All-rounders are an invaluable asset for any team in any given format and more so true in Test cricket. The longest form of the game is where a genuine all-rounder can contribute in more ways and for a prolonged period. They can either change the game with the ball by taking that crucial wicket or scoring those runs when the team requires them the most.
In both ways, a team will benefit from having such a player who can impact matches with both their skill sets. There are the players who have not just made a telling contribution with both bat & ball in a Test match but through the course of a calendar year. So here are the players who have picked at least 50 wickets and scored 500 or more runs in a calendar year in Test cricket.
50 Wickets and 500 Runs in a Calendar Year in Tests
| Player | Matches | Wickets | Runs | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Botham (ENG) | 12 | 66 | 597 | 1978 |
| Kapil Dev (IND) | 17 | 74 | 619 | 1979 |
| Ian Botham (ENG) | 13 | 62 | 629 | 1981 |
| Kapil Dev (IND) | 18 | 75 | 579 | 1983 |
| Shaun Pollock (SA) | 14 | 69 | 593 | 1998 |
| Shaun Pollock (SA) | 13 | 55 | 573 | 2001 |
| Andrew Flintoff (ENG) | 14 | 68 | 709 | 2005 |
| Daniel Vettori (NZ) | 14 | 54 | 672 | 2008 |
| Mitchell Johnson (AUS) | 13 | 63 | 500 | 2009 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin (IND) | 12 | 72 | 612 | 2016 |
Key Stats:
Only seven players have scored 500 or more runs and taken 50+ wickets in Tests in a calendar year. Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, and Shaun Pollock are the only ones who have achieved this impressive feat twice.
The legendary England all-rounder Sir Ian Botham was the first player to achieve this when he scalped 66 wickets to accompany his 597 runs with the bat.
52.09: The batting average of Shaun Pollock when he amassed those 573 runs in 2001 is the best among players in this list and the next best is 43.71 by Ashwin in 2016. Likewise, 18.19 was the bowling average of Ian Botham, when he took those 66 wickets in 1978 followed by Pollock’s 20.44 in 1998.
2: The Indian duo of Kapil Dev and Ravi Ashwin are the only players to scalp more than 70 wickets when they scored over 500 Test runs in a calendar year. Flintoff’s tally of 709 in 2005 is the highest for a player when he has taken 50 or more wickets in a calendar year.
While Botham’s 3 century in 1978 is the most, Ashwin (8) leads the way with the most fifers in a calendar year when they achieved this terrific double.
It must be noted that Ravindra Jadeja could have been the 11th entrant to this list but missed out as he scored 527 runs and picked 48 wickets in 12 Tests in 2024.
