Former RCB star picks his top 5 Test bowlers of all time; includes no Indians but 2 from Pakistan

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Lockie Ferguson picked his best five Test bowlers of all-time in a recent interview with Crictracker. The Kiwi veteran went for five seamers and no spinners, with no Indian bowlers.

Ferguson picked his countryman, Shane Bond, followed by former Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Johnson. The Pakistan pace duo of Shoaib Akhtar and Wasim Akram were next on the Kiwi seamer's list, followed by West Indian legend Curtly Ambrose.

Bond was plagued by injuries throughout his international career, finishing with only 87 Test wickets in 18 games. However, he averaged an incredible 22.09 with five 5-wicket hauls.

Meanwhile, Johnson was arguably the best left-arm pacer of the 2010s, finishing with 313 Test wickets at an average of 28.40, including 12 five-wicket hauls. Coming to the two Pakistan seamers, Akhtar picked up 178 wickets at an average of 25.69 in 46 Tests, while Akram finished with 414 scalps at an average of 23.62, including 25 five-wicket hauls.

Ambrose was neck-and-neck with Akram, finishing with 405 Test wickets at an average of 20.99, including 22 five-wicket hauls.

Lockie Ferguson picks between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's signature shots

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma recently helped India win the 2025 Champions Trophy [Credit: Getty]

Lockie Ferguson turned his attention to batters, with the challenging task of choosing between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's signature shots. Among several incredible shots, Rohit is often defined by his ability to produce the pull shot, while the same is true for Kohli with the cover drive.

When asked to pick between which of the two shots looked better from the bowler's end, Ferguson said (via the source above):

"None of them looks good from bowler’s end. But, Kohli’s cover drive."

The legendary batting duo helped India recently win the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. Kohli is India's second all-time leading run-scorer with 27,599 runs, while Rohit is fourth with 19,700 runs.

Kohli is also second among Indian batters in centuries with 82, while Rohit is third with 49. The pair have retired from T20Is and Tests, and will play only in the ODI format.

About the author

Venkatesh has been writing cricket news, listicle and feature articles for Sportskeeda for over a year. He loves cricket because of the diversity of the playing fields and its unparalleled nuances, which no other sport presents. He also enjoys the analytical and quantitative side of the sport, which originates from his MBA degree and 10 years of experience in the IT industry in companies like Infosys, Atos and TCS.

Venkatesh ensures proper research from reliable sources and social media trends to gather information, and adds his own dash of creativity to create insightful content.

He started watching cricket in the late 1990s, having been impressed with South Africa and New Zealand’s gentleman-like attitude. Domestically, he supports the Chennai Super Kings for their ability to bring the best out of their players owing to a friendly and conducive team environment.

He admires three cricketers the most – Brian Lara for his batting style, AB de Villiers for changing the paradigm of batting and MS Dhoni for his unique cerebral approach to field placings and batting. Along with cricket, Venkatesh also enjoys watching and playing tennis and basketball. In his free time, he finds pleasure in singing and watching movies and web series.

Know More

Get real-time updates on IPL 2025, live scores, IPL Prediction, match schedule, points table,Result & squad -CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS

Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran