5 bowlers who have dismissed the most batsmen for a duck in Test cricket
With the wicket of Shubman Gill on Day 1 of the 4th Test against India, James Anderson matched the record of dismissing the most batsmen for a duck in the longest format of the game.
The list features some of the greatest bowlers who've ever played the game of cricket. To put things into perspective, the likes of Courtney Walsh, Wasim Akram and Stuart Broad narrowly miss out. They've dismissed 79, 79 and 78 batsmen respectively for a duck in Tests.
Here are the 5 bowlers who have dismissed the most batsmen for a duck in Test cricket.
#5 Dale Steyn (83 batsmen)
Dale Steyn found himself at the centre of controversy recently for his comments on the Indian Premier League, but later took to Twitter to offer an apology. Although the speedster's credentials in T20 cricket have taken a hit of late, he remains one of the greatest Test bowlers cricket has ever seen.
In 93 Tests spanning 16 years, Steyn picked up 439 wickets at an average of 22.95. The 37-year-old dismissed 83 batsmen without scoring to slot himself in at #5 on this list.
South Africa's leading wicket-taker in Test cricket retired from the format in 2019, and was playing for the Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League before the tournament was postponed due to a rising number of COVID-19 cases.
#T3 Shane Warne (102 batsmen)
The second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, Shane Warne scalped 708 batsmen in 145 matches at an average of 25.41. The wily leg-spinner dismissed 102 batsmen for a duck, and is tied at third (or second, depending upon the way you want to look at it) on this list.
Warne is one of two bowlers to have taken over 1,000 wickets in international cricket, and he is followed on this list by the other bowler to have achieved this distinction.
#T3 Muttiah Muralitharan (102 batsmen)
Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan inevitably finds his way into a list regarding Test bowling achievements. The off-spinner is, of course, the highest wicket-taker in Test history.
In 133 Tests over the course of 19 years, Muralitharan picked up an astonishing 800 wickets at an average of 22.7. Like Warne, he dismissed 102 batsmen for a duck in red-ball international cricket.
Muralitharan retired from Test cricket back in 2010, and his wickets record is next to impossible to break.
#T1 Glenn McGrath (104 batsmen)
Over the course of a 14-year Test career for Australia, Glenn McGrath registered 563 wickets at a mind-boggling average of 21.64.
He is the second-highest wicket-taker among pacers in the format. The quick also holds the record for dismissing the most batsmen on a duck in Tests - one that has now been equalled by Anderson.
McGrath was at the top of his game when he retired in 2007, and could've added more records to his name had he not been plagued by injuries in the latter stages of his career.
#T1 Jimmy Anderson (104 batsmen)
Jimmy Anderson has a strong case to be considered the greatest Test fast bowler in the history of the game. The Englishman became the first pacer to reach the milestone of 600 Test wickets in his team's series against Pakistan last year.
Anderson is also slowly closing in on Anil Kumble, who is placed at #3 on the list of highest wicket-takers in Test cricket. He has taken 612 wickets at an average of 26.48, and still has at least a couple of years of cricket left at the top level.
Anderson could easily surpass McGrath and make the #1 spot on this list exclusively his.