10 Most underrated bowlers in world cricket
Last week, we took a look at the ten most underrated batsmen in world cricket right now. Of course, we went with the batsmen first. Cricket is a batsman's game after all, isn't it?
But we are not ignoring the bowlers. This list will take you through who we rate as the ten most underrated bowlers in world cricket today.
As with the piece about the underrated batsmen, it is difficult to categorise any player under a particular bracket across all formats. So this list will look at particular players and why they are underrated only within a particular format.
#1 Neil Wagner
Amidst the swing, craft and guile of Trent Boult and Tim Southee, Neil Wagner is the proverbial 'Ugly Duckling' of the New Zealand bowling attack. But over the last couple of years, it is fair to say that Wagner's importance to New Zealand has been hugely understated.
Boult and Southee are the glamour stars of the New Zealand bowling attack, but they are incomplete without the hardman that Wagner is.
Across various conditions, Wagner's approach has remained the same. From the unrelenting heat of Abu Dhabi to the cold in Dunedin or from a slow Boxing Day pitch at the MCG to a green Basin Reserve on a windy day, he has the same mantra. He runs in hard, he bowls a lot of overs, he has a mean bouncer (ask Steve Smith), and he picks wickets. Only four bowlers have more Test wickets than Wagner since the start of 2018.
#2 Keshav Maharaj
Since his Test debut, only three spinners - the much more fancied Nathan Lyon, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja - have taken more wickets than Maharaj.
What has been impressive about Maharaj's 30-Test career so far, is that he has played only seven of those Tests in the sub-continent. Maharaj has picked up 110 wickets in his career so far and has five-fors to his name in South Africa and New Zealand where the conditions are known to favour the seamers.
But, Maharaj didn't find too much success during his first tour to India, in October 2019. He played only two of the three Tests, where he managed just six wickets.
#3 Ishant Sharma
The Indian Test fast-bowling threesome has made a name for itself as one of the most feared bowling attacks in the world. That has, in no small part, been down to Ishant Sharma's relentlessness as the lead bowler of the attack. Since the start of 2018, Ishant has picked up 71 wickets in 18 Tests at an average of less than 20.
India have won Tests in South Africa, England and a series in Australia in that period. Ishant's record at home has been nothing to complain about either, with some incisive spells accounting for South Africa and Bangladesh last summer.
#4 Kemar Roach
Kemar Roach played his part in one of the West Indies' most famous Test wins of recent times, with a sensational spell in Barbados that helped bowl England out for 77. That win put the Windies on their way to a famous series win.
In the last two years of Test cricket, just like Ishant, Roach has averaged less than 20, picking up 46 wickets in 12 Tests. With some tracks in the Caribbean – such as the ones in Barbados and Jamaica – showing signs of life in them in the last few years, the likes of Roach and Shannon Gabriel have been a handful for any batting line-up.
Roach, though, along with captain Jason Holder, has led the attack admirably well.
#5 Dilruwan Perera
In the last two years, Dilruwan Perera's picked up 55 wickets in 16 Tests. He's smoothly taken over from Rangana Herath as Sri Lanka's lead spinner. Perera has also played his part in some sensational Sri Lankan wins in that time.
He triggering a crucial top-order collapse in the UAE to give Sri Lanka a victory against Pakistan. Additionally, he just remained steady in South Africa, as Kusal Perera went about dismantling the Proteas. It's justified to claim that Perera has steadily flown under the radar.
It is obviously an impossible role for Perera, given that he has to follow in the footsteps of Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath as Sri Lanka's lead spinner. But it is a job that he has done steadily so far and deserves recognition for it.
#6 Jason Holder
Jason Holder is the only player who finds a place in both our lists of underrated batsmen and bowlers. It's the Test format that underlines how priceless Holder is for the West Indies team. Not only does he lead the team, it also revolves around his performances.
Holder has averaged 14.22 with the ball in the last couple of years. He has picked up 53 wickets in 11 Tests in that time and also led his side to a famous series win over England.
Holder is somehow never spoken of in the same breath as a Ben Stokes or a Ravindra Jadeja when it comes to all-rounders. However, going purely by the numbers, and the impact these players have made on their teams, Holder might be the best all-rounder by a distance.
So, it was only a no-brainer that he made both lists for how underrated he is.
#7 Suranga Lakmal
Like Dilruwan Perera, Lakmal's performances too have been overshadowed by Herath and some freakshows (i.e., Kusal Perera) over the last couple of years.
But Sri Lanka's leading pacer has been as steady a performer as Perera has been. 55 wickets in 19 Tests with two five-fors, despite having played in unforgiving conditions, is a return that Lakmal can be proud of.
Sri Lanka have been the most Jekyll and Hyde Team in Test cricket in the last couple of years, but their pacers like Lakmal and Viswa Fernando have been central to a lot of their wins.
#8 Taijul Islam
Bangladesh have an abysmal record in Tests of late against all opponents not named Zimbabwe. But in the midst of that carnage, Taijul Islam's performances have certainly been a credit to himself.
With 60 wickets in his last 13 Tests, Taijul has been instrumental in the good moments that Bangladesh have managed in Test cricket. The aforementioned number also includes three four-wicket hauls against Sri Lanka and a six-for against the West Indies.
If cricket was still happening around the world, Taijul's importance to this Bangladesh side would have been even greater. With the ban to Shakib Al Hasan, he would have been the lead spinner in the side, and with his track record, who's to say he would not have done a good job?
#9 Mohammad Abbas
Abbas is really unlike the majority of the talent that comes out of the Pakistani fast-bowling factory. He's not got express pace like Mohammed Amir, he's not as aggressive or in-your-face as Shaheen Afridi, nor is he a precocious 16-year-old tearing up world cricket like Naseem Shah.
But what Abbas is, is the leader of Afridi and Shah in the Test side. His steady, tight bowling ensures that the younger pacers can continue to be aggressive throughout their spells. But that doesn't mean Abbas has been reduced to just a containing role.
In his last 13 Tests, he has picked up 52 wickets at an average of just above 20. What makes Abbas' record commendable is the number of Tests that Pakistan played in the unrelenting heat and unresponsive tracks in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
#10 Tim Southee
Tim Southee is the subject of huge criticism around the world for his performances in white-ball cricket, particularly in T20Is, where he has led New Zealand. Of course, the fact that he hasn't been able to defend some very defendable Super Over targets has played a part.
However, that shouldn't take away from the fact that Southee has taken more Test wickets than any other New Zealand bowler in the last couple of years. In 15 Tests since the start of 2018, Southee has picked up 76 wickets and has four five-fors in that period.
While Boult is still the undisputed leader of the New Zealand attack, it is commendable for Southee that in the same number of Tests, he has picked up nine more wickets than Boult.