10 bowlers with most Test wickets away from home in 2018

Playing cricket at home is probably a lot easier especially since players know the playing conditions very well. This usually leads to situations where the home side dominates the visiting team throughout the course of the series. Its hard for batsmen and even harder for bowlers to deceive the batsman and claim their wicket especially when one is not accustomed to these situations.

However, there are certain occasions where the visiting team have managed to triumph over the home side largely due to the fact that some of their players performed really well. It's often been said that bowlers are the key to a successful team. Yet, they are often overlooked. Without a solid bowling lineup, winning in any situation or place (home or away) would seem like a daunting task. On the other hand, when these bowlers perform consistently well, it can be beautiful to watch especially in Test matches.

This year we have witnessed some amazing bowling that has left us in awe. We have seen some memorable debuts and performances that will be remembered for a long time.

Hence, we're going to take a look at the top 10 leading wicket-takers in Test matches away from home this year.

10. Mohammed Abbas (19 wickets)

Since his Test debut for Pakistan last year, Mohammed Abbas has been on a roll. He has already picked up four fifers in just 11 matches. But, his consistent performances aren’t just limited to the home matches. Abbas has also performed consistently away from home. He has picked up 19 wickets from just three matches with an amazing average of 13.26.

He is currently one of Pakistan’s leading pacers and they (Pakistan) will look to build their bowling attack around him in the future especially with the World Cup around the corner.

9. Jack Leach (20 wickets)

Jack Leach made his international debut for England earlier this year against New Zealand and what a debut year it has been for this lad. Though his debut Test match didn’t go as planned, he managed to reinvent himself during their recently concluded tour of Sri Lanka.

While he picked just two wickets from one match against New Zealand, he was on picture perfect form against Sri Lanka claiming 18 wickets in the process.

Jack Leach has proved to be one of these up and coming young bowlers that coaches will need to further study in the future. Expect him to do some damage in the coming years.

8. Moeen Ali (20 wickets)

Moeen Ali has been one of England’s best all-rounders since his international debut in 2014. His 2018 season has been nothing short of fantastic. He has been a crucial wicket-taking bowler for his country across all forms of the game. His 2018 away record is impeccable, to say the least.

The English all-rounder has picked up a total of 20 wickets across five matches. His most notable performance was against Sri Lanka in their recently concluded series. He scalped a total of 18 wickets in just three Test matches putting him in the seventh spot on this list.

7. Pat Cummins (22 wickets)

Right from the start of his international career, Pat Cummins has shown a lot of intent. In his debut match, he picked up a fifer that saw him win the Man of the Match award. However, a career plagued by injuries saw him in and out of the national team for the past few years. He returned to his national side in 2017 where he proved to be a vital lower order batsman during the Ashes series.

2018 has been a great year for the Australian pacer. He has contributed with terrific performances away from home. He managed to claim a total of 22 wickets in just four away games with an average of 21.45. Cummins was also awarded a national contract by Australia earlier this year.

6. Suranga Lakmal (24 wickets)

Suranga Lakmal has risen to prominence in recent years as one of Sri Lanka’s leading pacers. 2018 has been a great year for the Sri Lankan pacer. He claimed his 100th Test wicket earlier this year when he dismissed Tamim Iqbal.

He is also the fourth Sri Lankan bowler to achieve this feat taking his place alongside legends like Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga, and Dilhara Fernando.

Lakmal has maintained his consistency in Test matches away from home. He picked a total of 24 wickets in just seven matches that he played outside home. His current form indicates that he will lead Sri Lanka’s pace attack for a few more years.

5. Ravichandran Ashwin (24 wickets)

Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the best all-rounders in world cricket. He is capable of deceiving batsman on nearly any ground. This has seen him become a mainstay in Indian cricket for quite some time. Clearly, Ashwin has proved himself to be a crucial bowler in crunch situations.

Looking at his overseas Test matches in 2018, he picked up seven wickets from just two games when India toured South Africa earlier this year. However, Ashwin wasn’t at his best when India toured England picking up a total of 11 wickets from just four games. It was quite evident that the English conditions didn’t suit his bowling.

But, in the ongoing Test series against Australia, Ashwin has picked up six wickets in just one game and was instrumental in helping his team take the series lead. A sudden injury ruled him out of the second and third Test matches which also prevented him from climbing to a better position on this list.

This puts his tally at 24 wickets from seven matches and an average of 30.16.

4. Lahiru Kumara (26 wickets)

Lahiru Kumara made his Test debut for Sri Lanka against Zimbabwe in 2016 and claimed his first Test victim by dismissing Peter Moor. Owing to his good form, Kumara was called-up to be a part of Sri Lanka’s squad during their tour of South Africa later that year.

He performed well in the series and even picked up his maiden fifer. His bowling figures of 6/122 are the second-best bowling figure by any bowler in South Africa.

His bowling form has continued into 2018. He has been in good form when playing outside Sri Lanka and has also picked up 26 wickets in six Test matches. 17 of those 26 wickets came in the recently concluded Test series against the West Indies where he showed just how dangerous he can be.

His form continued when Sri Lanka toured New Zealand recently as he scalped a total of nine wickets in two Test matches. This helped him climb into the fourth spot on this list.

3. Ishant Sharma (37 wickets)

Ishant Sharma’s form has always been questionable. There are times when he went wicketless across multiple spells and there are times when he ripped through a batting line-up with ease. However, this year has been one of his best years in international cricket. He has somehow managed to remain consistent throughout the year especially when playing outside the subcontinent.

During India’s tour of South Africa, Ishant played two matches and picked up eight wickets with an average of 18.75. His good form continued when India toured England. He scalped a total of 18 wickets in five matches at an average of 24.77.

His form saw him being selected for India’s biggest clash of the year against Australia. It didn’t take long for Ishant Sharma to make an impact and the Indian pacer has played a crucial role in helping his team take a 2-1 lead over the Aussies

So far, he has claimed 37 wickets in 10 Test matches away from home at an average of 22.94.

2. Mohammed Shami (45 wickets)

Mohammed Shami has been one of India’s leading pacer in Tests. He has had a resurgence of form this year. Shami has proven himself a consistent performer for India with a knack for claiming crucial wickets and has been extremely handy for India overseas.

This year, he has played in a total of three overseas tours spanning three different countries, South Africa, England, and Australia. During India’s tour of South Africa, Shami picked up 15 wickets in just three matches with an amazing average of 17.06. However, he didn’t have the best of times when Indian travelled to England. Playing 5 matches, he was able to pick up just 16 wickets at an average of 3.2 wickets per match.

Despite his inconsistency in England, he was still included in the Test squad for India’s tour of Australia. He has performed pretty well picking up 14 wickets in series so far. He even picked a fifer in the second Test but still couldn’t help India avoid defeat.

He has picked up a total of 45 wickets in 11 away Tests at an average of 27.44.

1. Jasprit Bumrah (48 wickets)

Jasprit Bumrah made his Test debut earlier this year during India’s tour of South Africa. Immediately, he gained a lot of recognition for his bowling against the Proteas when he dismissed AB de Villiers for 65 runs to claim his maiden Test wicket. In the three-match series, Bumrah had managed to take 14 wickets at an average of 25.21. It was quite clear that his form from the limited overs format had carried into the longer form of the game.

His next Test series came when India toured England. The English pitch conditions were perfect for Bumrah. Again he took 14 wickets from three matches including a splendid fifer.

Bumrah’s consistency overseas earned him a spot in the playing XI during India’s ongoing tour of Australia where his form has continued. He has claimed six wickets in the first Test match down under and even claimed a crucial fifer in the recently concluded Test match that helped his team take a 2-1 lead. So far, he has claimed 20 wickets in India’s tour down under.

This puts Bumrah’s tally at 48 wickets in just nine overseas matches with an incredible average of 21.02.

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