The first-ever Pink-Ball Test was played in November 2015 between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide. Since then, a total of 24 Pink-Ball Test matches have been played so far, the latest being the third Test of the three-match series between Australia and the West Indies.
Australia has played a total of 14 Pink-Ball Test matches, and the Australian bowlers have picked a total of 266 wickets at an average of 26.74. Hence, a total of four Australian bowlers feature on the list of the top five bowlers with the most wickets in Pink-Ball Tests. Let’s look at this list:
5. James Anderson
James Anderson played six out of the seven Pink-Ball Tests that England has played. He is the leading wicket-taker for England in Pink-Ball Tests. He has taken 24 wickets at an average of 16.25, an economy of 16.25, and a strike rate of 45.8.
Anderson is one of the three English bowlers who have taken a five-wicket haul in Pink-Ball Tests. His best bowling effort came during the second Test of the 2017-18 Ashes. He picked up five wickets for 43 runs in the second innings.
4. Josh Hazlewood
Hazlewood has played a total of nine Pink-Ball Test matches for Australia. He has taken 40 wickets at an average of 18.50, an economy of 2.56, and a strike rate of 43.2. Hazlewood has the best economy among the top five wicket-takers in Pink-Ball Tests.
He has taken two five-wicket hauls in Pink-Ball Tests. The first one came in the very first Test against New Zealand in 2015. The second one came in the 2020 Adelaide Test against India and picked five wickets for eight runs in five overs in the second innings.
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3. Nathan Lyon
Nathan Lyon is the most successful spinner in Pink-Ball Tests. He has taken 43 wickets in 22 innings at an average of at an average of 25.62, an economy of 2.57, and a strike rate of 59.6.
Lyon’s only five-wicket haul in Pink-Ball Tests came in 2019 against Pakistan. He took five wickets for 69 runs in 25 overs in the second innings of the Test. Australia won the match by an innings and 48 runs.
2. Pat Cummins
Cummins is the second-highest wicket-taker in Pink-Ball Test matches. He has taken 43 wickets in nine matches at an average of 17.34, an economy of 2.79, and a strike rate of 37.2. In the third Test against the West Indies, Cummins took two wickets in the first innings and equalled Lyon’s record. He didn’t bowl in the second innings.
Cummins is one of the three bowlers who have picked 10 wickets in a match. He has taken two five-wicket hauls as well. Cummins’ best performance came during the Test match against Sri Lanka in 2019. He took four wickets for 39 runs in the first innings and six wickets for 23 runs in the second innings. He was the second bowler to take 10 wickets in a match.
1. Mitchell Starc
Starc is the most successful bowler in Pink-Ball Test matches. He is the only Australian player who has featured in all 14 Pink-Ball Tests for Australia. He is miles ahead of the other bowlers on this list. Starc has taken 81 wickets at an average of 17.08, an economy of 3.07, and a strike rate of 33.3.
Starc has five five-wicket hauls to his name. Starc’s best bowling performance in a Pink-Ball Test came during the third Test match against the West Indies. He took six wickets for nine runs in 7.3 overs in the second innings of the Test match. He took just 15 deliveries to register a five-wicket haul in the match.
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