Sportskeeda Cricket Awards 2017: Top 10 Test bowlers of the year

Test cricket had a lot to offer its fans in 2017. From Australia regaining the Ashes to South Africa hosting the first ever four-day Test, there were quite a few moments to cherish for fans of the Gentleman's Game.

Bowlers had a major role to play in all this. Despite cricket being considered a batsman's game, the chuckers of the cherry didn't fare too badly this year, with as many as six bowlers reaching the 50-wicket mark.

But who was the best of the lot? Take a look at the top 10 Test bowlers of the year:

Morne Morkel

Batsmen know what to expect from Morne Morkel: short, rib-tickling stuff with the odd one pushed full to trap them in front of the stumps, but they still seem to have no answer on how to counter it.

Morkel picked up 39 wickets from nine matches in 2017, at an average of 23, with the help of one five-wicket haul - against Zimbabwe in his final match of the year.

Morkel was the epitome of consistency, scalping 11, 19 and four wickets against New Zealand, England and Bangladesh respectively in what was an impressive year for the 33-year-old.

Keshav Maharaj

Maharaj has impressed in his short international career thus far

In a team containing the likes of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, and Kagiso Rabada, it would have been fair to assume that Keshav Maharaj would have been used in a more containing role. However, he put that notion to rest, picking up 48 wickets from just 11 matches and ending the year as South Africa's second highest wicket-taker.

Maharaj struggled initially, but sprung into action in the series against New Zealand, picking 15 wickets from just four innings. He carried his rich vein of form into South Africa's tour of England, scalping 17 wickets in the series. Having cemented his spot in the side, he then unleashed his entire arsenal on an unsuspecting Bangladesh unit at Potchefstroom, scalping seven wickets in the match.

He ended the year with a flourish, a fifer sealing Zimbabwe's feat in the inaugural four-day Test match.

With India set to tour the Rainbow Nation in 2018, Maharaj's toughest test is still to come but with the way he has performed so far, there is no reason why he won't be able to conquer that challenge as well.

Neil Wagner

Neil Wagner had a year to remember

The only New Zealand bowler to feature on this list, Neil Wagner outperformed the likes of Tim Southee and Trent Boult in 2017.

Consistent if not flashy, Wagner's highlight this year was his blistering spell against the West Indies at Wellington. Breathing fire, the left-armer dismantled the entire West Indian batting lineup, accounting for seven wickets.

Wagner ended 2017 having picked up a total of 36 wickets from 14 innings at an average of 25, with a lone five-wicket haul.

Yasir Shah

Yasir Shah helped Pakistan seal a series victory in West Indies

Yasir Shah is a rather surprising entrant on this list having played just six Test matches in 2017. 43 wickets in just 12 innings are a testament to his outstanding abilities.

His six-wicket haul at Kingston and five-wicket haul at Roseau in the first and third Tests of the series against West Indies were instrumental in Pakistan clinching a 2-1 victory. He was sensational in the Sri Lanka series that followed, picking up 16 wickets from two matches, but could not prevent his side from succumbing to a 2-0 whitewash.

Yasir's 43 wickets, which included five five-wicket hauls, came at an average of just under 29.

Rangana Herath

Herath continued to lead Sri Lanka in the bowling department

In what was a mixed-bag year for Sri Lanka in whites, Herath was one of the few positives. The Lankans suffered series defeats to India and South Africa, but surprisingly found a way past Pakistan in the UAE, a series in which Herath really stepped up to the plate.

The veteran left-armer picked up 11 wickets in the first Test at Abu Dhabi to lead his side to a narrow 21-run victory. With Pakistan needing just 136 in the fourth innings for a win, the writing was on the wall for the visitors, but Herath decided he was not going down without a fight. Dismissing two top-order batsmen and then returning to clean up the tail, Herath ensured Pakistan fell 21 short in what was a stunning display of spin bowling.

He also ran riot in victories against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, but struggled against better opposition in South Africa and India.

The 39-year-old picked 52 wickets from 11 matches in total, at an average of 27.5.

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin was India's leading wicket-taker in Tests in 2017

Ashwin has seen his stock drop rapidly in the limited-overs formats for India, but he has remained their premier bowler in the whites. He began the year in fine fashion, picking up six wickets in the one-off Test against Bangladesh. He followed that up with extremely impressive performances against the visiting Australian side in the four-Test series.

Ashwin was simply unplayable at times in the home season and accounted for 21 wickets in the four games, helping India seal a tightly-contested series victory.

Then came the Sri Lankan challenge, but Ashwin was more than up to the task. Spinning webs around the Lankan batsmen, Ashwin scalped 27 wickets in three matches and then returned home to face the same opposition. He did not enjoy the same success in his own backyard though, managing just 12 wickets from three matches, even going wicketless in the first Test at Kolkata, although he bowled just eight overs.

Ashwin ended the year as India's leading wicket-taker in the format, with 56 wickets at an average of just over 27.

Ravindra Jadeja

Jadeja was India's best bowler in their home season

The second half of India's spin twins, Ravindra Jadeja accounted for 54 wickets from 10 matches in 2017 at an average of 23, with three five-wicket hauls.

Like Ashwin, Jadeja too has been overlooked in the shorter formats of the game in favour of younger blood, but he is a mainstay in the Test side and has been tipped to pip Ashwin to a spot in the playing XI in South Africa, where India are likely to field three pacers and just the one spinner.

The highlight of his year was his spell at Bengaluru in the second Test of the series against Australia. With India trailing in the series and having amassed just 189 in their first innings, Jadeja ripped through the Australian batting lineup, picking up six wickets and ensuring India weren't faced with too large a deficit. Kohli's men went on to win the match and eventually the series and they have Jadeja to thank for that.

Kagiso Rabada

Rabada is fast emerging as South Africa's leading bowler

With Dale Steyn's body unable to cope with the demands of Test cricket on a regular basis, South Africa needed someone capable of filling the void left by their pace spearhead. Kagiso Rabada has done all that and then some.

South Africa's leading wicket-taker in 2017 with 57 wickets, Rabada started off the year with a bang, picking up a 10-wicket match-haul against the visiting Sri Lankans at Cape Town. He ended 2017 in a similar manner, with a 10-wicket haul against Bangladesh before a rather subdued performance against Zimbabwe witnessed him scalp just three.

On the way, he also encountered the English and New Zealand, delivering consistent spells at breathtaking pace and ending the year as the No. 2 ranked Test bowler.

James Anderson

Anderson ended the year as the top-ranked Test bowler

2017 proved to be a record-breaking year for James Anderson. He became the first Englishman to enter the 500-wickets club, when he castled Kraigg Brathwaite in the third Test at Lord's. He ended that Test with personal best figures of 7/42, helping England claim the series 2-1.

This came after he had picked up 20 wickets across four matches against South Africa.

Much was expected of Anderson when England headed out to Australia for the Ashes, but he struggled by his lofty standards in conditions that did not aid swing. Picking up just two wickets at Brisbane, he upped his level significantly in the second Test at Adelaide, scalping five wickets in the second innings.

He followed that up with four-wicket match hauls at Perth and Melbourne to end the year with 55 wickets to his name at an average of just 17.5 and an economy of 2.26. Anderson also closed out 2017 sitting pretty at the top of the ICC rankings for Test bowlers, just about edging out Kagiso Rabada.

Nathan Lyon

Lyon was the leading-wicket taker in 2017

Perennially flying under the radar, Nathan Lyon has stormed his way to the top of the wicket-takers' list this year. With fans drooling over Mitchell Starc's reverse swing and Pat Cummins' pace, Lyon has quietly gone about his business for his side.

Delivering against a variety of opposition in different conditions around the world, Lyon is making a case for himself as the greatest off-spinner in the world at the moment.

Lyon notched 63 wickets in 20 innings this year, with the help of five fifers and is Sportskeeda's No. 1 Test bowler of 2017.