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"Bowlers win you Tests," is an old adage in cricket. After the two-year period of 2021-23, we can say bowlers win you World Test Championships (WTC) as well.
And this is not just because, well, the WTC final is just a one-Test affair. It's also not because India conceded 469 runs in the first innings of the final and just played catch-up for the next three. It's because the list of the top five Test wicket-takers since 2021 is a clear reflection of the WTC 2021-23 points table.
Australia, who topped the table and eventually defeated India at the Oval by 209 runs to take home the Test mace, has two bowlers on the list - the first and the fifth.
The next on the points chart were India, South Africa, and England — all of them have one bowler each in the top-five wicket-takers in the cycle too!
Let's see who they are!
#5 Pat Cummins - Australia
Australia's Test captain Pat Cummins picked up four wickets in the WTC final, taking his tally to 57 wickets from 16 matches in the 2021-23 cycle. These included three five-wicket hauls, taking the right-arm pacer's average to 22.15.
Funnily, Cummins' best spell of the cycle came in his first match, which was also his debut as Australia's Test captain after Tim Paine resigned just before the 2021 Ashes.
Against an ill-prepared England, he took 5/38 at the bouncy and pace-friendly Gabba in Brisbane, following it up with 2/51 in the second innings.
#4 James Anderson - England
Despite playing some jaw-dropping cricket in WTC 2021-23, England didn't win enough matches to reach the final. Three things stood out in their campaign - Bazball, Joe Root's form, and James Anderson's longevity.
He was 39 when the cycle started and is almost 41 at its end but still picked up 58 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 20.37 which is the best among all pacers in the top 10 of this list! And guess what, he's ready to play in the 2023 Ashes.
He collected two five-wicket hauls and four four-wicket hauls in these two years. The best came against India at home in 2022, in the fifth Test which was rescheduled from the original series in 2021.
Anderson picked up 5/60 in the first innings at an economy rate of 2.75 when every other bowler went for 3.5 runs/over.
#3 Ravichandran Ashwin - India
India's decision to not pick Ravichandran Ashwin in the WTC final was questioned not only because he is the top-ranked ICC Test bowler but also because he played a pivotal role in the team reaching the final.
In 13 matches, he picked up 61 wickets at just 19.67, which is the best average among all bowlers in the top 10. The next best for India was Jadeja with 47 wickets who played ahead of Ashwin in the final.
However, a big share of these wickets came in India. He only played in one tour outside the sub-continent — South Africa in 2021 — and picked three scalps across as many Tests.
Ashwin's best spell also came in India when he sent back six Australians for 91 runs in the first innings of the final 2023 Border Gavaskar Trophy Test in Ahmedabad.
#2 Kagiso Rabada - South Africa
Probably the most underrated bowler of the WTC 2021-23 cycle, Kagiso Rabada sits second on this list. The South African pacer picked up 67 wickets in just 13 matches at an average of 21.05.
Remarkably, he picked up a wicket after every 34.80 balls which is the best strike rate for anyone with more than 12 wickets.
He bowled in England, Australia, and New Zealand and hosted India at home in these two years, and returned with at least a four-wicket haul in each of these series.
Rabada's best spell, however, came against West Indies at SuperSport Park: a fiery 6/50 that bowled the visitors out for just 159 in a chase of 247.
#1 Nathan Lyon - Australia
It's only fitting that the man who picked the most wickets in the WTC 2021-23 cycle also got the last batter out in the final against India.
Among the top 50 wicket-takers, Nathan Lyon played the second-highest number of matches in the cycle - 20. And he made good use of them, collecting a whopping 88 wickets.
More than his average and strike rate, it was Lyon's work rate that stood out for Australia as the off-spinner racked up almost 900 overs, at least 300 more than anyone else in the tournament.
His best spell of the WTC came in India on the minefield track in Indore - 8/64 which led to Australia's historic nine-wicket win.
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