Tests Decades - Best Fast Bowlers In 1970s Featured

Top Test Fast Bowler of the Decade (1970 – 1979)

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This Rating takes into account only the matches played in the 1970s. Brief explanation of the ratings is given before each section (Detailed Explanation). So, here are the Top 10 Fast bowlers in Test Cricket in the 1970s.

*Note: All Test Ratings are updated till 2023-08-09

CONTENTS
1. THE CRITERIA
2. QUALIFICATION
3. PRIMARY CRITERIA
3.1. PROLIFIC
3.2. CONSISTENT
3.2.1. Against All Teams
3.2.2. Against Top Teams
3.3. ATTACKING
3.4. BEST BOWLING (WKTS)
3.5. PRIMARY RATING
4. CONDITIONS CRITERIA
4.1. HOME/AWAY
4.1.1. At Home
4.1.2. Away From Home
4.2. FAVOURABLE/UNFAVOURABLE CONDITIONS
4.2.1. Favourable Conditions Rating
4.2.1.1. Non Asians Outside Asia
4.2.1.2. Asians Outside Asia
4.2.2. Unfavourable Conditions Rating
4.2.2.1. Non Asians In Asia
4.2.2.2. Asians In Asia
4.3. CONDITIONS RATING
5. SECONDARY CRITERIA
5.1. TOP FORM AT HOME
5.2. TOP FORM AWAY
5.3. TOP 7 VICTIMS
5.4. SECONDARY RATING
6. DECADES RATING
7. TOP TEAMS
7.1. Top Teams In Asia
7.2. Top Teams Outside Asia

THE CRITERIA

CRITERIA CONSTITUENTS
Primary Wickets, Average, Strike Rate, Top Inns
Conditions Home, Away, In Asia, Outside Asia
Secondary Top Form Home, Top Form Away, Top 7 Batsmen
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 an 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.
Top Teams (TT)

Some sections consider performances only against the top teams. Here is some information about the Top Teams:-

  • Win/Loss Ratio is used to determine top teams.
  • The top teams are calculated by decades.
  • Further, they are divided into In Asia and Outside Asia.
  • A bowler’s performace is counted in TT if it comes in the specific condition and in the specific decade.

QUALIFICATION

Min Innings 25
Min Wickets (TS AVE SR) 50

PRIMARY CRITERIA

PROLIFIC

Criteria: Points For Wickets Taken

RANK BOWLER NAT INNS WKTS RAT
TS DK Lillee AUS 68 184 200.00
1 DK Lillee AUS 68 184 200.00
2 RGD Willis ENG 95 182 197.83
3 JR Thomson AUS 61 152 165.22
4 AME Roberts WI 57 140 152.17
5 Sarfraz Nawaz PAK 59 120 130.43
6 IT Botham ENG 40 118 128.26
7 N Kapil Dev IND 40 87 94.57
8 MA Holding WI 29 65 70.65
9 Sikander Bakht PAK 28 57 61.96
10 JK Lever ENG 28 51 55.43

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

Against All Teams

RANK BOWLER INNS RUNS WKTS AVE R AVE RAT
TS IT Botham 40 2274 118 19.27 19.90 200.00
1 IT Botham 40 2274 118 19.27 19.90 200.00
2 JK Lever 28 1204 51 23.61 22.49 177.04
3 DK Lillee 68 4376 184 23.78 24.00 165.87
4 N Kapil Dev 40 2413 87 27.74 24.50 162.50
5 AME Roberts 57 3521 140 25.15 24.64 161.56
6 RGD Willis 95 4511 182 24.79 24.64 161.55
7 MA Holding 29 1596 65 24.55 25.04 159.00
8 Sikander Bakht 28 1631 57 28.61 25.25 157.68
9 JR Thomson 61 3893 152 25.61 25.60 155.53
10 Sarfraz Nawaz 59 3591 120 29.93 26.76 148.79

Against Top Teams

RANK BOWLER INNS RUNS WKTS AVE R AVE RAT
TS M Hendrick 35 1333 65 20.51 21.38 200.00
1 JK Lever 26 1049 46 22.80 21.72 196.85
2 AME Roberts 47 2758 121 22.79 22.33 191.48
3 IT Botham 23 1417 64 22.14 22.87 186.98
4 DK Lillee 52 3171 136 23.32 23.53 181.72
5 N Kapil Dev 40 2413 87 27.74 24.50 174.54
6 JR Thomson 58 3749 150 24.99 24.98 171.19
7 MA Holding 29 1596 65 24.55 25.04 170.78
8 Sikander Bakht 21 1224 42 29.14 25.71 166.29
9 RGD Willis 74 3596 139 25.87 25.72 166.25
10 Sarfraz Nawaz 43 2736 94 29.11 26.02 164.31

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

RANK BOWLER INNS BALLS WKTS SR R SR RAT
TS IT Botham 40 5381 118 45.60 41.95 300.00
1 IT Botham 40 5381 118 45.60 41.95 300.00
2 JR Thomson 61 7512 152 49.42 45.27 277.99
3 DK Lillee 68 9510 184 51.68 47.05 267.52
4 AME Roberts 57 7340 140 52.43 47.72 263.72
5 Sikander Bakht 28 3400 57 59.65 48.24 260.90
6 MA Holding 29 3408 65 52.43 48.32 260.47
7 N Kapil Dev 40 4757 87 54.68 48.72 258.34
8 RGD Willis 95 9916 182 54.48 49.99 251.74
9 JK Lever 28 2886 51 56.59 50.87 247.38
10 Sarfraz Nawaz 59 8582 120 71.52 58.87 213.79

BEST BOWLING (WKTS)

BBW

In this criteria, we have taken the top 7 bowling performances by Wkts of a bowler. Best Bowling By Wickets (BBW) is simply the total wickets taken in the 7 innings divided by 7.

Criteria: Points For Wkts Taken In Top 7 Inns

RANK BOWLER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 AVE WT RAT
TS IT Botham 8/34 6/34 6/78 6/101 5/21 5/35 5/39 5.86 100.00
1 IT Botham 8/34 6/34 6/78 6/101 5/21 5/35 5/39 5.86 100.00
2 AME Roberts 7/54 7/64 6/37 5/50 5/56 5/57 5/60 5.71 97.56
3 DK Lillee 6/26 6/66 6/72 6/82 5/15 5/51 5/58 5.57 95.12
4 RGD Willis 7/78 6/53 5/27 5/32 5/42 5/42 5/44 5.43 92.68
5 MA Holding 8/92 6/57 6/65 5/17 4/40 4/82 4/88 5.29 90.24
5 JR Thomson 6/46 6/50 6/77 5/38 5/62 5/93 4/41 5.29 90.24
5 Sarfraz Nawaz 9/86 6/89 5/39 5/70 4/46 4/53 4/56 5.29 90.24
8 N Kapil Dev 6/63 5/58 5/74 5/82 5/146 4/30 4/38 4.86 82.93
9 Sikander Bakht 8/69 5/55 5/56 4/67 4/132 3/55 3/68 4.57 78.05
10 JK Lever 7/46 5/59 4/28 3/24 3/42 3/60 3/96 4.00 68.29

PRIMARY RATING

The total of the above four criteria comes out to be 1,000.00 points. The Primary Rating is the addition of the points a bowler scored in the four criteria. The Weightage of the Rating is half of the DECADES Rating, i.e. 500 pts.

RANK BOWLER PRO CON ATT BBW RAT PRI PTS
1 IT Botham 128.26 386.98 300.00 100.00 915.24 457.62
2 DK Lillee 200.00 347.59 267.52 95.12 910.23 455.12
3 RGD Willis 197.83 327.80 251.74 92.68 870.05 435.02
4 AME Roberts 152.17 353.04 263.72 97.56 866.49 433.25
5 JR Thomson 165.22 326.71 277.99 90.24 860.17 430.08
6 N Kapil Dev 94.57 337.04 258.34 82.93 772.87 386.43
7 MA Holding 70.65 329.78 260.47 90.24 751.15 375.57
8 Sarfraz Nawaz 130.43 313.10 213.79 90.24 747.57 373.78
9 JK Lever 55.43 373.89 247.38 68.29 745.00 372.50
10 Sikander Bakht 61.96 323.96 260.90 78.05 724.87 362.44

CONDITIONS CRITERIA

The Conditions

The Conditions Ratings are calculated by applying the four criteria of the Primary Rating to diffirent conditions. Unfavourable Conditions (UC) is Outside Asia for spin bowlers and In Asia for pacers. Favourable Conditions (FC) is the opposite. If Innings are less than the Qualification than the Player gets 50% of the Points. Here are those conditions and their weightage:-

  • HOME – 250 PTS
  • AWAY – 1,000 PTS
  • FC – 250 PTS
  • UC – 1,000 PTS

HOME/AWAY

At Home

Min Innings: 10

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS AVE SR RAT WTG
1 IT Botham 22 67 18.21 42.09 795.84 198.96
2 DK Lillee 44 117 24.99 50.57 785.00 196.25
3 JR Thomson 35 93 24.47 46.75 760.59 190.15
4 RGD Willis 34 82 22.83 45.38 750.04 187.51
5 N Kapil Dev 29 64 23.31 47.06 716.86 179.21
6 Sarfraz Nawaz 21 44 29.16 71.11 630.10 157.52
7 AME Roberts 19 40 31.85 60.60 565.83 141.46
8 MA Holding 7 19 19.89 43.58 500.00 125.00
8 Sikander Bakht 9 9 49.56 110.22 500.00 125.00
8 JK Lever 7 7 42.14 93.29 500.00 125.00

Away From Home

Min Innings: 10

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS AVE SR RAT WTG
1 AME Roberts 38 100 22.47 49.16 931.78 931.78
2 JK Lever 21 44 20.66 50.75 861.33 861.33
3 DK Lillee 24 67 21.67 53.63 830.56 830.56
4 IT Botham 18 51 20.67 50.22 823.23 823.23
5 RGD Willis 61 100 26.39 61.95 807.39 807.39
6 Sikander Bakht 19 48 24.69 50.17 779.68 779.68
7 JR Thomson 26 59 27.41 53.63 744.10 744.10
8 Sarfraz Nawaz 38 76 30.37 71.75 711.23 711.23
9 MA Holding 22 46 26.48 56.09 711.08 711.08
10 N Kapil Dev 11 23 40.04 75.87 596.53 596.53

FAVOURABLE/UNFAVOURABLE CONDITIONS

Favourable Conditions Rating

Non Asians Outside Asia

Min Innings: 10

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS AVE SR RAT WTG
1 DK Lillee 68 184 23.78 51.68 811.29 202.82
2 IT Botham 40 118 19.27 45.60 809.00 202.25
3 JR Thomson 61 152 25.61 49.42 766.09 191.52
4 RGD Willis 80 155 25.72 55.70 719.62 179.91
5 AME Roberts 43 96 27.23 55.93 673.05 168.26
6 MA Holding 29 65 24.55 52.43 661.68 165.42
7 JK Lever 13 21 29.95 68.86 457.77 114.44

Asians Outside Asia

Min Innings: 5

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS AVE SR RAT WTG
1 Sarfraz Nawaz 38 76 30.37 71.75 955.16 238.79
2 Sikander Bakht 13 25 31.64 61.40 705.57 176.39
3 N Kapil Dev 5 16 30.94 65.19 636.49 159.12

Unfavourable Conditions Rating

Non Asians In Asia

Min Innings: 5

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS AVE SR RAT WTG
1 AME Roberts 14 44 20.61 44.80 971.81 971.81
2 JK Lever 15 30 19.17 48.00 852.74 852.74
3 RGD Willis 15 27 19.44 47.48 814.73 814.73
4 JR Thomson 0 0 NA NA 500.00 500.00
4 DK Lillee 0 0 NA NA 500.00 500.00
4 MA Holding 0 0 NA NA 500.00 500.00
4 IT Botham 0 0 NA NA 500.00 500.00

Asians In Asia

Min Innings: 10

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS AVE SR RAT WTG
1 N Kapil Dev 35 71 27.01 52.31 943.77 943.77
2 Sikander Bakht 15 32 26.25 58.28 882.14 882.14
3 Sarfraz Nawaz 21 44 29.16 71.11 820.94 820.94

CONDITIONS RATING

The total of the above four criteria comes out to be 2,500.00 points. The Conditions Rating is the addition of the points a bowler scored in the four criteria. The Weightage of the Rating is one-fourth of the DECADES Rating, i.e. 250 pts.

RANK BOWLER AWAY HOME UC FC TOT CON PTS
1 AME Roberts 931.78 141.46 971.81 168.26 2,213.31 221.33
2 RGD Willis 807.39 187.51 814.73 179.91 1,989.54 198.95
3 Sikander Bakht 779.68 125.00 882.14 176.39 1,963.22 196.32
4 JK Lever 861.33 125.00 852.74 114.44 1,953.51 195.35
5 Sarfraz Nawaz 711.23 157.52 820.94 238.79 1,928.48 192.85
6 N Kapil Dev 596.53 179.21 943.77 159.12 1,878.64 187.86
7 DK Lillee 830.56 196.25 500.00 202.82 1,729.63 172.96
8 IT Botham 823.23 198.96 500.00 202.25 1,724.44 172.44
9 JR Thomson 744.10 190.15 500.00 191.52 1,625.77 162.58
10 MA Holding 711.08 125.00 500.00 165.42 1,501.50 150.15

SECONDARY CRITERIA

Top Form And Top 7 Victims

The Secondary Rating consists of three parts. Top Form is calculated by taking the best 30 consecutive innings of a bowler such that his overall points are maximum. Top Form is calculated seperately for Home and Away innings. Top 7 Victims are defined as the wickets taken by the bowler against the top 7 batsmen by batting order against Top Teams. If Innings are less than the Qualification than the Player gets 50% of the Points. The three secondary criteria and thier weightage is as follows:-

  • TOP FORM AT HOME – 500 PTS
  • TOP FORM AWAY – 1,000 PTS
  • TOP 7 VICTIMS – 1,000 PTS

TOP FORM AT HOME

Min Innings: 5

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS AVE SR RAT WTG
1 DK Lillee 30 90 23.56 45.48 814.35 407.18
2 IT Botham 22 67 18.21 42.09 808.57 404.28
3 JR Thomson 30 89 23.18 44.79 805.97 402.98
4 RGD Willis 30 75 21.91 43.37 772.65 386.33
5 N Kapil Dev 29 64 23.31 47.06 709.97 354.98
6 Sarfraz Nawaz 21 44 29.16 71.11 609.82 304.91
7 MA Holding 7 19 19.89 43.58 550.23 275.12
8 AME Roberts 19 40 31.85 60.60 513.40 256.70
9 Sikander Bakht 9 9 49.56 110.22 290.71 145.36
10 JK Lever 7 7 42.14 93.29 235.65 117.83

TOP FORM AWAY

Min Innings: 5

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS AVE SR RAT WTG
1 AME Roberts 30 87 20.02 44.56 990.57 990.57
2 DK Lillee 24 67 21.67 53.63 836.39 836.39
3 RGD Willis 30 58 20.43 54.09 821.31 821.31
4 IT Botham 18 51 20.67 50.22 795.21 795.21
5 JK Lever 21 44 20.66 50.75 781.14 781.14
6 Sikander Bakht 19 48 24.69 50.17 751.98 751.98
7 JR Thomson 26 59 27.41 53.63 736.52 736.52
8 Sarfraz Nawaz 30 58 28.66 70.19 709.55 709.55
9 MA Holding 22 46 26.48 56.09 705.97 705.97
10 N Kapil Dev 11 23 40.04 75.87 535.58 535.58

TOP 7 VICTIMS

Min Innings: 25

RANK BOWLER INNS T7 WKTS PERC WT/IN T7 RAT WTG
1 JR Thomson 61 119 78.29 1.95 981.11 981.11
2 N Kapil Dev 40 65 74.71 1.63 830.94 830.94
3 DK Lillee 68 103 55.98 1.51 821.99 821.99
4 AME Roberts 57 83 59.29 1.46 808.02 808.02
5 MA Holding 29 49 75.38 1.69 777.53 777.53
6 RGD Willis 95 100 54.95 1.05 631.60 631.60
7 Sarfraz Nawaz 59 64 53.33 1.08 602.99 602.99
8 Sikander Bakht 28 32 56.14 1.14 595.87 595.87
9 IT Botham 40 44 37.29 1.10 538.96 538.96
10 JK Lever 28 28 54.90 1.00 526.34 526.34

SECONDARY RATING

The total of the above three criteria comes out to be 2,500.00 points. The Conditions Rating is the addition of the points a bowler scored in the three criteria. The Weightage of the Rating is one-fourth of the DECADES Rating, i.e. 250 pts.

RANK BOWLER TF HM TF AW T7 WKTS TOT SEC RAT
1 JR Thomson 402.98 736.52 981.11 2,120.61 212.06
2 DK Lillee 407.18 836.39 821.99 2,065.55 206.56
3 AME Roberts 256.70 990.57 808.02 2,055.29 205.53
4 RGD Willis 386.33 821.31 631.60 1,839.24 183.92
5 MA Holding 275.12 705.97 777.53 1,758.61 175.86
6 IT Botham 404.28 795.21 538.96 1,738.45 173.85
7 N Kapil Dev 354.98 535.58 830.94 1,721.51 172.15
8 Sarfraz Nawaz 304.91 709.55 602.99 1,617.45 161.74
9 Sikander Bakht 145.36 751.98 595.87 1,493.21 149.32
10 JK Lever 117.83 781.14 526.34 1,425.31 142.53

DECADES RATING

DECADES Rating is the addition of the points of all the above criteria. The rating is out of 1,000 Pts. Half the points are for Primary Criteria; one-fourth for Conditions; and one-fourth for Secondary Criteria.

RANK BOWLER NAT PRI RAT CON RAT SEC RAT FIN RAT
1 AME Roberts WI 433.25 221.33 205.53 860.11
2 DK Lillee AUS 455.12 172.96 206.56 834.63
3 RGD Willis ENG 435.02 198.95 183.92 817.90
4 JR Thomson AUS 430.08 162.58 212.06 804.72
5 IT Botham ENG 457.62 172.44 173.85 803.91
6 N Kapil Dev IND 386.43 187.86 172.15 746.45
7 Sarfraz Nawaz PAK 373.78 192.85 161.74 728.38
8 JK Lever ENG 372.50 195.35 142.53 710.38
9 Sikander Bakht PAK 362.44 196.32 149.32 708.08
10 MA Holding WI 375.57 150.15 175.86 701.58

TOP TEAMS

Top Teams In Asia

DECADE OF MAT 1 2 3 4 5 6
1950s AUS WI PAK IND ENG
1960s WI AUS PAK IND ENG SA
1970s PAK ENG IND WI SA AUS
1980s PAK WI ENG NZ AUS
1990s IND PAK SA AUS WI
2000s AUS SL IND PAK SA ENG
2010s IND PAK SL ENG SA AUS
2020s IND ENG PAK AUS NZ

Top Teams Outside Asia

DECADE OF MAT 1 2 3 4 5
1950s AUS ENG WI SA PAK
1960s ENG AUS WI SA NZ
1970s SA ENG WI AUS IND
1980s WI NZ AUS ENG PAK
1990s AUS SA WI PAK ENG
2000s AUS SA ENG IND NZ
2010s SA AUS ENG NZ IND
2020s AUS NZ SA ENG IND

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