Top 5: Most Wickets by a Bowling Pair in Test Cricket

To dominate in Test cricket you need partnerships, not only the partnerships of batters but the partnerships of bowlers are also needed.

In this article, we will talk about the top 5 bowling pairs with the most wickets in Test cricket.

5. Mitchell Starc & Nathan Lyon (Australia) | 671 Wickets

The pair of Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon is an active Test bowling duo and both have taken more than 670 wickets for Australia as a pair.

Starc is a fast bowler who bowls with the new ball with Josh Hazlewood while Lyon is an off-spinner who bowls as a second change bowler for the Aussies.

This duo played their first match together in 2011 when Starc made his debut against New Zealand at The Gabba, Brisbane, where both combined and took 9 wickets in the game. The left-arm pacer has taken over 350 wickets in his Test career while the off-spinner has around 530 wickets.

4. Curtly Ambrose & Courtney Walsh (West Indies) | 762 Wickets

Former West Indies pacers Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh played 95 matches together and took 762 wickets for the West Indies as a pair in Test cricket.

Both pacers were a nightmare for the opponent with their fierce pace bowling. Walsh was famous for his bouncers while Ambrose had the ability to swing the ball both ways and seam the ball too.

The pacers played their first match together in 1988 when Ambrose made his Test debut against Pakistan in Guyana.

The match ended in a draw, with both the pacers managing to pick up 5 wickets combined in the first innings. The duo last bowled for the West Indies as a pair in 2000 against England at the Kennington Oval, London.

Also Read | Top 10: Highest Individual Scores in ODI Cricket

3. Muttiah Muralitharan & Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka) | 895 Wickets

Muttiah Muralitharan who holds the record for picking up the most wickets in the history of Test cricket.

He took a total of 895 wickets in a pair with Chaminda Vaas in 95 matches which they played together for Sri Lanka. Vaas was a pacer while Muralitharan was an off-spinner.

The duo played their first match together against Zimbabwe in 1994 at the Harare Sports Club.

Muralitharan picked up 800 Test wickets in 133 matches for Sri Lanka at an average of 22.7 with 67 five-wicket hauls to his name and Chaminda Vaas picked up a total of 355 Test wickets in 111 matches at an average of 29.6 with 12 five-wicket hauls to his name.

2. Shane Warne & Glenn McGrath (Australia) | 1001 Wickets

The Australian duo of Shane Warne and the pacer Glenn McGrath took 1001 wickets in 104 matches for Australia. They were the first bowling pair in the history of Test cricket to pick up 1000 wickets together.

Shane Warner, the legendary leg spinner, made his Test debut in 1992 a year before McGrath made his debut in 1993.

They played together as a pair for the first time against New Zealand in Perth where they picked up just 4 wickets together in the whole match and both their last match together in 2007 in Sydney playing the New Year Test against England.

It was the last Test match of the Ashes 2006-07. Both the bowlers ended their careers on a high note, winning the Ashes by 5-0. 

1. James Anderson & Stuart Broad (England) | 1039 Wickets

James Anderson and Stuart Broad hold the record for picking up the most Test wickets as a bowling pair. They picked up a total of 1039 wickets in 138 matches.

Anderson was a senior player in this pair, making his debut in 2003 at Lord’s against Zimbabwe while Stuart Broad made his Test debut in 2007 in Colombo against Sri Lanka.

Both pacers played their first match together in 2008 in Wellington against New Zealand, picking up 10 wickets together as a pair in the match.

Post the retirement of Ryan Sidebottom in 2010, it was Broad who was given the new ball with James Anderson from 2011 till 2023 when Broad announced his retirement. The duo played their last match together against Australia at the Kennington Oval in London in the fifth Test match of Ashes 2023 which ended in a draw.