Most Wickets in Team’s 2nd Innings in Test Cricket

Most Wickets in Team’s 2nd Test Innings

Key Insights

Shane Warne has picked up the most wickets in a team’s second innings in Tests. The former leg spinner grabbed 359 scalps in Australia’s second team innings.

138 of Warne’s 359 wickets came in the third innings of a Test match, the most by a bowler. Muralitharan, meanwhile, took 236 of his 342 wickets in the fourth innings, the most by a bowler.

Overall, 10 bowlers have taken 200 or more wickets in their teams’ second Test innings. Six of them are spinners – two each from Australia, India, and Sri Lanka.

James Anderson has taken the most wickets among pacers. He leads the pack with 257 wickets in England’s second Test innings.

Kagiso Rabada, Allan Donald (both from South Africa), Malcolm Marshall, Courtney Walsh, and Curtly Ambrose (all three from West Indies) have less than 20 averages in their team’s second Test innings (minimum 100 wickets).

Rabada is the only bowler to strike a wicket in less than 40 balls in his team’s second innings (minimum 100 wickets)

Muralitharan and Ravichandran Ashwin are the two bowlers with 200-plus Test wickets at home in their team’s second innings.

On the other hand, Shane Warne took 189 wickets away from home, the most by any bowler.

Muralitharan has bagged 28 five-wicket hauls, the most by a bowler in his team’s second Test innings. Rangana Herath (21) and Ashwin (20) are the other bowlers with 20 or more five-fors. 

Jim Laker and Anil Kumble are the two bowlers to grab ten-wicket hauls in their team’s second innings. Laker’s figures of 10 for 53, the best in Tests, came in the third innings against Australia in the 1956 Manchester Test. Kumble’s figures of 10 for 74, though, are the best in the fourth innings of a Test match.

Imran Khan, Richie Benaud, and Pat Cummins are the three captains to mint 50 or more wickets in their team’s second Test innings. Find out captains who picked the most number of Test wickets, while leading the side.