Bowling pairs with the most wickets in Tests
England continued their new-found dominance in Test with a big 267-run win over New Zealand. They have lost just twice since Ben Stokes took on captaincy duties in April 2022. They have adapted to an attacking approach with a bat in Tests and that is really doing wonders for the Three Lions.
In the first Test against New Zealand at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, they scored runs at a run rate of over 5 in both innings. But the bowlers stole the show and were credited for the win. The veteran pace duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad took four wickets each in the second innings to bowl out Kiwis on just 126 runs.
Anderson took three wickets in the first innings and Broad bagged just one. But Broad’s only wicket in the first innings was the 1000th wicket for the Anderson-Broad duo in Tests. There is another pair with 1000-plus wickets in Test cricket so let’s take a look at the top three bowling pairs with the most wickets in Tests.
3) 895 wickets – Muthiah Muralitharan & Chaminda Vaas
Muralitharan’s 800 wickets in Test remains a record despite the spinner hanging his boots in 2010. Chaminda Vaas, the left-arm pacer, partnered Muralitharan with 355 wickets from 11 Tests. Both players took 895 Test wickets while playing together in 95 matches.
2) 1001 wickets – Shane Warne & Glenn McGrath
Considered as one of the best spin-pace duos of all time, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath were the first pair to complete 1000 wickets in Test cricket. Warne took 708 wickets at an average of 25.41 while McGrath dominated with 563 at an average of 21.64 in Tests. The pair took 1001 Test wickets while playing together and achieved this feat in only 104 matches, 29 fewer than the Anderson-Broad duo.
1) 1009* wickets – James Anderson & Stuart Broad
Stuart Broad took Neil Wagner’s wicket in the first innings of the recent Test against New Zealand on February 17, which was the 1000th wicket for the Anderson-Broad pair in Test Anderson took Tom Blundell’s wicket in the same innings to make it 1001 wickets from just 133 Tests. The pair added eight wickets more in the second innings and now has 1009 wickets to their name.
