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The year of 2018 has been a great year for Test cricket. While Virat Kohli led the batting charts in 2018, Kagiso Rabada and Jasprit Bumrah were the pacers who attracted the most eyeballs. A team's ability to win a Test match relies on the ability to bowl the opposition not once but twice.
Of the 1626 wickets picked up in 2018, 973 were picked up by the pacers. While Indian pacers were the best with 179 wickets, the South African pacers were second on their list with 147 wickets. In this article, we take a look at the 10 fastest bowlers of 2018 in the longest format.
*Only bowlers who played 10 or more innings in 2018 were considered*
Stats: The Hindu
#10 Umesh Yadav (India) - Average speed: 136.5 kmph
In 2018, Umesh Yadav did not get many opportunities as he would have liked but he did not let his pace drop. 67.90% of his deliveries were in the range of 135 kmph to 145 kmph. His fastest delivery, reached the batsman at a searing pace of 156.5 kmph, was also the fastest one bowled by the top 10 fastest bowlers in 2018.
His best figures came of the year in the first Test against the West Indies as he picked up 10 wickets in the match. Umesh Yadav was India's only pacer in the match as Shardul Thakur had to leave the field after an injury. While spinners picked four wickets in the first innings, the rest were bagged by the Vidharbha pacer. In the second innings, he took four more wickets and helped India bowl Windies out for +*+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------just 127 runs.
Innings: 10, Overs: 126.5, Wickets: 20, Average: 21.40, Fastest: 156.5 kmph
#9 Josh Hazlewood (Australia) - Average speed: 136.6 kmph
Josh Hazlewood missed international cricket for many months of 2018 but he was fully fit for Australia's matches against South Africa early in the year and against India in December. He was consistent on most occasions picking up at least one wicket in 14 of the 16 innings that he played.
In total, he played eight matches for Australia in 2018 and picked up 26 wickets at an average of 33.26. In these eight matches, he bowled a total of 317.2 overs at an average speed of 136.6 kmph. While he bowled 68.30% of his deliveries above 135 kmph, his fastest delivery in 2018 was of 146.3 kmph.
Innings: 16, Overs: 317.2, Wickets: 26, Average: 33.26, Fastest: 146.3 kmph
#8 Morne Morkel (South Africa) - Average speed: 137 kmph
Morne Morkel retired from Test cricket after playing 6 Tests in 2018. Even at the fag end of his career, 67.70% of his deliveries were above the 135 kmph mark. He bowled a total of 188.5 overs and out of all these deliveries the fastest one raced towards the batsmen at 149 kmph.
His best performance of the year came in his penultimate Test match against Australia at Cape Town. In the first innings, he took four wickets and gave his team a first innings lead of 56 runs. In their second innings, South Africa posted 373 runs and set the visitors a target of 430 runs but the visitors were blown away by Morkel's performance. The lanky fast bowler's five-wicket haul meant that Aussies were bowled out for just 107 runs.
Innings: 12, Overs: 188.5, Wickets: 28, Average: 19.78, Fastest: 149 kmph
#6 Mohammed Shami (India) - Average speed: 137.2 kmph
During the course of the last year, Mohammed Shami performed more consistently than he ever did before. As a result of the consistent performances in the longer format, he is not making a strong case for himself for the 2019 World Cup. In 12 matches, Shami picked up 47 wickets and is the third highest wicket-taker in 2018.
While Shami's fastest delivery was 149 kmph, 70.10% of his deliveries had a pace in the range of 135 kmph and 145 kmph. In 2018, Shami had registered two five-wicket hauls in overseas conditions. While his 5-28 against South Africa at Johannesburg helped India register their only win in the African continent, his five-wicket haul against Australia at Perth came in India's only loss Down Under.
Innings: 23, Overs: 383.5, Wickets: 47, Average: 26.97, Fastest: 149 kmph
#6 Lahiru Kumara (Sri Lanka) - Average speed: 137.6 kmph
Lahiru Kumara might not be the highest wicket-taker for Sri Lanka in 2018 but he was their best pacer. In just six matches, he has 26 wickets to his name, a record much better than the other Sri Lankan pacer Suranga Lakmal's (31 wickets in 12 matches.)
Of the 1241 deliveries that he bowled in 2018, 3.50% were above 145 kmph and 67 % were in the range of 135-145 kmph. His best performance with the ball was against the West Indies at Port of Spain in which he picked up 7 wickets. In spite of him picking up four and three wickets in the first and second innings, Sri Lanka lost the match as the batsmen let down the team.
Innings: 11, Overs: 206.5, Wickets: 26, Average: 28.57, Fastest: 149 kmph
#5 Pat Cummins (Australia) - Average speed: 138.4 kmph
Australia's best fast bowler in 2018, Pat Cummins picked up 44 wickets and was the fourth highest wicket-taker of the year. In addition to the bowling, Cummins has also made many useful contributions with the bat lower down the order. The speedster was consistent with his pace and accuracy and was duly rewarded with wickets.
He bowled his heart out even when his team was down. 83 % of his deliveries during the year were faster than 135 kmph with the fastest one clocking 150 kmph. His best spell was against India at the MCG. India took a huge lead in the first innings but that did not stop Cummins from giving his best. As a result of his initial spell, India finished their second innings at 107-8.
Innings: 16, Overs: 314.1, Wickets: 44, Average: 19.97, Fastest: 150 kmph
#4 Kagiso Rabada (South Africa) - Average speed: 138.8 kmph
Kagiso Rabada, the No.1 Test bowler in the world right now, topped the wicket-taking charts by picking up 52 wickets in 2018. While his fastest delivery of the year recorded 151 kmph, 80.50 % of his deliveries were faster than the 135 kmph mark.
Rabada was one of the most consistent bowlers in 2018 averaging just 20.07. His best performance of the year came against Australia at Port Elizabeth. With his five-wicket haul, he helped South Africa restrict Australia to 243 in the first innings. In the second innings, he went a step further and picked up 6 wickets and was duly awarded the man of the match.
Innings: 20, Overs: 331.1, Wickets: 52, Average: 20.07, Fastest: 151 kmph
#3 Jasprit Bumrah (India) - Average speed: 139 kmph
Jasprit Bumrah is the most exciting bowler in the Test arena. In his maiden calendar year, he was the highest wicket-taker of the No.1 Test team in the world. He picked up 48 wickets in just 9 matches, that too at an average 21.02.
Only 15.80 % of all the deliveries bowled by him in 2018 were at a pace less than 135 kmph. While his fastest delivery clocked 153 kmph, four out of the five deliveries that he bowled ranged between 135 and 145 kmh.
In his debut year, he became the first Asian pacer to pickup five-wickets hauls in South Africa, England, and Australia in the same calendar year. While all three five-wicket hauls resulted in a victory, the one against Australia would go down in history as that gave India a 2-1 lead in the series.
Innings: 18, Overs: 379.4, Wickets: 48, Average: 21.02, Fastest: 153 kmph
#2 Shannon Gabriel (West Indies) - Average speed: 140.6 kmph
Shannon Gabriel, the West Indian pacer, recorded the best bowling figures of 2018. The Trinidadian was consistent with his pace throughout the year with nearly 90% of his deliveries reaching the batsmen at more than 135 kmph and 10.30% of all the deliveries were at more than 145 kmph.
His best performance came against Sri Lanka in the second Test at Gros Islet as he picked up a total of 13 wickets. In the first innings, he picked up five wickets and in the second innings, he took eight of the 10 Sri Lankan wickets.
Innings: 14, Overs: 189.2, Wickets: 37, Average: 19.54, Fastest: 151 kmph
#1 Mitchell Starc (Australia) - Average speed: 141.5 kmph
The New South Wales fast bowler picked up 31 wickets in 2018 in 9 matches. Mitchell Starc has had his fair share of injury concerns but that did not reduce his pace. Only 5.60 % of his deliveries were under the 135 kmph mark and 17.60 % of his deliveries were above 145 kmph.
He was not his best his return from injury but his performance against South Africa in the first Test helped Australia register their only win of the series. As a result of his five-wicket haul in the first innings, the home team were bowled out for just 162 runs giving Australia a 189-run lead in the first innings. In the second innings, he picked up four wickets giving Australia a 118-run win.
Innings: 18, Overs: 320.3, Wickets: 31, Average: 33.35, Fastest: 15 kmph
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