Most wickets in Tests in 2024
Bowlers often form the backbone of a team in Test cricket, their efforts play a crucial role in deciding the course of the game. Sri Lanka’s greatest Muttiah Muralitharan, who has picked 800 Test wickets, had an extraordinary year in 2001. Across 12 Tests, Murali picked 80 wickets. He bowled over 781.2 overs at an economy of just 2.17, including 216 maidens.
Australian great Shane Warne had his most impressive year in 1994, just two years after making his debut. Warne picked 70 wickets in 10 Tests. His career-best Test figures of 8/71 came against England in the Brisbane Ashes. Warne’s 96 wickets tally in 2005 remains the highest number of Test wickets in a calendar year.
India’s Kapil Dev also shone in the 1983-84 season, leading the country to its historic World Cup victory. Dev has picked a nine-wicket haul against the formidable West Indies. Similarly, 2024 also has been a year for bowlers with some great spells, which helped their side win the game. On that note, let’s take a look at the bowlers with the most wickets in the Test format in 2024:
3. Shoaib Bashir: 49 wickets
England’s young off-spinner Shoaib Bashir had a breakout year in 2024. The 21-year-old made his Test debut in February against India after overcoming visa issues and finished as the third-highest wicket-taker in the format for the year with 49 wickets from 15 matches.
Bashir bowled more overs (524.3) than any other bowler in 2024. His best performances included three five-wicket hauls, with a best of 5/41 against the West Indies. Against India, he claimed 17 wickets in just three matches. He was the main reason why the Three Lions managed to pick so many wickets in this calendar year.
2. Gus Atkinson: 52 wickets
Atkinson picked 52 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 22.15. The 26-year-old pacer made history on his debut which was also James Anderson’s farewell Test at Lord’s, claiming 7/45 in the first innings and finishing with match figures of 12/106, the fourth-best by a debutant in Test history. His exploits included a hat-trick against New Zealand in December, making him the first Englishman since 2017 to achieve the feat in Tests.
Atkinson’s brilliant performances over the year earned him the ICC Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year nomination and England Player of the Year at the Cricket Writers’ Club Awards. He played a key role in England’s victories over the West Indies, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand.
1. Jasprit Bumrah: 71 wickets
Ace Indian pacer, Jasprit Bumrah has had one of the best years as he finished 2024 as the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket with 71 wickets in just 13 matches at a mindboggling average of 14.92. His brilliance with the ball has been crucial for India, including the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
In the recent Melbourne Test, Bumrah picked nine wickets, including a second-inning five-wicket haul, bringing India back into the game despite their defeat. He also crossed the milestone of 200 Test wickets in just 44 matches, becoming the fastest Indian pacer to achieve this feat with an average of less than 20.
Bumrah’s tally of 71 wickets is now the fifth-highest by an Indian bowler in a calendar year. He became the third Indian pacer after Kapil Dev and Zaheer Khan to scalp 50 wickets in Test cricket in a calendar year.
