Three best Test bowlers in 2018

2018 saw the emergence of India as a pace bowling unit. Three bowlers of the Indian team ended in the top 10 bowlers list for the most wickets taken in 2018. The Indian bowling trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma bowled fiercely with over 130 wickets amongst themselves in all types of pitches providing the team with the support which had been long due.

Apart from that, Jasprit Bumrah emerged as the pivotal bowler for the Indian team in Test cricket after his heroics with the ball in ODIs and T20Is. The Windies though didn't have a great 2018 as they lost the away Test series to both India and Bangladesh but the captain, Jason Holder had a year to remember.

Kagiso Rabada emerged as the highest wicket-taker in Tests in 2018 whereas Nathon Lyon emerged as the third highest wicket-taker.

Three of the best bowlers in Test cricket in 2018 are as follows:

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#1 Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah made his Test debut against South Africa on the 5th of January 2018. He made a dream debut for the Indian side as he added the sting that had been missing in the Indian bowling. He emerged as the second highest wicket-taker with 14 wickets in three games (a wicket behind Shami who was the highest wicket-taker).

Bumrah has played all his nine Tests abroad and has successfully picked up 48 wickets at an average of 21. He has a brilliant strike rate of picking up a wicket in every eight overs. Apart from that, he was the fourth highest wicket-taker in Tests in 2018.

His 48 wickets also made him top the list for the most wickets picked up by an Indian bowler in away games in a calendar year. His best figures of 6 for 33 came in the first innings of the third Test match against Australia. Surprisingly he picked up a wicket from each of the lengths he bowled in the first innings.

He is currently the leading wicket-taker in the ongoing Test series against the Aussies with 20 wickets coming at an average of 14.65.

#2 Nathan Lyon

Nathan Lyon

Nathan Lyon emerged as the third highest wicket-taker in Tests in 2018. He picked up 49 wickets in 10 games with his best figures of 8 for 106 coming against India in the second Test Match in Perth.

He single-handedly led the charge for the Aussies in the second Test as he picked up a fifer in the first innings to bowl the Indians out for 283 and eventually picked up three wickets in the final innings to hand Australia a win by 146 runs.

He is also the only bowler who has dismissed the Indian run machine, Virat Kohli seven times in Test Cricket.

Lyon has been the go-to man for the Aussies and has delivered for them whenever needed. He was the highest wicket-taker for them in the two-match Test series against Pakistan where he picked up 12 wickets. Apart from this, he is currently the leading wicket-taker for the Aussies in the ongoing Test series against India with 17 wickets in three games.

#3 Kagiso Rabada

Rabada with the awards he won at the CSA Awards

Rabada ended the year as the Number 1 bowler in the ICC Test Rankings for bowlers with 882 points. He also emerged as the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket with 52 wickets in 10 games. His bowling average of 20.07 made this feat all the more remarkable.

He was one of the very few bowlers who picked up 10 wickets in a Test match in 2018. He had earlier been sidelined for three months due to lower back stress in April which kept him out of the IPL. The young bowler won as many as 6 awards in the CSA Awards which comprised of the following awards: Cricketer of the Year, Test Cricketer of the Year, ODI Cricketer of the Year, Players' Player of the Year, Fans' Player of the Year, Delivery of the Year.