Most Test Wickets As A Pair – Best bowling pairs For Test Match
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The bowling partnerships in cricket often don’t get the same amount of importance as batting partnerships would. There is in fact an adage in the game that says, ‘hunt in pairs’. Bowlers often tend to perform better in a bowling partnership. It is the complementary nature of the game that makes partnership bowling so crucial. Let us look at details on Most Test Wickets As A Pair.
The spin twins – Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja primarily thrive on each other’s strengths. Jadeja’s discipline allows Ashwin to experiment from the other end. If there is something for the spinners then Ashwin takes a backseat and allows Jadeja to run through sides. The game has seen many such historic bowling partnerships.
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We rank the top 5 pairs who have picked the most Test wickets bowling together:
#5 Mitchell Starc & Nathan Lyon – 612
Australia clearly missed Nathan Lyon in the last 3 Tests of the Ashes series. It was not mere coincidence that they failed to win a single Test post his absence. Lyon had a telling impact in the first two Tests helping Australia gain an early lead of 2-0. He is someone who benefits greatly from the presence of Mitchell Starc in the side. The left-arm seamer helps Lyon with the footmarks to operate as the game progresses. They have played together in 77 Tests and have picked 612 wickets as a pair.
#4 Curtly Ambrose & Courtney Walsh – 762
They were in all fairness the last great bowling pair from West Indies. Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh were an emotion. Both the bowlers found a mention in the same breadth. It was really difficult for players, experts, and fans alike to think of them as individual greats. Walsh was the more mechanical of the two while Ambrose was the more fiery one. They bounced off each other’s energy and dismantled many top sides with their bowling. Ambrose and Walsh accounted for 762 wickets combined out of 95 Test appearances together.
#3 Muttiah Muralidharan & Chaminda Vaas – 895
What Starc is for Lyon, Chaminda Vaas was for Muttiah Muralidharan. Despite being relatively limited as compared to his peers, Vaas struck to his strengths beautifully. He did the maximum damage with the new ball and handed over matters to the spin wizard. Muralidharan then did his thing and spun a web around batters. The pair was very difficult to get away in home conditions especially. They had a combined tally of 895 wickets in 95 Test matches that they played together.
#2 Shane Warne & Glenn McGrath – 1,001
In terms of sheer impact that they had on the game, there is no greater pair than Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. Their pair ensured that Australia stay at the top of the charts for over a decade. The legendary pair is one of the only two in the world to pick up more than 1,000 Test wickets. Both these legends finished their Test career together enabling Australia complete a whitewash over England 5-0. In 104 Tests that the pair featured together they picked up 1,001 wickets!
#1 James Anderson & Stuart Broad – 1,039
One of the best ever swing bowling duos, James Anderson and Stuart Broad top this elite list. The pair won England games all on their own. In slightly helpful conditions, their combination became even more dangerous. Anderson’s ability to set the batter up while Broad’s ability to conjure magic made for great viewing. Anderson was as emotional as Broad was in the latter’s last Test. They aggregated 1,039 wickets in 138 Tests that they played together.
