Seam bowling, strike rates, averages etc.

First topic message reminder :

What makes a great bowler, or an all time great bowler? Is it longevity, where a bowler managed to play 150 test matches and regardless of his effectiveness managed to rack up 400 + wickets, is it a bowler who only played in 15 or 20 matches that managed one of the best strike rates in the history of cricket?

Or is it a proven record over 50 or more tests in which the anomalies of fast starts (such as Vernon Philander) can be negated and a better data sample to be collected?

All these issues are debatable to the point of boredom and could run in circles for weeks. At the end of the day, I suggest for the purpose of this article we will discuss all seam bowlers who have notched up 200 wickets.

This allows all the anomalies to be negated such as fast starts and playing in only certain conditions.
One impact that is very difficult to negate are the conditions bowlers bowled under fifty or a hundred years ago. Uncovered pitches, batting equipment (Which was inferior to modern day equipment) etc.

We are going to look at what in my opinion are the most important facets of bowling.

1. Strike rate – The ultimate measure of a strike bowler
2. Average – This factor combines strike rate with economy rate, cost to team per wicket.
3. 10 match wicket hauls – Provides us with the effectiveness of utterly dominating a test.
4. 5 fers – Provides us with the effectiveness of dominating an innings.
5. 4 fers – Provides us with meaningful bowling spells, they may not have won the match, but went a long way to effect a result.
6. 3 wicket and more innings – usefull for consistency in performances over a career.

There are 47 Fast, Fast Medium, Medium pace bowlers who has taken 200 or more wickets.

Top 20 Strike rates.

DW Steyn (SA) 42.10
Waqar Younis (Pak) 43.40
MD Marshall (WI) 46.70
AA Donald (SA) 47.00
FS Trueman (Eng) 49.40
RJ Hadlee (NZ) 50.80
J Garner (WI) 50.80
M Holding (WI) 50.90
D Gough (Eng) 51.60
GD McGrath (Aus) 51.90
DK Lillee (Aus) 52.00
JR Thompson 52.60
B Lee (Aus) 53.30
M Ntini (SA) 53.40
RGD Willis (Eng) 53.40
CL Cairns (NZ) 53.60
Imran Khan (Pak) 53.70
CEL Ambrose (WI) 54.50
Wasim Akram (Pak) 54.60

Top 20 Averages.

MD Marshall (WI) 20.94
J Garner (WI) 20.97
CEL Ambrose (WI) 20.99
FS Trueman (Eng) 21.57
GD McGrath (Aus) 21.64
AA Donald (SA) 22.25
RJ Hadlee (NZ) 22.29
Imran Khan (Pak) 22.81
RR Lindwall (Aus) 23.03
SM Pollock (SA) 23.11
Waqar Younis (Pak) 23.56
Wasim Akram (Pak) 23.62
DW Steyn (SA) 23.68
M Holding (WI) 23.68
DK Lillee (Aus) 23.92
CA Walsh (WI) 24.44
JB Statham (Eng) 24.84
AV Bedser (Eng) 24.89
RGD Willis (Eng) 25.20
AME Roberts (WI) 25.61

Top twenty innings (matches) per 10 wicket haul. (Utter dominance in a test)

RJ Hadlee (NZ) 16.67
AV Bedser (Eng) 18.40
DK Lillee (Aus) 18.86
Imran Khan (Pak) 23.67
DW Steyn (SA) 28.50
Waqar Younis (Pak) 30.80
Wasim Akram (Pak) 36.20
GD McKenzie (Aus) 37.67
MD Marshall (WI) 37.75
IT Botham (Eng) 42.00
FS Trueman (Eng) 42.33
AA Donald (SA) 43.00
AME Roberts (WI) 45.00
M Ntini (SA) 47.50
MG Johnson (Aus) 47.50
M Holding (WI) 56.50
CEL Ambrose (WI) 59.67
CJ McDermott (Aus) 61.50
CA Walsh (WI) 80.67
GD McGrath (Aus) 81.00

Top 20 innings per 5 wicket haul. (Utter dominance in an innings)

RJ Hadlee (NZ) 4.17
DK Lillee (Aus) 5.74
AV Bedser (Eng) 6.13
Imran Khan (Pak) 6.17
IT Botham (Eng) 6.22
DW Steyn (SA) 6.33
AA Donald (SA) 6.45
MD Marshall (WI) 6.86
Waqar Younis (Pak) 7.00
GD McKenzie (Aus) 7.06
Wasim Akram (Pak) 7.24
FS Trueman (Eng) 7.47
CL Cairns (NZ) 8.00
AR Caddick (Eng) 8.08
CEL Ambrose (WI) 8.14
AME Roberts (WI) 8.18
GD McGrath (Aus) 8.38
M Holding (WI) 8.69
CJ McDermott (Aus)8.86
RR Lindwall (Aus) 9.42

Top 20 innings per 4 wicket haul. ( Contributing heavily towards an innings)

Waqar Younis (Pak) 5.50
JR Thompson 5.63
DK Lillee (Aus) 5.74
RJ Hadlee (NZ) 6.00
DW Steyn (SA) 6.00
J Garner (WI) 6.17
HH Streak (Zim) 6.38
FS Trueman (Eng) 6.68
D Gough (Eng) 6.79
MG Hughes (Aus) 6.93
CJ McDermott (Aus) 7.29
CA Walsh (WI) 7.56
JA Snow (Eng) 7.75
MD Marshall (WI) 7.89
Imran Khan (Pak) 8.35
AV Bedser (Eng) 8.36
CEL Ambrose (WI) 8.52
GD McGrath (Aus) 8.68
SM Pollock (SA) 8.78
B Lee (Aus) 8.82

Top 20 innings per 3+ wickets haul. (Consistency in performance)

RJ Hadlee (NZ) 1.85
DW Steyn (SA) 1.97
D Gough (Eng) 2.07
DK Lillee (Aus) 2.10
AA Donald (SA) 2.11
MG Hughes (Aus) 2.16
AR Caddick (Eng) 2.19
AV Bedser (Eng) 2.19
Imran Khan (Pak) 2.25
CJ McDermott (Aus) 2.25
Waqar Younis (Pak) 2.26
AME Roberts (WI) 2.31
GD McGrath (Aus) 2.34
MD Marshall (WI) 2.36
JR Thompson 2.37
Wasim Akram (Pak) 2.41
IT Botham (Eng) 2.43
FS Trueman (Eng) 2.44
J Garner (WI) 2.52
Mg Johnson (Aus) 2.57

I hope this will assist in the debate of who you guys rate as the top 20 in each aspect of seam bowling.

I trend that I have picked up through compiling these stats are that economy rates have consistently increased since 1959. How much of this can be ascribed to pitches, equipment and the like will obviously be up for debate.

Average economy rate of the top 20 wicket takers between 1877 and 1914 (First world War) was 2.49 runs per over.

Average economy rate of the top 20 wicket takers between 1914 and 1939 (Second world War) was 2.67 runs per over.

Average economy rate of the top 20 wicket takers between 1939 and 1959 was 2.24 runs per over.

Average economy rate of the top 20 wicket takers between 1959 and 1979 was 2.63 runs per over.

Average economy rate of the top 20 wicket takers between 1979 and 1999 was 2.73 runs per over.

Average economy rate of the top 20 wicket takers between 1979 and present day was 3.13 runs per over.

Can we please keep this civil and not get personal whislt debating the pro's and cons of each bowler.

Enjoy.

They generally are so I don't know why we have to pussyfoot around the fact. Apologies if offended.

Got injured last year and decided to score using an app on the iPad. It automatically calculated SR etc and gave a different view of the bowling attack in particular.