Three bowlers to pick most wickets in SENA countries in away Tests
Thriving in Test matches certainly takes some beating as players need to possess different skills to shine. With the scoring rate not holding great relevance, batsmen have the liberty to focus on their defences. However, the red cherry does much more talking than the white which makes the contest even more exciting. Notably, players and teams particularly struggle when they play overseas.
After all, the conditions become different and so are the challenges. Doing well in SENA countries is something that overseas players have been eyeing over the years. For the unversed, SENA stands for South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia. With the four nations possessing formidable teams, doing well in their den isn’t a bread-and-butter task.
Also, bowlers need to assess the tracks to decode the mantra of success. Nevertheless, there have been many overseas bowlers who have done well in SENA Tests. Interestingly, the top three overseas wicket-takers in these four countries are from the West Indies. We’ll have a look at them.
3 overseas bowlers to pick most wickets in SENA countries in Tests
3. Malcolm Marshall – 148
Malcolm Marshall was a vital cog of the West Indies team which ruled world cricket in the 70s and 80s. The pacer was strongly built and not many batters liked tackling him. Marshall was known to set the speed gun on fire and his ability to swing the ball made him even more lethal. Owing to the same, he loved bowling in pace-friendly pitches of SENA countries. Overall, he took 148 wickets in 31 SENA Tests.
2. Curtly Ambrose – 184
The Caribbean pacer was nothing but a nightmare for batters during his heydays. Be it swinging the ball or hustling batsmen with sheer pace, Ambrose did it all. Nailing yorkers and bouncers was also well within his reach. As the former speedster possessed all these skills, tracks in the SENA nations were tailor-made from him. He featured in 40 Test matches across the four nations and took 184 wickets.
1. Courtney Walsh – 213
Ambrose’s partner-in-crime Courtney Walsh holds the pinnacle position on this elite list. One of the finest fast bowlers to have represented the West Indies, Walsh was a great operator of the red cherry. His easy run-up and natural action allowed him to swing the ball both ways. Walsh also had the sheer pace to make batters’ jobs even more daunting. While he took wickets in different parts, the right-arm paceman was particularly brilliant in SENA Tests. He, in total, took 213 wickets in 57 SENA Tests.
