Bowling spells with more wickets taken than runs conceded

#2 George Lohmann (9.4-5-7-8)

To this day, George Lohmann has the best bowling average among bowlers with over 15 wickets

We have to go back to the nineteenth century for this one! 1865 born Englishman George Lohmann, to this day, boasts the best bowling average and strike rate among bowlers with more than 15 wickets. Though many credit his astounding figures to the fact that pre-1900 pitches were sticky and bowling heavens, Lohmann's figures are significantly better than others in his era.

Lohmann's story is a sad one, as he succumbed to a nine-year battle with tuberculosis at the age of 36. He could play only 18 Test matches owing to his health issues, but he managed to bag an incredible 112 wickets in that period with a monstrous average of 10.75 and a strike rate of 34.1.

His greatest performance came in 1896 against South Africa. England put on a modest total of 185. South Africa replied with a measly 93, as Lohmann picked up 7 wickets for 38 runs.

What made this performance even more special is the fact that all seven of his wickets were out bowled. England then set a virtually impossible target of 319 for the South Africans, but the Englishmen batted long enough to make it almost inevitable that the match would extend into the third day.

Lohmann had other plans. He ran through the South African order and picked up eight wickets to finish the match off on day two. He gave away a miserly seven runs in this spell and got five scalps by knocking their wicket over.

His other three scalps were skilful enough to get bat to the ball but found fielders in the process. As if the fifteen wicket hall wasn't enough, Lohmann took 9 wickets for 28 runs in an innings in the subsequent Test match.