In Test cricket, bowlers have their eyes set on picking up 20 wickets of the opponent in a match. However, on some occasions, they might toil hard to send the batters back to the pavilion.
With no wickets in sight, the bowlers might end up bowling long, boring spells, conceding way too many runs. No bowler wants to face the wrath of batters, but a few have tasted their rage like no one else.
In this article, we’ll look at the top 10 most expensive bowling figures in a Test match.
Most Expensive Bowling Figures in a Test Match
| Player | Bowling Figures | Overs | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy Scott (WI) | 9/374 | 105.2 | England | Kingston | 03 Apr 1930 |
| Jason Krejza (AUS) | 12/358 | 74.5 | India | Nagpur | 6 Nov 2008 |
| Zahid Mahmood (PAK) | 6/319 | 44.0 | England | Rawalpindi | 1 Dec 2022 |
| Keshav Maharaj (SA) | 5/318 | 77.0 | India | Visakhapatnam | 2 Oct 2019 |
| Arthur Mailey (AUS) | 7/308 | 63.0×8 | England | Sydney | 19 Dec 1924 |
| Arthur Mailey (AUS) | 10/302 | 61.3 | England | Adelaide | 14 Jan 1921 |
| Clarrie Grimmett (AUS) | 9/298 | 84.1 | England | Brisbane | 30 Nov 1928 |
| Chuck Fleetwood-Smith (AUS) | 1/298 | 87.0 | England | The Oval | 20 Aug 1938 |
| Nathan Lyon (AUS) | 5/298 | 81.0 | South Africa | Johannesburg | 30 Mar 2018 |
| Yasir Shah (PAK) | 2/291 | 54.0 | Australia | Sydney | 3 Jan 2017 |
Key Insights
9 for 374 runs by Tommy Scott is the most expensive bowling figure by a bowler in a Test match. The West Indies leg spinner conceded 266 runs for 5 wickets in the first innings and gave away 108 runs for 4 wickets in the second innings against England in 1930.
Apart from Scott, Australia’s Jason Krejza is the only other bowler to get hammered for 200+ runs in one innings and 100+ runs in another in a Test match.
Zahid Mahmood’s economy rate of 7.25 is the worst among the bowlers who have leaked more than 300 runs in a Test match. Mahmood returned with match figures of 6 for 319 runs in 44 overs against England in 2022.
129 overs bowled by Sonny Ramadhin is the most by a bowler in a single Test match. Out of those, he sent down 98 overs in the second innings against England in 1957, which is also the most overs delivered in a Test innings.
Chuck Fleetwood-Smith’s match figures of 1 for 298 came only in 1 innings, resulting in the most expensive bowling figures in a Test innings.
Arthur Mailey is the only bowler to concede 300+ runs in 2 or more Test matches. He registered the match figures of 7/308 and 10/302 against Australia in 1924 and 1921, respectively.
