Scott Boland might have played just 14 Test matches, but he has earned his place in a list containing some of the best bowlers that the game has ever seen. Boland has played just 14 games for Australia since making his debut in 2021. However, he has one of the best bowling averages.
Since the start of this century, no bowler has a better average than Boland. He has taken two five-wicket and one 10-wicket haul to his name.
Top 10 Bowlers With The Best Test Bowling Averages
Let’s look at the list of the top 10 bowlers with the best Test bowling averages.
| Player | Country | Mat | Overs | Runs | Wkts | BBI | Ave |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Lohmann | England | 18 | – | 1205 | 112 | 9/28 | 10.75 |
| John James Ferris | England/Australia | 9 | – | 775 | 61 | 7/37 | 12.7 |
| William Barnes | England | 21 | – | 793 | 51 | 6/28 | 15.54 |
| Willie Bates | England | 15 | 591 | 821 | 50 | 7/28 | 16.42 |
| Sydney Barnes | England | 27 | 1312.1 | 3106 | 189 | 9/103 | 16.43 |
| Scott Boland | Australia | 14 | 372 | 1025 | 62 | 6/7 | 16.53 |
| Charlie Turner | Australia | 17 | – | 1670 | 101 | 7/43 | 16.53 |
| Robert Peel | Australia | 20 | – | 1715 | 101 | 7/31 | 16.98 |
| John Briggs | England | 33 | – | 2095 | 118 | 8/11 | 17.75 |
| Herbert Ironmonger | England | 14 | 782.3 | 1330 | 74 | 7/23 | 17.97 |
Let’s look at the list of the top 10 bowlers with the best Test bowling averages:
10. Herbert Ironmonger
Herbert Ironmonger made his Test debut for Australia in 1928 against England at the age of 46. At the time of his debut, Herbert was the oldest Australian player to make a Test debut. He played 14 Test matches for the team and took 74 wickets at an average of 17.97.
Herbert finished with four five-wicket hauls and two 10-wicket hauls. He played his last Test match at the age of 50 and is the second-oldest player in Test cricket. Herbert made his first-class debut in 1909 for Queensland and then moved to Victoria in 1914. He played 96 first-class matches and took 464 wickets at an average of 21.50.
9. John Briggs
Briggs played 33 Test matches and 535 first-class matches during his career that spanned more than 21 years. He took 118 wickets in 33 Test matches at an average of 17.75. Briggs also scored 815 runs in Test cricket at an average of 18.11.
Briggs made his first-class debut in 1879 and played a total of 535 first-class matches. He took 2221 wickets at an average of 15.95 in first-class cricket and amassed 14092 runs as well. He was the third bowler to a hat-trick in Tests.
8. Robert Peel
As of July 2025, a total of nine English bowlers have taken 100 wickets against Australia in Test cricket. Robert was the first English bowler to achieve this feat. He made his Test debut in December 1884 and played a total of 20 Test matches. He took 101 wickets at an average of 16.98. He picked five five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul.
Robert made his first-class debut in 1882 and played 436 matches. He took 1775 wickets at an average of 16.20 and scored 12191 runs as well.
7. Charlie Turner
Turner made his first-class debut for New South Wales in 1882 and played his last first-class game during the 1909-10 season. In 2007, NSW named Turner in their Cricket Team All Time Twelve as part of the celebrations of 150 years of the NSW team.
Turner made his Test debut in 1887 and played 17 Test matches at the end of his career in 1895. He took 101 wickets at an average of 16.53.
6. Scott Boland
Scott Boland is the only bowler on this list who has made their debut in the 21st century. Boland has played 14 Test matches so far since making his debut in 2021 and has taken 62 wickets at an average of 16.53.
In the third Test against the West Indies, Boland became the 11th Australian bowler to take a hat-trick. He made his first-class debut in 2011 and has played a total of 113 games so far. He has taken 428 wickets at an average of 23.07.
5. Sydney Barnes
Barnes last featured in a Test series in 1913-14 against South Africa and took 49 wickets in four games at an average of 10.93. No bowler has come close to this record since then, and it still stands tall. Barnes had a unique ability to make the ball both swing and break from off or leg.
He made his Test debut in 1901 and played 27 Test matches for England. He took 189 wickets at an average of 16.43. He was the first bowler to take more than five 10-wicket hauls in Test cricket. Barnes was the first bowler to take more than 15 wickets in a Test match.
4. Willie Bates
Bates made his Test debut in 1881 for England and featured in 15 games. He played all of his 15 matches in Australia and thus, he holds the record for the most Test matches without ever playing one at home.
He took 50 wickets at an average of 16.42 and played his last Test match in 1887. Bates scored 656 runs as well at an average of 27.33. He made five half-centuries.
3. William Barnes
Barnes was a complete cricketer as he batted, bowled, and sometimes kept wickets as well. He made his Test debut in 1880 and played his last Test in 1890. Barnes took 51 wickets in 21 matches at an average of 15.54. With the bat, he scored 725 runs at an average of 23.38.
Barnes made his first-class debut in 1875 and played his last match in 1894. He featured in 459 matches and scored 15425 runs at an average of 23.19. He picked 902 wickets at an average of 17.12.
2. John James Ferris
Ferris made his Test debut in 1887 for Australia and played eight games for the team. In 1892, he played one Test match for England. In nine matches, he picked 61 wickets at an average of 12.70. He is the only bowler who has played for two countries on this list.
Ferris played a total of 198 first-class matches and scored 4264 runs at an average of 15.67. With the ball, he took 812 wickets at an average of 17.54. In 1889, Ferris was one of the six Wisden Cricketers of the Year.
1. George Lohmann
George Lohmann holds the record for having the best bowling average in Test cricket. He made his Test debut in 1886 and featured in 18 games. He took 112 wickets at an average of 10.75. Lohmann played his last Test match in 1896.
He, along with Johnny Briggs, John Ferris, Charles Turner, Sammy Woods, and Bobby Peel, were named Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1889. In 2016, Lohmann was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
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