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2020 was a topsy-turvy year for Test cricket lovers. The year kicked off with some high-profile series and ended with a bang as well. However, there were few Test matches in the second and third quarters of 2020.
India did not host a single Test match this year. New Test-playing nations Ireland and Afghanistan did not receive a single opportunity to play red-ball cricket at the international level.
New Zealand began 2020 with a 279-run defeat but ended with five consecutive Test wins. West Indies surprised the fans with a historic 4-wicket win in the first Test after the COVID-19 break.
Meanwhile, Australia bowled out India for 36 runs in the pink-ball Test match at the Adelaide Oval. There were quite a few significant moments in Test cricket this year.
Here's a list of the top five bowlers who scalped the most wickets, donning the whites in 2020.
5. Chris Woakes - 20 Test wickets
English all-rounder Chris Woakes helped his team win the Old Trafford Test against Pakistan with a sensational partnership with Jos Buttler in the fourth innings. Woakes also played his role in the bowling department to perfection as well.
In six Test matches, he scalped 20 wickets. His economy rate in these matches was 2.64, while he also took one five-wicket haul.
Woakes began 2020 with three wickets in the Wanderers Test against South Africa. He bowled his best spell of 2020 against the West Indies at Old Trafford as he returned with 5/50 in the second innings.
4. James Anderson - 23 Test wickets
Veteran fast bowler James Anderson beat many upcoming pacers to attain the fourth position on this elite list. Anderson played six Test matches for the England cricket team in 2020 in which he bowled 198 overs.
Anderson took a couple of five-fors in 2020. The first came in the New Year's Test versus South Africa, while the second came in Anderson's final Test of 2020.
Anderson reached the remarkable landmark of 600 Test wickets in the final Test against Pakistan. Opposition captain Azhar Ali was his 600th scalp.
3. Kyle Jamieson - 25 Test wickets
New Zealand's fast-bowling all-rounder Kyle Jamieson had a memorable debut year in Test cricket. The tall fast bowler received his maiden Test cap ahead of New Zealand's first Test against the India.
Jamieson impressed on debut, picking up Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Hanuma Vihari, and Ishant Sharma at Basin Reserve. He took his maiden five-wicket haul in the second Test versus India.
In the recently-played Test series against West Indies, Jamieson scalped 11 wickets in two matches. He sent five batsmen back to the dressing room in the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan to end 2020 with 25 wickets.
2. Tim Southee - 30 Test wickets
While James Anderson claimed his 600th wicket in 2020, his New Zealand counterpart Tim Southee reached the 300 Test wickets milestone against Pakistan earlier this week.
Although Southee did not have an impressive year in white-ball cricket, the Kiwi pacer was the second-most successful Test bowler. He bowled his best spell (5/32) of the year against West Indies at Basin Reserve.
He had kicked off the year with a nine-wicket match haul against the Indian cricket team. Overall, Southee dismissed the opposition batsmen 30 times at a phenomenal average of 17.03.
1. Stuart Broad - 38 Test wickets
Stuart Broad played the most Test matches among the five names present on this list. The English pacer played eight games and took 38 wickets for his nation.
Broad bowled 242.5 overs in red-ball cricket. He took one five-wicket haul and one ten-wicket match haul this year. Notably, Broad had an economy rate of just 2.31 in Tests this year.
He had recently achieved the number one position on the ICC Test Rankings for Bowlers. However, Pat Cummins displaced him in the year-end charts.
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