7 subcontinent bowlers with over 200 wickets in away Test matches
In the 140-year history of Test cricket encompassing 2385 Test matches, 76 different bowlers have taken 200 or more wickets. Bowlers generally bowl better in home conditions than away from home.
As of December 2019, the mean bowling average for bowlers at home is 12.8% better than their corresponding figure away from home. If one delves deeper into these numbers, the difference in home and away average is more pronounced for spin bowlers (14.5%) than fast bowlers (12%).
143 different bowlers have taken at least 50 Test wickets both home and away. Among these bowlers, not surprisingly, 101 of them have better home averages than away from home, which drives home the notion that home advantage is a significant one for a bowler.
In this article, we talk about the bowlers from the Indian subcontinent who have managed to bag 200 or more Test wickets in away Test matches. The list contains a glittering array of bowlers who are regarded as some of the best in the annals of Test history. The list also includes two honourable mentions who missed out by a proverbial whisker.
Without further ado, let us have a look at this exalted group of Test bowlers who have taken 200 or more wickets away from home.
Bowlers from the Indian sub-continent who have taken 200 or more away Test wickets:
#1: Muttiah Muralitharan (307)
For the believers, Muttiah Muralitharan is the greatest wizard to have ever spun a ball in Test cricket. For the skeptics and headshakers, however, he was one who courted controversy because of his unique bowling action.
Nevetheless, the guile and the bag of tricks the man possessed in his bowling armoury, was undeniable. Muralitharan ranks second in the all-time list of bowlers with most Test wickets away from home. His 307 Test scalps outside Sri Lanka came at a miserly average just shy of 28. The offspinner conjured a staggering 22 five-wicket hauls and seven ten-wicket hauls (7) in away Tests, the most for any bowler in this list.
#2: Anil Kumble (269)
Anil Kumble is the most prolific Indian bowler in Test history. No bowler has ever won the Men in Blue as many Test matches as Kumble did during his sprawling career spanning 132 matches.
Kumble played 69 of these Tests away from home where he managed to snare 269 wickets. It includes his lion-hearted performance down underwhere he took eight wickets in an innings in a Sydney Test. This was his best overseas Test performance during the course of his stellar career.
On weary and skiddy surfaces alike, Kumble always found a way to contribute to the team's cause, and it was usually the unorthodox kick he generated off the deck that caught batsmen offguard and at times clueless.
#3: Wasim Akram (260)
Wasim Akram is one of the all-time best fast bowlers in Test history. A genius with the red cherry in hand, the left-armer had the prowess to make the ball walk and talk the way he willed it to.
From the sheer longevity of his international career (19 years) to his stunning match-winning performances, Akram is eulogised across the entire cricketing fraternity. Among his 414 Test wickets, 260 came in away/neutral Tests at an average less than 25, which is a remarkable achievement on its own.
The left-armer had an incredible 17 five-wicket hauls in these away Tests to go along with four ten-wicket hauls.
#4: Kapil Dev (215)
Kapil Dev, the pioneer of fast-bowling in India, is also the best fast-bowling all-rounder the country has ever produced.
In an age where the likes of Imran Khan, Richard Hadlee and Ian Botham were his contemporaries, Dev made a mark of his own and was voted India's Cricketer of the Century. He took 215 wickets in Tests away from home, which comprises almost half of his overall wicket tally in Test cricket.
Among his notable away performances, Kapil Dev produced a brilliant 8/106 in Adelaide when India toured Australia back in 1985.
#5: Waqar Younis (211)
You hear of Waqar Younis and the sight of toe-crushing, searing yorkers delivered from hell rushes into your memory.
He was deemed one of the fastest ever bowlers during his heydays and successfully managed to dump the 1980's trend of 'hit the deck hard'. Younis instead became renowned for pitching the ball full and smashing the base of leg stump with 'extravagant' reverse swing.
Waqar Younis snared 211 scalps in overseas Tests at an average of 26, with 11/119 being his best performance in away Test.
#6: Zaheer Khan (207)
Zaheer Khan was a very Pakistani-esque fast-bowler hailing from India. The left-armer possessed the ability to move the ball both ways and both off the deck and through the moist air.
Zaheer Khan probably lacked the killer instinct of the likes of Akram but possessed an intuitive bowling sense that served him well in Test cricket. Of his 311 Test wickets, 207 came outside India - a stat that speaks volumes of his calibre and prowess.
#7: Yasir Shah (207)
Yasir Shah, the little craftsman from Pakistan, was slotted into the national side at a time of crisis when Saeed Ajmal, a hailed legend of the game, was banned for chucking.
Idolising the great Shane Warne, Shah didn't let Ajmal's absence hamper Pakistan's progress as he played a major role in their ascendance in the ICC Test Rankings. The legspinner is the quickest bowler in the history of Test Cricket to take 200 wickets.
Almost all of Yasir Shah's Test wickets have come at away venues or neutral ones since he has only played two Tests in his native Pakistan. His bowling average has dipped in the past twofew years or so but he remains a menacing threat on raging turners.
Honourable Mentions:
#1: Imran Khan (199)
Imran Khan, one of the finest all-rounders to have ever graced the game, was one of the biggest sporting heartthrobs in the game's history.
Khan ended his Test career just one shy of 200 away wickets. The 1992 World Cup winning Pakistan captain had a wonderful average of nearly 25 in away Tests.
Imran Khan is regarded as the spearhead of the quartet of all-rounders who reigned in Test cricket in the 70s and 80: Imran Khan, Ian Botham, Kapil Dev and Richard Hadlee.
#2: Ishant Sharma (199)
Ishant Sharma, the much improved and highly rated Test bowler from India, stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Imran Khan on this list.
Sharma first shot to prominence during the series down under in Australia in 2007-08 where he exhibited exquisite control of the moving ball. He became the Indian bowler with most wickets outside Asia during the Test series against the West Windies in 2019, breaking the erstwhile mark of Kapil Dev in the process.
The right-armer's 7/74 at Lord's is still remembered as one of the most memorable fast-bowling spells by an Indian pacer in a Test match on English soil.