All Test Ratings on the website are from 01/01/1950 onwards
(Know Why). Most of our ratings are dynamic, and as new matches are played, the rating of earlier bowlers may change if current
bowlers set new benchmarks. Brief explanation of the ratings is given before each section
(Detailed Explanation). Here are the Top
10 Fast bowlers from South Africa against England in South Africa in Test cricket.
*Note: All Test Ratings are updated till 2025-02-15
TVO RATING
This rating considers performances of players from specific teams in particular nations or against particular oppositions.
| Team (T) | SA |
| Venue (V) | SA |
| Oposition (O) | ENG |
THE CRITERIA
The TVO Rating is divided into 4 main sections:-
| CRITERIA | STAT | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
| Prolific | Wickets Taken | 300.00 |
| Consistent | Average | 300.00 |
| Attacking | Strike Rate | 200.00 |
| Best Bowling | Top Bowling Performances | 200.00 |
The Trend Setter (TS)
TS is the player which does the best in a criteria. The rating of all other players are calculated taking the TS as the benchmark. Know All About TS. Here is a simple example:-
- TS Ave: 25.00; Player X Ave: 30.00; Section Points: 300.00
- TS Points: 300.00(Max); Player X Points: TS Ave/Ave X 300 = 25.00/30.00 X 300 = 250.00
- Ratings of all sections are calculated similarly with Ave being replaced by the Criteria Stat.
QUALIFICATION
| Min Innings | 5 |
PROLIFIC
The Eras
The time period from 1950 to present is divided into eras for this section. This is because less cricket was played earlier. To make it fair for earlier players they are compared with players of the same period with a slight reduction in points. Know More About Eras.
| Era 1 | MP before 1991 |
| Era 2 | MP between 1990 And 2016 |
| Era 3 | MP greater than 2015 |
Criteria: Points For Wickets Taken
| RANK | ERA 1 | NAT | FP | LP | MP | INNS | WKTS | RAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TS | NAT Adcock | SA | 1956 | 1957 | 1956.5 | 10 | 21 | 240.00 |
| 1 | NAT Adcock | SA | 1956 | 1957 | 1956.5 | 10 | 21 | 240.00 |
| 1 | TL Goddard | SA | 1956 | 1965 | 1960.5 | 17 | 21 | 240.00 |
| 3 | PS Heine | SA | 1956 | 1957 | 1956.5 | 10 | 18 | 205.71 |
| RANK | ERA 2 | NAT | FP | LP | MP | INNS | WKTS | RAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TS | SM Pollock | SA | 1995 | 2005 | 2000 | 26 | 56 | 300.00 |
| 1 | SM Pollock | SA | 1995 | 2005 | 2000 | 26 | 56 | 300.00 |
| 2 | AA Donald | SA | 1995 | 2000 | 1997.5 | 15 | 41 | 219.64 |
| 3 | M Morkel | SA | 2009 | 2016 | 2012.5 | 15 | 34 | 182.14 |
| 4 | M Ntini | SA | 2004 | 2009 | 2006.5 | 13 | 27 | 144.64 |
| 4 | DW Steyn | SA | 2004 | 2015 | 2009.5 | 13 | 27 | 144.64 |
| RANK | ERA 3 | NAT | FP | LP | MP | INNS | WKTS | RAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TS | K Rabada | SA | 2016 | 2020 | 2018 | 11 | 36 | 260.00 |
| 1 | K Rabada | SA | 2016 | 2020 | 2018 | 11 | 36 | 260.00 |
| 2 | AA Nortje | SA | 2019 | 2020 | 2019.5 | 7 | 18 | 130.00 |
CONSISTENT
R Ave
Relative Average (R Ave) is a more accurate type of average. Know How It Is Calculated. Briefly it takes into account:-
- Strength of Opposition.
- Venues at which a player has played.
- Time Period in which a bowler has been active
Criteria: Points For Relative Average
| Min Qualification For TS | |
|---|---|
| Min Wickets | 10 |
| RANK | BOWLER | INNS | RUNS | WKTS | AVE | R AVE | RAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TS | NAT Adcock | 10 | 313 | 21 | 14.90 | 16.33 | 300.00 |
| 1 | NAT Adcock | 10 | 313 | 21 | 14.90 | 16.33 | 300.00 |
| 2 | SM Pollock | 26 | 1276 | 56 | 22.79 | 22.97 | 213.22 |
| 3 | AA Donald | 15 | 919 | 41 | 22.41 | 23.76 | 206.17 |
| 4 | K Rabada | 11 | 887 | 36 | 24.64 | 25.66 | 190.88 |
| 5 | M Morkel | 15 | 854 | 34 | 25.12 | 25.75 | 190.24 |
| 6 | AA Nortje | 7 | 488 | 18 | 27.11 | 28.41 | 172.45 |
| 7 | M Ntini | 13 | 860 | 27 | 31.85 | 30.00 | 163.30 |
| 8 | DW Steyn | 13 | 853 | 27 | 31.59 | 31.36 | 156.19 |
| 9 | PS Heine | 10 | 517 | 18 | 28.72 | 31.47 | 155.68 |
| 10 | TL Goddard | 17 | 680 | 21 | 32.38 | 32.73 | 149.68 |
ATTACKING
R SR
Relative Strike Rate (R SR) for bowlers is calculated using the same method as R Ave with average being replaced with SR.
Criteria: Points For R SR or Balls/Wkt
| Min Qualification For TS | |
|---|---|
| Min Wickets | 10 |
| RANK | BOWLER | INNS | BLS | WKTS | SR | R SR | RAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TS | NAT Adcock | 10 | 1136 | 21 | 54.10 | 40.05 | 200.00 |
| 1 | NAT Adcock | 10 | 1136 | 21 | 54.10 | 40.05 | 200.00 |
| 2 | K Rabada | 11 | 1299 | 36 | 36.08 | 41.91 | 191.10 |
| 3 | AA Donald | 15 | 1915 | 41 | 46.71 | 47.30 | 169.34 |
| 4 | AA Nortje | 7 | 750 | 18 | 41.67 | 51.16 | 156.54 |
| 5 | M Morkel | 15 | 1793 | 34 | 52.74 | 58.57 | 136.75 |
| 6 | DW Steyn | 13 | 1489 | 27 | 55.15 | 59.05 | 135.64 |
| 7 | SM Pollock | 26 | 3338 | 56 | 59.61 | 60.82 | 131.69 |
| 8 | PS Heine | 10 | 1480 | 18 | 82.22 | 60.87 | 131.58 |
| 9 | M Ntini | 13 | 1749 | 27 | 64.78 | 66.67 | 120.14 |
| 10 | TL Goddard | 17 | 2701 | 21 | 128.62 | 96.87 | 82.68 |
BEST BOWLING (WKTS)
BBW
In this criteria, we have taken the top 5 bowling performances by Wkts of a bowler. Best Bowling By Wickets (BBW) is simply the total wickets taken in the 5 innings divided by 5.
Criteria: Points For Wkts Taken In Top 5 Inns
| RANK | BOWLER | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | BBW | RAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TS | K Rabada | 7/112 | 6/32 | 5/78 | 4/103 | 3/68 | 5.00 | 200.00 |
| 1 | K Rabada | 7/112 | 6/32 | 5/78 | 4/103 | 3/68 | 5.00 | 200.00 |
| 2 | AA Donald | 6/53 | 5/46 | 5/47 | 5/74 | 3/49 | 4.80 | 192.00 |
| 3 | SM Pollock | 5/32 | 4/16 | 4/32 | 4/64 | 4/65 | 4.20 | 168.00 |
| 4 | M Morkel | 5/75 | 4/59 | 4/76 | 3/36 | 3/39 | 3.80 | 152.00 |
| 5 | NAT Adcock | 4/20 | 4/36 | 4/39 | 3/33 | 3/54 | 3.60 | 144.00 |
| 6 | M Ntini | 4/50 | 4/111 | 3/12 | 3/41 | 3/62 | 3.40 | 136.00 |
| 6 | DW Steyn | 5/51 | 4/70 | 4/74 | 2/26 | 2/64 | 3.40 | 136.00 |
| 8 | AA Nortje | 5/110 | 3/56 | 3/61 | 2/47 | 2/56 | 3.00 | 120.00 |
| 9 | PS Heine | 4/22 | 3/41 | 2/54 | 2/65 | 2/67 | 2.60 | 104.00 |
| 10 | TL Goddard | 3/51 | 3/62 | 2/12 | 2/13 | 2/34 | 2.40 | 96.00 |
TEAM VEN OPP RATING
The TEAM VEN OPP (TVO) Rating is the addition of the points of all the above criteria. The rating is out of 1,000.
| RANK | BOWLER | PRO | CON | ATT | BBW | TVO RAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NAT Adcock | 240.00 | 300.00 | 200.00 | 144.00 | 884.00 |
| 2 | K Rabada | 260.00 | 190.88 | 191.10 | 200.00 | 841.97 |
| 3 | SM Pollock | 300.00 | 213.22 | 131.69 | 168.00 | 812.91 |
| 4 | AA Donald | 219.64 | 206.17 | 169.34 | 192.00 | 787.15 |
| 5 | M Morkel | 182.14 | 190.24 | 136.75 | 152.00 | 661.13 |
| 6 | PS Heine | 205.71 | 155.68 | 131.58 | 104.00 | 596.98 |
| 7 | AA Nortje | 130.00 | 172.45 | 156.54 | 120.00 | 579.00 |
| 8 | DW Steyn | 144.64 | 156.19 | 135.64 | 136.00 | 572.47 |
| 9 | TL Goddard | 240.00 | 149.68 | 82.68 | 96.00 | 568.36 |
| 10 | M Ntini | 144.64 | 163.30 | 120.14 | 136.00 | 564.08 |