When it comes to fast bowling in Test cricket, England has produced a lot – the reason why you will find it hard to spot more than two spinners in the top ten wicket-takers list for England in the longer format.
The modern-day pace duo of James Anderson-Stuart Broad tops the bowlers’ list for picking the most wickets for England in Tests.
These two are also the only entrants in the top ten list of overall wicket-takers in international cricket across formats.
Below is the table for England’s top ten wicket-takers in Tests.
Most Wickets for England in Test Cricket
| PLAYER | MATCHES | INNS | WKTS | BBI | BBM | AVG | ECON | SR | 5/10 WKT HAULS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Anderson | 188 | 350 | 704 | 7/42 | 11/71 | 26.45 | 2.79 | 56.87 | 32/3 |
| Stuart Broad | 167 | 309 | 604 | 8/15 | 11/121 | 27.68 | 2.97 | 55.79 | 20/3 |
| Ian Botham | 102 | 168 | 383 | 8/34 | 13/106 | 28.4 | 2.99 | 56.95 | 27/4 |
| Bob Willis | 90 | 165 | 325 | 8/43 | 9/92 | 25.2 | 2.83 | 53.4 | 16/0 |
| Fred Trueman | 67 | 127 | 307 | 8/31 | 12/119 | 21.57 | 2.61 | 49.43 | 17/3 |
| Derek Underwood | 86 | 151 | 297 | 8/51 | 13/71 | 25.83 | 2.1 | 73.6 | 17/6 |
| Graeme Swann | 60 | 109 | 255 | 6/65 | 10/132 | 29.96 | 2.98 | 60.19 | 17/3 |
| Brian Statham | 70 | 129 | 252 | 7/39 | 11/97 | 24.84 | 2.33 | 63.71 | 9/1 |
| Matthew Hoggard | 67 | 122 | 248 | 7/61 | 12/205 | 30.5 | 3.26 | 56.08 | 7/1 |
| Alec Bedser | 51 | 92 | 236 | 7/44 | 14/99 | 24.89 | 2.21 | 67.44 | 15/5 |
Key Stats
Anderson is the first England bowler to achieve the milestones of 500 and 600 wickets in Test cricket; also the first fast bowler to pick 600 wickets in the format.
The Burnley-based swing bowler also bests the 5-wicket hauls among the English bowlers, whereas 1966-debuted Derek Underwood has picked the most 10-wicket hauls in Test matches.
Jim Laker, the first bowler in the history of Test cricket to pick ten wickets in an innings and the holder of the best-ever bowling figures in a Test innings and match (19/90), picked 193 wickets in 46 Test matches.
Returning to the AB of English bowling, the Anderson-Broad duo is among the only three bowlers in Test history to bowl more than 30000 deliveries in the format, the other being West Indies’ Courtney Walsh.
Also Read: Most Runs and Centuries for England in Test Cricket
