They say if you want to win a Test, you need to have bowlers penetrative enough to pick 20 wickets on any kind of surface. That is why teams place such a high premium on wicket-taking bowlers and bowlers with the X-Factor. But, that is generally a myth because most bowlers pick wickets in pairs and every wicket-taking bowler needs a great supporting act from the other end.
In a recent interview, the ICC Test Player of the Year, Ravichandran Ashwin, revealed how he is ever thankful to Ravindra Jadeja, who gives nothing away from the other end, keeping a lid on things. The pressure helps Ashwin experiment from the other end and the results are there for everyone to see.
Also read: Top 5 run-scorers in 2016 across all formats
Yet, it is not that Jadeja doesn’t pick up wickets. He has a machine-like consistency. He is probably the McGrath of spin bowling which is why he finds himself on this list. On that note, take a look at the five most miserly bowlers in Tests in 2016:
Qualification: At least 20 wickets for one year, 30 for two years, 50 for five years.
#5 Neil Wagner – 41 wickets at 21.04 and economy – 2.69
Some call him the axe-man of New Zealand. Some call him the worker-bee of the fast bowling department. Neil Wagner never tires. He, therefore, goes on and on, giving his captain excellent control even as Trent Boult and Tim Southee are attacking from the other end.
The man, who can keep bowling bouncers all day and keep coming at the batsmen, has picked up an impressive 41 wickets in 9 Tests this year, his average, the second lowest for any bowler with more than 20 wickets.
Wagner, who doesn’t feature in the top 20 in the list of bowlers with lowest economy rates over 5 years, has come up by leaps and bounds in the last 2 years. He is sixth on the list of most economical bowlers over the last 2 years and fifth in the current year.
#4 Vernon Philander – 22 wickets at 21.90 and economy – 2.67
Philander is constantly plagued by injuries but when he bowls, he is absolutely devastating because of his accuracy, and his ability to nip the ball off the seam both ways. Philander played just 6 Tests this year but still managed a couple of five-wicket hauls.
He is also fifth amongst most economical bowlers over the last 5 years with 124 wickets in just 35 Tests at 23.93 with an economy of 2.68, tied with the fourth-placed Ryan Harris. Philander, when fit, is, therefore, as much a surety in the side as Dale Steyn is, despite South Africa possessing the likes of Kyle Abbott and Kagiso Rabada.
The 31-year-old, like Jadeja, is also a handy batsman down the order and probably understands that runs are never easy to get, and therefore, you must not give them away too easily.
#3 Rangana Herath – 57 wickets at 18.92 and economy – 2.61
For a long time, Herath lived in the shadows of Muttiah Muralitharan and sometimes, didn’t even make it to the side. But he has been sensational over the last 5 years. The only survivor in Test cricket from the previous millennium, Herath has the second most number of wickets this year behind Ashwin. He picked up his 57 wickets in just 9 Tests, more than 6 wickets per Test with 5 five-wicket hauls.
Herath is seventh on the list of most economical bowlers over the last 5 years (amongst those with more than 50 wickets during that period). He has picked up 235 wickets, second most during the five-year period and just one behind Stuart Broad’s 236 at 25.27, with an impressive economy of 2.71 despite bowling on some flat tracks. Herath has the third lowest economy over the last two years amongst bowlers with more than 30 wickets.
#2 James Anderson – 41 wickets at 23.73 and economy – 2.46
England’s best fast bowler is generally grumpy on the field and that also shows in the way he bowls. He gives away nothing. Anderson is great with the new ball as well as the old and the impeccable line he bowls has ensured the 34-year old has 467 wickets in his sparkling Test career at 28.50 and on target to probably cross Courtney Walsh’s mark.
Anderson picked up his 41 wickets in 12 Tests, some of them on tough tracks. But, even on tough days on unyielding pitches, Anderson gives away nothing, bowling a fuller or good length around off-stump.
He is sixth in terms of economy rate in Tests over the last 5 years – 2.69. That economy rate combined with the 227 wickets he has picked up during these five years at 26.30 make him probably the MVP of the Test side for England, during a time they won a series in Australia as well as in India – two extremely difficult frontiers.
The Englishman has the lowest economy – 2.64 – of any bowler with more than 30 wickets in 2015, pipping Ravi Ashwin to the post, the latter with an economy of 2.83.
#1 Ravindra Jadeja – 43 wickets at 24.55 and economy - 2.27
Jadeja bowls an unyielding line. He uses what is called natural variation to his benefit. By bowling consistently on the same line, he waits for the pitch to do something unpredictable and it does, at times. Jadeja himself doesn’t know, often, which way the ball will turn. And, he doesn’t give away runs, because he keeps it in that nagging length around off-stump.
He bowls at about 90kph, which means that the ball is fast enough not to encourage the batsman to skip down the track. He doesn’t flight the ball much either. On a turning pitch, speed and accuracy put together make Jadeja virtually unplayable.
The 28-year-old managed his 43 wickets in just 18 innings with 2 five-wicket hauls, the highlight of his year being the 7-for he took on a rather placid wicket in Chennai to give India an unlikely win against England. Interestingly, Jadeja is No.1 even over 5 years, with the same economy rate – 2.27, the lowest for any bowler with over 50 wickets.
Jadeja has 111 wickets at 24.07, and that helps explain his phenomenal consistency. The left arm tweaker also has the lowest economy – a miserly 2.15, if we look at all bowlers with more than 30 wickets over the last 2 years, way ahead of second-placed Anderson, whose economy is 2.55.
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