5 players with most wickets in NZ-ENG Tests

For a long time in their cricketing history England dominated New Zealand and perhaps the reason behind that was that the former was an established cricketing nation, while the latter was just finding its place. However, it soon became a far more competitive fixture over the years and nowadays, it is regarded as one of the most anticipated Test series in the cricket itinerary.

Both countries have similar overhead conditions, weather and pitches, which makes it possible for bowlers from both countries to thrive in each other’s backyard. As one would expect, fast bowlers have been at the forefront in the wicket-taking stakes whenever these two teams clashed and it is not a surprise that all top 5 wicket takers are fast bowlers.

#5 Stuart Broad

The England fast bowler has been one of the pillars of his country’s Test match bowling attack for more than a decade and Stuart Broad has been particularly successful in Tests against New Zealand. In his peak years, Broad could bowl rapidly but his strength remained his seam movement, swing and the ability to extract bounce.

All these skills made him an ideal bowler for the sort of pitches that are usually dished out in both New Zealand and England. At the time of writing, he has been involved in 13 Test matches against New Zealand so far since 2008 and is currently placed at number 5 with a total of 52 wickets. The fast bowler has recorded an excellent average of 28.09 and an equally impressive strike rate of 49.6.

#4 James Anderson

James Anderson has the ability to hit the right lengths consistently and swing the ball

As far as swing bowlers are concerned, there have not been many who have been as good as England’s spearhead James Anderson over the last decade or so. Hence is not a surprise that he is one of the most successful bowlers in Test series between these two countries.

Like Broad, Anderson has also played in 13 Test matches against New Zealand in his illustrious career so far and at the time of writing, he has picked up 54 wickets in those games. His ability to hit the right lengths consistently and swinging the ball has made him a trump card for England against many oppositions and New Zealand is no exception. He has an average of 26.70 and has a strike rate of 47.3.

#3 Bob Willis

Bob Willis helped England record memorable victories against a variety of oppositions

He was the leading English bowler of the late 1970s and early 1980s and during the course of his career, Bob Willis helped England record memorable victories against a variety of oppositions. He is one of the most successful bowlers in the history of Test matches between the two nations in question and comes in third on the all-time list with a tally of 60 wickets in 14 Test matches.

Willis was known for his pace, bounce, ability to extract seam movement from most pitches and also his tenacity to often bowl long spells. In the 14 Test matches he played against the Kiwis, he recorded a superb average of 18.86, which is the best among the bowlers in this list and had a strike rate of 50.3.

#2 Ian Botham

Ian Botham was a superb swing bowler, who could move the ball either way

He remains the greatest all-rounder to have ever played for England and although he could turn a game with either the bat or the ball, it was as a bowler that Ian Botham often proved to be far more devastating. Botham was a superb swing bowler, who could move the ball either way and extract seam movement whenever there was any assistance.

In addition to that, he bowled at a decent pace and all this ultimately made him a bowler to be feared in the conditions on offer in either country. He played in 15 Test matches in these encounters for England and picked up 64 wickets to end up as the second most successful bowler. Botham had an average of 23.43 and had a strike rate of 51.3 in Test matches against New Zealand.

#1 Richard Hadlee

Richard Hadlee was the master of swing bowling

He is not only New Zealand’s greatest ever bowler but among the greatest fast bowlers to have ever played the game and hence, it is not a surprise that Richard Hadlee finds himself at the top of the tree in England-New Zealand Test matches. He was the master of swing bowling and in addition to that, he had the accuracy to keep bowling in the right areas.

The latter quality inevitably led to the dismissal of many batsmen. Hadlee played in 21 Tests against England from 1973 to 1990 and picked up 97 wickets, at an excellent average of 24.73. He had a strike rate of 60.3 and was almost always New Zealand’s trump card against England, whenever the two teams met.