Even though run scoring is not easy for batters in Tests, the bowlers still need to keep things tight against them. Apart from the main aim of taking wickets, the bowlers also try to concede fewer runs with the red ball.
If the bowlers give away a few runs before scalping a wicket, that helps them lower their bowling average. And the lower the bowling average, the better it is for the bowler.
On that note, here we’ll look at the top 10 bowlers with the best bowling average in Tests with a minimum of 100 wickets.
Best Bowling Average in Test Cricket (Min. 100 Wickets)
| Player | Innings | Runs Conceded | Wickets | Bowling Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Lohmann (ENG) | 36 | 1205 | 112 | 10.75 |
| Sydney Barnes (AUS) | 50 | 3106 | 189 | 16.43 |
| Charlie Turner (AUS) | 30 | 1670 | 101 | 16.53 |
| Bobby Peel (ENG) | 35 | 1715 | 101 | 16.98 |
| Johnny Briggs (ENG) | 49 | 2095 | 118 | 17.75 |
| Colin Blythe (ENG) | 37 | 1863 | 100 | 18.63 |
| Jasprit Bumrah (IND) | 86 | 3977 | 205 | 19.40 |
| Johnny Wardle (ENG) | 52 | 2080 | 102 | 20.39 |
| Alan Davidson (AUS) | 82 | 3819 | 186 | 20.53 |
| Malcolm Marshall (WI) | 151 | 7876 | 376 | 20.94 |
(If you don’t know how to calculate the bowling average, then check out our guide here.)
Key Insights
10.75: England’s George Lohmann holds the record for the best bowling average in Tests among the bowlers with 100+ wickets. The former medium pacer played in 18 Tests, picking up 112 wickets at a bowling average of 10.75. This is also the lowest average among the pace bowlers.
16.98: Bobby Peel’s bowling average of 16.98 is the best among the spinners. The slow left-arm orthodox bowler scalped 101 wickets in 20 Tests for England.
25: Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja — India’s most successful bowling pair in Test — both concede approximately 24 runs before taking a wicket. This is the only spin duo where both bowlers’ average is less than 25. (You can check out Ashwin and Jadeja’s Test stats here.)
26.72: This is the aggregate bowling average of the most successful Test bowling pair — James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Both the English pacers picked up 1039 wickets while bowling as a pair in 138 matches.
12: Only 12 bowlers have an average of less than 21, with India’s Jasprit Bumrah being the only active bowler.
