Most successful bowlers for Australia across all 3 formats

Australia is the most successful team in the history of the game and no other team has dominated the game to a degree that they managed to, between 1999 to 2008. Other than the superb batsmen that they produced, they also had an outstanding cast of bowlers who could take wickets and trouble batsmen on any surface.

They won World Cups with minimum fuss and although the T20 World Cup is something that remains an unfulfilled dream for them, they remained an irresistible force in Test cricket.

Much of their success rested on their bowlers and most of them could turn it on across the three formats of the game. Even the bowlers who followed those who played in the "golden era" of Australian cricket have shown that they are extremely adaptable across formats.

Here is a look at five of those Australian bowlers who were the most prolific for the team across Tests, ODIs and T20s.

#5 Mitchell Starc

The left-arm fast bowler made his debut back in 2010 and although it took him some years to establish himself in the team, Mitchell Starc is now firmly established as Australia's spearhead across the three formats of the game.

The fast bowler's searing pace, movement, ability to generate reverse swing, and bowl disconcerting bounce, has made him one of the best bowlers in Test cricket. On the other hand, the same attributes have made him one of the world's leading bowlers in ODIs and T20Is as well.

He can send down toe-crushing yorkers at will, and his express pace often makes sure that the opposition batsmen do not get much of a chance to flex their arms in the death overs. Starc has played 136 games across the three formats so far and has picked up 350 wickets (at the time of writing) at an excellent average of 23.93. He has an economy rate of just under 4 and a strike rate of 36.1.

#4 Jason Gillespie

In the late 1990s and a large part of the early to mid-noughties, right arm fast bowler, Jason Gillespie, was one of the key members of the all-conquering Australian bowling attack of that era. First of all, he had the express pace that could trouble batsmen on any pitch, and in addition to that, he could extract seam movement and swing the ball as well.

For most of his career, he remained one of the world's premier fast bowlers as he shone for Australia in all formats of the game. He represented the team in Tests and ODIs primarily and played only one T20 international towards the end of his career, in which he ended up taking one wicket. Overall, he played 169 international games for Australia and picked up 402 wickets, at an average of 25.94 and strike rate of 48.20. Gillespie recorded an economy rate of 3.22.

#3 Mitchell Johnson

He will forever be known as one of the greatest fast bowlers in the modern history of the game and throughout the course of a career that spanned a decade (2005-2015). Mitchell Johnson was one Australia's best across the three formats. Johnson, like so many great fast bowlers in cricket history, was prone to intimidate batsmen with his pace and bounce.

However, in addition to that, he could generate swing and seam movement that could often get the best batting line-ups in trouble.

In limited overs cricket, he was equally good and remained one of the best exponents of the yorker for most of his career. It was pretty rare for him to get a real pasting even on the most batsman-friendly pitches. He played in 256 international games for Australia in his career and picked up 590 wickets, at an average of 26.65. He had an economy rate of 3.90 and picked up a wicket every 41 (40.9) deliveries.

#2 Brett Lee

Brett Lee first arrived on the international stage back in 1999 and became a superstar straightaway, after picking up a five-wicket haul on his debut against India in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne. Before long, the tearaway quick became a fixture in the Australian side across the two existing formats at the time and when T20 cricket came along, he naturally became the spearhead of the attack.

However, his bowling was not actually about raw pace, otherwise, he would not have survived in international cricket for thirteen years. Lee could move the ball, either way, extract seam movement, and had a superb yorker that made him one of the best bowlers in limited overs cricket. He played in as many as 322 games for Australia across formats and picked up a staggering 718 wickets, at an average of 26.66. Lee had an economy rate of 4.06 and strike rate of 39.3.

#1 Glenn McGrath

He is the most successful fast bowler in the history of Australian cricket and one of the most successful in the history of the game. Glenn McGrath made his debut for Australia back in 1993 and over the next fourteen years, he played as the team's spearhead across formats. He played in only two T20 games towards the end of his career but in Tests and ODIs, he remained the team's premier bowler at a time when Australia dominated the international game.

His relentless accuracy and just the right amount of movement from the off stump made him one of the most difficult bowlers to face. In limited overs cricket, his height enabled him to extract disconcerting bounce and in addition to that, he could also bowl superb yorkers in the slog overs. McGrath played 375 international games and picked up a barely believable haul of 948 wickets, at an astonishing average of 21.75. On top of that, he had an economy rate of only 2.92 and a strike rate of 44.5. One of the greatest ever in cricket history.