Image: Statistical breakdown of legendary Test bowlers who never reached the No 1 ICC ranking / © Cricinfo
Mitchell Starc has finally done it. After taking 445 wickets in Test cricket, the Australian quick has moved to No.1 in the ICC Test Bowling Rankings for the first time. What makes the achievement more interesting is that several legendary bowlers finished with bigger wicket tallies but never got to the top. Anil Kumble, Nathan Lyon and Courtney Walsh are among the biggest names on that list.
Anil Kumble is comfortably the biggest name here. The former India spinner finished with 619 wickets from 132 Tests, including 35 five wicket hauls and 8 ten wicket hauls. He bowled more than 40,000 deliveries and had a career average of 29.65. One of his finest moments came against Pakistan in Delhi, where he took all 10 wickets in an innings and finished with figures of 10 for 74.
His best match figures were 14 for 149, while he also picked up 31 four wicket hauls. For a bowler with 619 Test wickets, it is surprising that Kumble never reached No.1 in the rankings. Starc, with 174 fewer wickets, has now gone where the Indian legend could not.
Nathan Lyon also leaves behind an impressive record. The Australian off spinner took 571 wickets in 143 Tests and became one of the most dependable members of the team’s Test attack. He bowled 35,117 balls during his career and finished with a bowling average of 30.20.
Lyon also picked up 26 four wicket hauls, 24 five wicket hauls and 5 ten wicket hauls. His best innings figures were 8 for 50, while his best match return was 13 for 154. Lyon spent years troubling batters around the world and kept adding to his wicket tally. Even so, the No.1 ranking never came his way.
Courtney Walsh was one of the most reliable fast bowlers of his generation. The West Indies great played 132 Tests and took 519 wickets, with a career average of 24.44. Walsh delivered more than 30,000 balls in Test cricket and recorded 32 four wicket hauls, 22 five wicket hauls and 3 ten wicket hauls.
His best figures in an innings were 7 for 37, while his best match figures were 13 for 55. Those numbers underline just how effective Walsh was for the West Indies.