3 bowlers to bowl most overs in a Test match in the 21st century

Bowling a marathon spell in Test cricket is a commanding job. A bowler has to deliver overs after overs throughout the five-day play. A captain banks on his bowlers to do the job of containing runs and picking up wickets in the purest and oldest format of the game. Spinners’ task becomes really tough in such situations. They bowl at a stretch in search of wickets for their respective teams. Compared to the pacers, spinners often bowl a lot of overs in a match.

Let’s take a look at the 3 bowlers to bowl the most overs in a Test match in the 21^st Century:

3.Muttiah Muralitharan

Sri Lanka’s legendary spinner and the highest wicket-taker in the history of Test cricket, Muttiah Muralitharan has bowled the third-most overs in a Test match in the 21^st Century. He delivered 97 overs against England in Galle in the year 2001. In the first innings, he bowled 54.3 overs and picked up three wickets for 79 runs which included 14 maidens. In the second innings, Muralitharan took four wickets for 66 runs with 14 maidens in 42.3 overs as Sri Lanka won the match by an innings and 28 runs.

2.Shane Warne

Late Shane Warne bowled the second-most overs in a match in the 21^st Century. He delivered 98 overs against South Africa in Cape Town in the year 2002. The spin king bowled 28 overs as he took two wickets for 70 runs with ten maidens in the first innings. The second-highest wicket-taker in Test history, late Warne bowled a marathon spell of 70 overs in the second innings. He snared six wickets for 161 runs with 15 maidens as Australia clinched the match by four wickets. He was declared the Player of the Match for his brilliant spells in the game.

1.Rashid Khan

T20 specialist Rashid Khan has delivered the most overs in a Test match in this century. He bowled 99.2 overs against Zimbabwe in Abu Dhabi in the year 2021. Rashid bowled 36.3 overs and took four wickets for 138 runs with three maidens in the first innings. Modern-day spin wizard Rashid bowled 62.5 overs and took seven wickets for 137 runs with 17 maidens in the second innings as he registered his career-best figures with Afghanistan winning the match by six wickets.