5 Best Bowlers in 2018 across all Formats

2018 is about to end and this year has further enhanced the trend of cricket turning into a batsman's game. New shots and shorter boundaries are dominating the game, yet, we get to enjoy a good game of cricket because the bowlers and captains think out of the box with new field placements and strategies.

In this batsman's game, there have been bowlers who have made batsman's life miserable across all formats of the game.

Here are five bowlers who have been in great form across all formats in the game.

Selection Criteria: They must have a decent spread of wickets in all three formats and must not have a poor record in any format.

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#5 Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)

Shakib Al Hasan has had a terrific year and has been by far the best player for Bangladesh in all formats of the game. The all-rounder was terrific with the bat but his bowling performances were excellent as well. In the four Tests he played, he picked up 17 wickets with an astounding bowling average of 17.73 and is No. 1 in the ICC Test all-rounders' rankings. In ODIs, he has picked up 21 wickets in 15 matches at a great economy rate of just 4.48 and was very consistent.

In T20Is, he picked up 15 wickets from 11 matches at a great bowling average of 17.73 and had an economy below 7. He is ranked No. 2 in both ICC ODI and T20I all-rounders' Rankings and is probably the best all-rounder of the year. His bowling performance across all formats is certainly one to speak about.

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#4 Trent Boult (New Zealand)

Trent Boult has been in great form of late for New Zealand in Test Matches. In the recent Test against Sri Lanka, he picked up six wickets in the space of 15 balls. He has picked up 31 wickets from seven matches and won many matches for the Kiwis.

In ODIs, he picked up 22 wickets in 12 matches and has been extremely effective. He has taken 11 wickets from seven T20Is.

He has seen a rise in ICC Rankings and has continued where he left off last year. They have played many tough opponents this season and Boult has been the leader of the Kiwi bowling attack.

#3 Kuldeep Yadav (India)

Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav has been brilliant this year across all three formats of the game. He was good in the three Tests he played picking up 10 wickets but wasn't able to make much of an impact in England.

In T20Is, he was simply excellent and picked up 21 wickets from nine matches and befuddled the batsmen with his bowling. His bowling average was an unbelievable 9.80 and he was Kohli's go-to bowler in the limited overs format.

In ODIs, he has picked up 45 wickets from 19 matches at a great bowling average of 17.77 and has been effective both in India and abroad. He is ranked third in both ICC ODI and T20I Bowlers' Rankings.

He will be crucial to India's hopes for the World Cup in England where he picked up eight wickets from three ODIs.

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#2 Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)

Kagiso Rabada has been on fire this year. The Proteas pacer has been their best bowler in all formats of the game and has looked absolutely unplayable. He has taken 52 wickets from 10 Test matches which is simply unbelievable.

He is undoubtedly the No.1 in the ICC Test Bowlers' Rankings. In ODIs, he has picked up 23 wickets from 14 matches and has generated a lot of pace and bounce from even flat tracks.

He has been happy to bowl at any stage of the innings and is the team's strike bowler. He picked up two wickets conceding just 24 runs in the only T20I he played in 2018 but has a great record in that format as well.

He has forged a great partnership with Lungi Ngidi and will be the greatest asset for South Africa in the World Cup.

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#1 Jasprit Bumrah (India)

Jasprit Bumrah has been a revelation in the Test format for India and has been their best bowler this year. In the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy, he is the joint leading wicket-taker with an astounding bowling average of 14.11. He has taken 45 wickets in nine Tests for India so far (one innings left) and has already risen to 28th position in the ICC Bowlers' Rankings in such a short time.

In ODIs, he has been excellent and has taken 22 wickets in 13 matches at a brilliant bowling average of 16.63 and has been effective both with the new ball and death overs with his variations.

In T20Is, he has taken eight wickets from eight matches but has been very economical with his bowling. He is ranked No.1 in the ICC ODI Rankings and is expanding his bowling arsenal and he will be a key player for India in the World Cup. He is undoubtedly the best bowler of 2018.