Asian bowlers have always had intense battles against SENA batters. Here are the top Asian wicket-takers against these four teams in Tests.
Note: SENA teams – South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia
Most Test Wickets by Asian Bowlers Against SENA Teams
| Player | Innings | Wickets | Best Bowling (Innings) | Average | Economy | Strike Rate | 5W/10W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ravichandran Ashwin (IND) | 137 | 361 | 7/59 | 25.22 | 2.78 | 54.3 | 26/6 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) | 101 | 352 | 9/65 | 23.56 | 2.38 | 59.1 | 29/10 |
| Anil Kumble (IND) | 132 | 337 | 8/141 | 30.1 | 2.6 | 69.4 | 20/4 |
| Ravindra Jadeja (IND) | 121 | 257 | 7/42 | 26.12 | 2.55 | 61.3 | 13/3 |
| Harbhajan Singh (IND) | 104 | 243 | 8/84 | 31.84 | 2.81 | 67.9 | 15/3 |
| Bishan Singh Bedi (IND) | 81 | 198 | 7/98 | 25.37 | 1.99 | 76.2 | 13/1 |
| Kapil Dev (IND) | 111 | 197 | 8/106 | 32.18 | 2.71 | 71.1 | 11/0 |
| Ishant Sharma (IND) | 127 | 195 | 7/74 | 35.78 | 3.09 | 69.2 | 5/0 |
| Jasprit Bumrah (IND) | 81 | 191 | 6/33 | 21.15 | 2.79 | 45.4 | 13/0 |
| Zaheer Khan (IND) | 102 | 191 | 5/29 | 33.26 | 3.16 | 62.9 | 8/0 |
Key Insights on Asian Bowlers’ Dominance Against SENA Teams
Leading Wicket-Takers and Milestones Against SENA Nations
India’s Ravichandran Ashwin has taken the most wickets among Asian bowlers against SENA Test teams, with 361 scalps in 137 innings.
Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan has bagged the most five-wicket and ten-wicket hauls among Asian bowlers against SENA teams in Tests. His wickets tally of 352 includes 29 five-fors and 10 ten-fors.
Ashwin (26) and Anil Kumble (20) are the other Asian bowlers with 20 or more five-wicket hauls against SENA Test teams.
Ashwin and Abdul Qadir (Pakistan) are the other Asian bowlers with five or more ten-wicket hauls against the four countries in Tests.
India’s Jasprit Bumrah is the only Asian bowler to pick up 150-plus wickets in SENA countries in Tests.
Bumrah, Muralitharan, and Wasim Akram are the three Asian bowlers to pick up 10 or more five-fors in SENA countries in Tests.
Top Home and Away Records Against SENA Opposition
289 of Ashwin’s Test wickets came in India, the most by an Asian bowler at home against SENA teams.
Ashwin has picked up around 72 wickets in SENA venues, which is a significantly lower percentage compared to his total wickets, and places him outside the top ten Indian bowlers for most Test wickets in SENA countries.
Bumrah (India), Wasim Akram (Pakistan), and Kapil Dev (India) are the three Asian fast bowlers to grab 10 or more five-wicket hauls against SENA nations in Tests.
Akram, Waqar Younis, Fazal Mahmood, and Imran Khan, all from Pakistan, have taken two or more ten-wicket hauls among Asian pacers against SENA countries in Tests.
Bumrah, Dev, Ishant Sharma, and Zaheer Khan, all from India, have snared 190 or more wickets among Asian quicks versus the SENA Test nations.
Performance Metrics and Team Contributions
82 of Bishan Singh Bedi’s 198 wickets were taken while leading India, making it the most by an Asian captain against SENA in Tests. Bedi also picked 31 wickets as Indian captain against Australia, which is the highest by an Indian captain against any single SENA country.
Bumrah, Muralitharan, and Akram average below 25 among Asian bowlers against SENA Test teams (minimum 50 innings).
Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar has the lowest strike rate among Asian bowlers against SENA countries in Tests, having struck at 43.4 while taking 82 wickets in 36 innings (minimum 2000 balls bowled).
Akram is the lead wicket-taker for Pakistan against SENA Test teams, with 180 wickets in 75 innings (44 matches).
Shakib Al Hasan, meanwhile, is the highest wicket-taker for Bangladesh versus the four nations combined, with 80 wickets in 36 innings (22 matches).
