The 4th innings of a Test match is a tough phase for any player, be it a batter or a bowler. As the last innings approaches, players must have been tired after grinding hard on the field for 3-4 days.
However, the job is still not done, and they need to put in the hard yards to pull their side close to victory. Bowlers, in particular, have a huge task cut out for them to skittle the opponent’s all wickets.
A few bowlers have used their craft to the best of their abilities in the 4th innings. This article will list the top 10 bowlers with the most wickets in the 4th Test innings.
Most Wickets in 4th Innings in Test Cricket
| Player | Innings | Wickets | BBI | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Warne (AUS) | 53 | 138 | 8/71 | 23.14 |
| Nathan Lyon (AUS) | 58 | 121 | 7/152 | 27.17 |
| Rangana Herath (SL) | 40 | 115 | 8/63 | 18.08 |
| Muthiah Muralidaran (SL) | 35 | 106 | 8/46 | 21.01 |
| Glenn McGrath (AUS) | 53 | 103 | 8/24 | 19.49 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin (IND) | 36 | 99 | 7/59 | 19.12 |
| Anil Kumble (IND) | 35 | 94 | 10/74 | 22.39 |
| James Anderson (ENG) | 65 | 91 | 6/17 | 25.32 |
| Stuart Broad (ENG) | 58 | 90 | 7/44 | 24.18 |
| Mitchell Johnson (AUS) | 39 | 80 | 6/73 | 25.26 |
Key Insights
Shane Warne holds the record for picking up the most wickets in the 4th innings of Test cricket. The Australian spin wizard skittled 138 wickets in 53 innings at an average of 23.14.
Over 27 bowlers have taken 50 or more wickets in the last innings of red-ball cricket.
Rangana Herath grabbed the most five-wicket hauls in the 4th Test innings. The Sri Lankan left-arm spinner took 12 fifers and is the only bowler to take more than 10 five-wicket hauls.
Anil Kumble is the only bowler to scalp 10 wickets in the 4th innings of a Test match. Kumble ran through Pakistan’s batting lineup to end up with 10 wickets for 74 runs — the second-best bowling figures in a Test innings.
Bishan Singh Bedi has the best bowling average among the bowlers with 50+ wickets in the last innings of Test cricket. Bedi conceded 14.46 runs per wicket and is the only bowler with an average of less than 15.
