Fastest 100 Wickets in Tests: England’s George Lohmann Heads the Pack

It is indeed an achievement to take 100 wickets in Tests and doing fast is considered something more special. There have been quality bowlers who have started their career on a bright, going on to quickly claim 100 Test wickets. In this article, we will reveal details and stats of the top 10 fastest bowlers to grab 100 Test wickets.

List of Players to Claim the Fastest 100 Test Wickets

The list includes 4 bowlers from England, 2 each from Australia and the West Indies and 1 each from Pakistan and India. Two bowlers, George Lohmann and Charlie Turner, made their debut in the 19^th century. There are two bowlers who are active in Tests and they are R Ashwin and Yasir Shah. Let’s pay attention to each achiever’s profile and overall Test stats.

1. George Lohmann (E

1. George Lohmann (England) – 16 Tests

Lohmann played 18 Tests and claimed 112 scalps at an average of 10.75 and a strike rate of 34.1 with 9 five-fors and 5 10-wicket match hauls. His best bowling figures in a Test innings were 9/28.

2. Charlie Tur

2. Charlie Turner (Australia) – 17 Tests

strong>right-arm medium-fast bowler whose Test career was spanning from 1887 to 1895. He was born on 16 November 1862 and died at a ripe old age of 81 in January 1944. Many pundits consider Turner to be the best ever bowler from Australia. He appears in the first batch of photos published in Wisden along with other accomplished English and Australian cricketers of the time.

Turner starred in 17 Tests, picking up 101 wickets at an average of 16.53 and a strike rate of 51.2 with 11 five-fors and 2 10-wicket match hauls. His best test innings figures were 7/43.

3. Sydney Barnes

3. Sydney Barnes (England) – 17 Tests

ong>right-arm fast-medium bowler who played Tests from 1901 to 1914. Many cricketers of his era rated him as the bowler of the century. Barnes had the gift of late swing which he did both ways. He was skillful in using the new ball’s seam and subtly combined swing with spin to trouble the best batsmen of his days.

Barnes played 27 Tests and bagged 189 scalps at an average of 16.43 and a strike rate of 41.6 with 24 five-fors and 7 10-wicket match hauls. His best figures in a Test innings were 9/103.

4. Clarrie Grimmett

4. Clarrie Grimmett (Australia) – 17 Tests

ng>leg-break and googly bowler who played Tests from 1925 to 1936. He had great skills and a matching temperament. Moreover, his excellent physical coordination helped him become a very accurate bowler. Grimmett honed his God-given skills by practicing non-stop. His bowling variations included the regular leg-break, flipper, googly and top-spinner, which he combined smartly to befuddle even the greatest of batsmen.

Grimmett appeared in 37 Tests and snared 216 scalps at an average of 24.21 and a strike rate of 67.1 with 21 five-fors and 7 10-wicket match haul. His best Test innings figures were 7/40.

5. Yasir Shah (Pakista

5. Yasir Shah (Pakistan) – 17 Tests

.com/player/yasir-shah/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yasir Shah, a leg-break and googly bowler, made his Test debut in October 2014. He bowls with the vigour of leg-spinning Mushtaq Ahmed and Abdul Qadir and favours the leg-break more than googly. Shane Warne has expressed high praise for Shah’s patience and brilliant leg-spinning skills

Shah has starred in 42 Tests, claiming 224 wickets at an average of 30.66 and strike rate of 57.1 with 16 five-fors and 3 10-wicket match hauls. His best figures in a Test innings are 8/41.

6. R Ashwin (India) – 18 T

6. R Ashwin (India) – 18 Tests

/player/ravichandran-ashwin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ravichandran Ashwin first came into the limelight with his IPL performances and then translated his success to international cricket. This tall off-spinner has good control over his deliveries and boasts deceptive arm and carrom balls. In addition, he has a sharp mind influenced by his engineering background which he uses to outthink batsmen.

Ashwin has played 71 Tests so far, scalping 365 wickets at an average of 25.43 and a strike rate of 53.6 with 27 five-fors and 7 10-wicket match hauls. His best Test innings figures are 7/59.

7. Colin Blythe (England) – 19

7. Colin Blythe (England) – 19 Tests

thodox spin bowler who delivered balls in classical style with looping flight. He had a smooth and elegant action with a perfect side-on release. Blythe was deceptive in the air and varied his pace smartly. His sudden pace could beat even good batsmen. He was unplayable most of the time on crumbling and rain-affected uncovered tracks.

Blythe appeared in 19 Tests, grabbing exactly 100 wickets at an average of 18.63 and a strike rate of 45.4 with 9 five-fors and 4 10-wicket match hauls. His best figures in a Test innings were 8/59.

8. Alf Valentine (West Indies) – 1

8. Alf Valentine (West Indies) – 19 Tests

thodox spinner who demonstrated a whirling action with which he savagely ripped his deliveries. A teammate of his believed that he could turn the ball even on glass. His excellent bowling made him a feature in a famous Calypso song.

Valentine starred in 36 Tests, scalping 139 wickets at an average of 30.32 and a strike rate of 93.1 with 8 five-fors and 2 10-wicket match hauls. His best Test innings figures were 8/104.

9. Sir Andy Roberts (West Indies) – 19

9. Sir Andy Roberts (West Indies) – 19 Tests

showed any emotion as he went about his task of dismantling batsmen. His smart cricket brain planned and plotted the dismissal of each batsman with military precision. He had a dangerous bouncer and varied his pace cleverly to beat batsmen with a quickie after lulling them with a slower one.

Roberts played 47 Tests, blasting out 202 wickets an average of 25.61 and a strike rate of 55.1 with 11 five-fors and 2 10-wicket match hauls. His best figures in a Test innings were 7/54.

10. Ian Botham (England) – 19 Tests10. Ian Botham (England) – 19 Tests

s in the history of cricket. He took wickets by the bucketful with his lethal swing bowling. In addition, he was a swashbuckling batsman who could destroy any bowling attack.

‘Beefy’ starred in 102 Tests, garnering 383 scalps at an average of 28.40 and a strike rate of 56.9 with 27 five-fors and 4 10-wicket match hauls. His best test innings figures were 8/34.

Sl No	Player	Time	Mat	Country
1	George Lohmann	9y 241d	16	England
2	Charlie Turner	8y 4d	17	Australia
3	Sydney Barnes	10y 72d	17	England
4	Clarrie Grimmett	5y 323d	17	Australia
5	Yasir Shah	1y 357d	17	Pakistan
6	R Ashwin	2y 8d	18	India
7	Colin Blythe	8y 88d	19	England
8	Alf Valentine	3y 261d	19	West Indies
9	Sir Andy Roberts	2y 138d	19	West Indies
10	Ian Botham	2y 5d	19	England

*Updated on 20 August 2019