Fastest 50 Wickets in Test: A bowler can go on to be great if he gets off to a good start in Tests. It is hard to go from playing first-class cricket to playing Test cricket and start taking wickets right away in international games. But the bowlers on this list have actually done that. In this article, we will look at the bowlers who got to 50 wickets in Tests the fastest.
Australia has four of the top seven bowlers who got to 50 Test wickets the quickest. This fact alone shows why Australia is thought to be the best cricketing country. Find out more about these great bowlers by reading on.
Top Players who took Fastest 50 Wickets in Test Match
1. Charles Turner (Australia) – 6 Tests
Charlie Turner played Test cricket from 1887 to 1895. In 17 Tests, he captured 101 wickets with a 16.53 average, 51.2 strike rate, 11 five-fors, and 2 10-wicket match hauls. Turner’s Test best was 7/43.
Charles Turner played 155 first-class matches, taking 993 wickets at a 14.25 average and 42.1 strike rate with 102 five-fors and 35 10-wicket hauls. Turner had 9/15 in first-class.
2. Tom Richardson (England) – 7 Tests
Tom Richardson was a fast right-arm bowler who took part in 14 Tests from 1893 to 1898. He took 88 wickets in total, with an average of 25.22 and a strike rate of 51.1. He had 11 five-fors and 4 ten-wicket hauls. Richardson’s best score in an innings of a Test match was 8/94.
During his career, he played in 358 first-class games. He took 2,104 wickets, with an average of 18.43 and a strike rate of 37.5. He had 200 five-fors and 72 10-wicket hauls. In a first-class innings, 10/45 was Richardson’s best score.
3. Vernon Philander (South Africa) – 7 Tests
Vernon Philander is third on our list, needing just 7 Tests to get 50 wickets thanks to his early success. This right-arm fast-medium bowler has played 64 Tests, taking 224 wickets at a 22.32 average and 50.8 strike rate with 13 five-fors and 2 10-wicket match hauls. Philander’s Test best is 6/21.
Philander has 1,779 Test runs at a 24.04 average to prove he’s a valuable South African all-rounder. His ability to bowl sharply and both ways explains his success. ODIs and T20Is for South Africa.
4. Fred Spofforth (Australia) – 8 Tests
Fred Spofforth needs eight Tests to reach 50 scalps. He played 18 Tests from 1877 to 1887. Spofforth took 94 Test wickets at 18.41 and 44.5 with 7 five-fors and 4 10-wicket hauls. Spofforth’s Test best was 7/44.
Spofforth’s quick bowling earned him the nickname “The Demon.” With his accuracy and grit, he took many wickets.
5. Alf Valentine (West Indies) – 8 Tests
The only spinner on our list is the great Caribbean musician Alf Valentine. He bowled slow left-arm orthodox spin. From 1950 to 1962, he played in 36 Tests and took 139 wickets, with an average of 30.32 and a strike rate of 93.1. He had 8 five-for and 2 ten-wicket hauls. Valentine’s best score in an innings of a Test match was 8/104.
6. Richard Hogg (8 Tests, Australia)
Rodney Hogg was a right-arm fast bowler who played in 38 Tests between 1978 and 1984. Hogg was fast and aggressive, which made him a threat. He got 123 wickets with an average of 28.47 and a strike rate of 62.0. He had 6 five-for and 2 ten-wicket match hauls. Hogg’s best score in an innings of a Test was 6/74.
Some of Hogg’s best moments were in the 1978–1979 series against England, when he took 41 wickets and was often faster than the great Geoff Boycott. A rebel South African tour and an injury both hurt his Test career. After he retired, he started a business selling fruits and vegetables.
7. Australia’s Terry Alderman has played in 8 Tests
The last person on our list is Terry Alderman, who also needs 8 Tests to get to 50 wickets. Terry was a fast-medium right-arm bowler who took part in 41 Tests from 1981 to 1991. He took 170 wickets in total, with an average of 27.15 and a strike rate of 59.8. He had 14 “five-for” and one “ten-wicket match haul.” Alderman’s best score in an innings of a Test was 6/47.
Alderman did very well on England’s tours in 1981 and 1989. In each series, he took more than 40 wickets. He threw off cutters and away swinging balls that were well-placed and went at a good fast-medium pace. Graham Gooch was his bunny in the 1989 series, and the established batsman even quit the Test team because of his failures against Alderman. In English county cricket, the star fast bowler played for both Gloucestershire and Kent at different times.
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