably spin, given that Adil Rashid is no longer a viable option. Jack Leach and Dom Bess are simply not up to the mark and Moeen Ali has been underutilised. If England overcome injury concerns and fixate on a good spinner, they will be a formidable side to face.

Let’s move on to Africa next and take a look at the Proteas’ artillery. As Philander hung up his boots in early 2019, this side is relatively inexperienced but fuelled by raw talent. The leader of the attack is former world no.1, Kagiso Rabada, who has a good variation of every delivery in his tank. Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje, on the other hand rely on their pace and precision to get the job done. The latest addition to their line-up, Wiaan Mulder is another top-class seam bowler in the making. There are a few more bowlers who are coming up the ranks. But the most surprising fact is South Africa’s quality of spin. With the likes of Keshav Maharaj, George Linde and Tabraiz Shamsi, the Proteas seem to have an all-rounded bowling attack. Most of these bowlers probably need help to hone their talent from senior player or coaches but that is perfectly fine for a country that is somewhat in a transition phase.

Moving on to the Caribbean, it’s unfortunate that their pace bowlers are hardly ever in the limelight. Given their legacy, one can only hope that they are able to produce more world class bowlers in the future. Nevertheless, they do have a dependable bowling attack right now with the likes of Kemar Roach, who is the leader of the pack with 200 wickets to boot; Shannon Gabriel; who has mastered his lethal swing and Jason Holder, who utilises his height and natural angle to the maximum. The youngsters Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seals, bring in pace and intensity to make this a well-rounded line-up. When it comes to spin, all-rounders Roston Chase and Rakheem Cornwall are the top picks. Though their numbers do not show off their skills, they are quite handy to have in a test match.

Coming full circle, let me now describe the bowling prowess of the other Asian countries, starting with Pakistan. The only subcontinent nation which is renowned for its fast bowlers is currently stumped by its lack of options. Looking down the list, the best two bowlers are probably Mohammad Abbas and Shaheen Shah Afridi, both of them orthodox swing bowlers. Apart from them, the only other good options that come to mind are Hasan Ali and Naseem Shah but they are patchy. Pakistan do have a couple of spinners who can make the ball dance to their rhythms, including Yasir Shah and Shadab Khan. Their batting talent makes them attractive picks and they have proven to be quite useful.

Last but not the least, it would be a crime to not mention the astounding class of spinners that have emerged from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Though they have not led their respective nations to as many victories as they would have liked, they are brilliant bowlers, nonetheless. Starting off with Sri Lanka, we have a young crop of players including Lasith Embuldeniya, Wanindu Hasaranga and Praveen Jayawickrama. Though Nuwan Pradeep and Akila Dhananjaya have not played off late, they still have some game left in them. Moving on to Bangladesh, we have two all-rounders in Shakib al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who have been in phenomenal nick in the last couple of series. Without a doubt, the best Afghani spinner going around is Rashid Khan. They also have other bowlers such as Mujeeb Ur Rahaman, Waqar Salamkheil and Amir Hamza who are slowly making a name for themselves. All of them are simply a delight to watch.

Though I have pointed out some weaknesses in certain bowling attacks, the talent, skill and dexterity of these bowlers are simply breath taking to watch! We are blessed to be able to witness an era where test matches continue to test batsmen instead of bowlers instead of crumbling to the wills of commercialisation.