Most Test Wickets by Pacers in a Calendar Year

Test matches are won by teams with potent bowlers who have the ability to take 20 wickets, and the pacers usually play an integral role in such wins. The latter are the ones who can run through a side, especially in pace-friendly conditions.

The teams that have the luxury of having such pacers invariably not just win games but go on to win the series. So, their impact, especially when they are in good form, creates a positive impact on the team.

In this article, we will look at pacers who have been cornerstones for their respective teams by picking wickets for fun throughout the whole year. Here are the most wickets taken by pacers in a Test in a year.

Most Test Wickets by Pacers in a Calendar Year

Key Insights

63: The number of times a pacer has taken 50 or more Test wickets in a calendar year. Glenn McGrath (5) has done it the most times.

85: Dennis Lillee has picked the most Test wickets as a pacer in a year. He took these wickets at an average of 20.95 in 13 matches, with 5 five-wicket hauls to his name.

Malcolm Marshall has the most five-wicket hauls for a pacer in a year. The West Indies legend took 73 scalps in 1984 by taking 9 fifers at an average of 20.15 in 13 Tests.

Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling average of 14.92 is the second-best for a pacer with more than 50 scalps in a year, only behind England’s Sydney Barnes, who had an average of 14.14 back in 1912.

Similarly, Gus Atkinson’s strike rate (35.6) is the lowest for pacers, with a minimum of 50 Test wickets. In what was his debut year in Tests in 2024, the English pacer took 51 wickets in just 11 Tests.

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