5 bowlers with most wickets in victorious tests

Cricket nowadays is seen as a game which is entirely dominated by batsmen, mainly due to the advent of T20 cricket. No matter how many runs a team scores in a Test match, it is the bowlers who have to back them by picking up 20 wickets.

Several bowlers who have had great starts to their Test career have faded away, failing to live up to their expectations over a period of time.

The players who feature in this list, have played for a long time and had the necessary skills to make it big on the International arena. Now let's have a look at the 5 bowlers who took the most number of wickets in victorious Test matches for their respective sides.

---

#5 Anil Kumble - 288

Anil Kumble was not the authentic leg-spinner who could create magic from the surface like Shane Warne, but he managed to pick up 619 Test wickets (thanks to his deceptive variations) which helped him finish as the third highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. He featured in 132 tests for the Indian Cricket Team in a career spanning 15 years from 1993 to 2008.

India won 43 of the 132 games he was part of. During that period, he bowled 12810 deliveries, conceding 5400 runs and picked up 288 wickets at an average of 18.75 including 20 five wicket hauls and 5 ten-wicket match hauls.

His deceptive variations made him a difficult bowler to get away and he was always the go-to man for his captains in crunch situations.

#4 Dale Steyn - 291

Dale Steyn made his Test debut for the African nation against England at St George's Park in 2004. Little did we know that he would become one of the greatest fast bowlers of his generation. Though he did not have the greatest of starts to his career, as he picked up only 8 wickets in his first three tests, he gradually climbed up the ranks and went on to set high standards for him and for his country.

South Africa won 44 of the 85 games he was part of. During that period, Steyn bowled 9146 deliveries, conceding 4667 runs and picked up 291 wickets at an average of 16.03 including 22 five wicket hauls and five ten wicket match hauls.

#3 Glenn McGrath - 414

Glenn McGrath was one of the chief contributors to Australia's dominance in world cricket in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He represented Australia in 132 matches in a career spanning close to 15 years.

Australia won 84 of the 132 games he was part of. During that period, he bowled 19780 deliveries, conceding 7945 runs and picked up 414 wickets at an average of 19.19 including 18 five wicket hauls and 3 ten wicket match hauls.

#2 Muttiah Muralidharan - 438

Muttiah Muralidharan was a giant performer for the island nation. His staggering numbers are a testimony to his hard work and passion for the game. At the end of his career, he ended up as the leading wicket-taker in One Day Internationals and Test cricket.

Muralitharan was almost a one-man army for the Sri Lankan bowling attack. His career lasted for 18 years from 1992 to 2010. His side won 54 of the 133 games he was part of. During that period, he bowled 18725 deliveries, conceding 7088 runs and picked up 438 wickets at an average of 16.18 including 41 five wicket hauls and 18 ten wicket match hauls.

#1 Shane Warne - 510

Shane Warne was arguably the greatest leg-spinner the cricket world had ever seen. He had every quality that a legendary leg-spinner should possess- a giant leg-break, a googly, a top-spinner and a flipper. He represented the Australian side 145 times in Test cricket, in a career spanning 15 years from 1992 to 2007 and ended up on the winning side 92 times.

During that period, he bowled 26133 deliveries conceding 11461 runs, picking up 510 wickets at an average of 22.47 including 27 five wicket hauls and 7 ten wicket match hauls. He retired as the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket in 2007 scalping 708 wickets, before another spin wizard Muttiah Muralidharan overtook him.

NOTE: The stats and figures are accurate as on 6th December 2017.