Tests - Best Fast Bowlers In Top Form

Top 25 Test Fast Bowlers In Top Form

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All Test Ratings on the website are from 01/01/1950 onwards (Know Why). They are updated till 2026-02-05. Brief explanation of the ratings is given before each section and at the end (Detailed Explanation). Here are the Top 25 Fast bowlers in their Top Form in Test cricket.

CONTENTS
1. THE CRITERIA
2. QUALIFICATION
3. PROLIFIC
4. CONSISTENT
4.1. Against Top Teams
5. ATTACKING
5.1. Against Top Teams
6. BEST BOWLING (WKTS)
6.1. Against Top Teams
7. TOP FORM RATING
8. BRIEF EXPLANATION
8.1. Dynamic Nature
8.2. Trend Setter (TS)
8.3. Top Teams (TT)
8.4. Abbreviations
TF RATING

Points to note about TOP FORM Rating:-

  • TF is calculated by taking the best 50 consecutive innings of a bowler.
  • The inns are taken such that his points are maximum.
  • Only innings against Top Teams are considered.

THE CRITERIA

The TF Rating is divided into 4 main sections:-

CRITERIA STAT POINTS
Prolific Wickets Taken 300.00
Consistent Average 250.00
Attacking Strike Rate 250.00
Best Bowling Top Bowling Performances 200.00

QUALIFICATION

Min Innings 20
Min Career Wkts 50

PROLIFIC

Criteria: Points For Wickets Taken

RANK BOWLER NAT FP LP INNS WKTS RAT
TS RJ Hadlee NZ 1980-12-12 1987-03-12 50 163 300.00
1 RJ Hadlee NZ 1980-12-12 1987-03-12 50 163 300.00
2 DK Lillee AUS 1975-07-10 1981-12-26 50 148 272.39
3 Imran Khan PAK 1978-10-27 1988-04-22 50 147 270.55
4 N Kapil Dev IND 1979-12-25 1983-11-12 50 141 259.51
4 DW Steyn SA 2006-07-27 2011-11-17 50 141 259.51
6 MA Holding WI 1976-04-21 1983-12-10 50 140 257.67
7 IT Botham ENG 1977-07-28 1981-12-09 50 139 255.83
7 MD Marshall WI 1980-12-08 1986-11-20 50 139 255.83
7 GD McGrath AUS 1998-11-20 2002-02-22 50 139 255.83
10 JR Thomson AUS 1974-11-29 1978-04-15 50 137 252.15
11 K Rabada SA 2018-03-01 2025-06-11 50 136 250.31
12 Wasim Akram PAK 1985-02-09 1998-03-06 50 135 248.47
13 AA Donald SA 1994-03-17 2001-04-19 50 130 239.26
14 PJ Cummins AUS 2018-03-22 2022-12-17 50 128 235.58
15 JA Snow ENG 1966-08-18 1972-07-27 50 126 231.90
16 Fazal Mahmood PAK 1952-10-16 1962-08-16 44 125 230.06
16 CEL Ambrose WI 1991-04-19 1998-02-27 50 125 230.06
16 MG Johnson AUS 2009-01-03 2014-02-12 50 125 230.06
19 JJ Bumrah IND 2021-02-05 2025-11-14 50 122 224.54
20 ARC Fraser ENG 1990-12-26 1998-08-06 50 121 222.70
21 AK Davidson AUS 1955-01-28 1963-02-15 50 120 220.86
22 J Garner WI 1978-03-17 1984-11-23 50 118 217.18
22 SM Pollock SA 1997-10-24 2004-03-10 50 118 217.18
22 MA Starc AUS 2015-07-29 2019-12-26 50 118 217.18
25 SCJ Broad ENG 2013-08-09 2017-07-06 50 112 206.13

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 60

Against Top Teams

RANK BOWLER INNS RUNS WKTS AVE R AVE RAT
TS GD McGrath 50 2462 139 17.71 17.46 250.00
1 GD McGrath 50 2462 139 17.71 17.46 250.00
2 Imran Khan 50 2775 147 18.88 18.08 241.55
3 JJ Bumrah 50 2371 122 19.43 18.98 230.07
4 CEL Ambrose 50 2389 125 19.11 19.23 227.06
5 RJ Hadlee 50 3130 163 19.20 19.24 226.92
6 MD Marshall 50 2586 139 18.60 19.26 226.68
7 MA Holding 50 2661 140 19.01 19.85 219.96
8 J Garner 50 2246 118 19.03 19.97 218.66
9 PJ Cummins 50 2538 128 19.83 20.15 216.71
10 AA Donald 50 2589 130 19.92 20.16 216.53
11 SM Pollock 50 2420 118 20.51 20.52 212.80
12 Wasim Akram 50 2761 135 20.45 20.89 209.04
13 SCJ Broad 50 2618 112 23.38 21.38 204.23
14 JA Snow 50 2817 126 22.36 21.68 201.43
15 DW Steyn 50 3506 141 24.87 22.65 192.77
16 K Rabada 50 3104 136 22.82 22.95 190.26
17 AK Davidson 50 2568 120 21.40 22.98 189.98
18 DK Lillee 50 3442 148 23.26 23.33 187.14
19 JR Thomson 50 3307 137 24.14 23.46 186.14
20 MG Johnson 50 3351 125 26.81 23.63 184.75
21 IT Botham 50 3225 139 23.20 23.68 184.41
22 Fazal Mahmood 44 3103 125 24.82 24.29 179.77
23 ARC Fraser 50 3121 121 25.79 24.54 177.92
24 MA Starc 50 3020 118 25.59 25.13 173.76
25 N Kapil Dev 50 3832 141 27.18 25.76 169.46

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 60

Against Top Teams

RANK BOWLER INNS BLS WKTS SR R SR RAT
TS MA Holding 50 6043 140 43.16 41.07 250.00
1 MA Holding 50 6043 140 43.16 41.07 250.00
2 MD Marshall 50 5767 139 41.49 41.10 249.82
3 AA Donald 50 5548 130 42.68 41.15 249.53
4 JR Thomson 50 6457 137 47.13 42.35 242.50
5 RJ Hadlee 50 7419 163 45.52 42.44 241.94
6 K Rabada 50 5345 136 39.30 42.52 241.47
7 DW Steyn 50 6023 141 42.72 43.05 238.54
8 DK Lillee 50 7157 148 48.36 43.80 234.44
9 Imran Khan 50 6978 147 47.47 43.86 234.13
10 JJ Bumrah 50 4973 122 40.76 44.00 233.38
11 GD McGrath 50 6354 139 45.71 44.82 229.12
12 JA Snow 50 6524 126 51.78 44.89 228.78
13 MG Johnson 50 5918 125 47.34 45.87 223.89
14 Wasim Akram 50 6249 135 46.29 46.45 221.08
15 MA Starc 50 5360 118 45.42 47.94 214.21
16 N Kapil Dev 50 7328 141 51.97 48.13 213.34
17 AK Davidson 50 7217 120 60.14 48.47 211.87
18 PJ Cummins 50 5733 128 44.79 48.57 211.41
19 SCJ Broad 50 5420 112 48.39 48.68 210.95
20 J Garner 50 5969 118 50.58 48.89 210.03
21 IT Botham 50 7104 139 51.11 49.90 205.77
22 CEL Ambrose 50 6400 125 51.20 50.09 205.01
23 SM Pollock 50 6305 118 53.43 53.34 192.51
24 ARC Fraser 50 6960 121 57.52 55.09 186.40
25 Fazal Mahmood 44 8529 125 68.23 55.38 185.43

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

Against Top Teams

RANK BOWLER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 BBW RAT
TS N Kapil Dev 9/83 8/85 7/56 7/220 6/63 6/77 6/91 7.00 200.00
1 N Kapil Dev 9/83 8/85 7/56 7/220 6/63 6/77 6/91 7.00 200.00
2 RJ Hadlee 9/52 6/50 6/51 6/53 6/57 6/71 6/80 6.43 183.67
3 Fazal Mahmood 7/42 7/80 6/34 6/34 6/46 6/53 6/66 6.29 179.59
4 Imran Khan 8/60 7/52 7/80 6/46 5/49 5/59 5/62 6.14 175.51
5 ARC Fraser 8/53 8/75 6/82 5/40 5/42 5/60 5/62 6.00 171.43
6 JA Snow 7/40 7/49 6/60 6/114 5/57 5/86 5/92 5.86 167.35
6 DK Lillee 7/83 7/89 6/26 6/60 5/15 5/46 5/63 5.86 167.35
6 MA Holding 8/92 6/57 6/62 6/67 5/17 5/45 5/56 5.86 167.35
6 IT Botham 7/48 6/58 6/78 6/95 6/125 5/11 5/21 5.86 167.35
6 SCJ Broad 8/15 6/17 6/25 6/50 6/81 5/71 4/25 5.86 167.35
11 MG Johnson 7/40 7/68 6/38 5/42 5/59 5/63 5/64 5.71 163.27
12 AK Davidson 6/53 6/64 6/75 6/87 5/25 5/42 5/63 5.57 159.18
12 MD Marshall 7/53 6/37 6/85 5/33 5/35 5/38 5/69 5.57 159.18
12 CEL Ambrose 7/25 6/34 6/74 5/25 5/43 5/45 5/52 5.57 159.18
12 SM Pollock 7/87 6/50 6/78 5/28 5/37 5/43 5/54 5.57 159.18
16 DW Steyn 7/51 6/50 5/23 5/51 5/56 5/67 5/75 5.43 155.10
16 JJ Bumrah 6/45 6/61 6/76 5/27 5/30 5/42 5/57 5.43 155.10
18 JR Thomson 6/46 6/50 6/77 5/38 5/62 5/93 4/41 5.29 151.02
18 Wasim Akram 6/62 6/91 5/28 5/45 5/56 5/63 5/72 5.29 151.02
18 GD McGrath 6/17 6/85 5/21 5/28 5/48 5/50 5/55 5.29 151.02
18 MA Starc 6/50 6/111 5/34 5/44 5/52 5/63 5/88 5.29 151.02
22 AA Donald 6/59 5/36 5/40 5/49 5/49 5/79 4/14 5.00 142.86
22 PJ Cummins 6/27 5/28 5/38 5/42 5/56 5/83 4/21 5.00 142.86
22 K Rabada 6/54 5/51 5/52 5/59 5/60 5/96 4/13 5.00 142.86
25 J Garner 5/55 5/56 4/30 4/36 4/38 4/51 4/51 4.29 122.45

TOP FORM RATING

The TOP FORM (TF) 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 TF RAT
1 RJ Hadlee 300.00 226.92 241.94 183.67 952.53
2 Imran Khan 270.55 241.55 234.13 175.51 921.74
3 MA Holding 257.67 219.96 250.00 167.35 894.97
4 MD Marshall 255.83 226.68 249.82 159.18 891.51
5 GD McGrath 255.83 250.00 229.12 151.02 885.97
6 DK Lillee 272.39 187.14 234.44 167.35 861.32
7 AA Donald 239.26 216.53 249.53 142.86 848.18
8 DW Steyn 259.51 192.77 238.54 155.10 845.92
9 JJ Bumrah 224.54 230.07 233.38 155.10 843.09
10 N Kapil Dev 259.51 169.46 213.34 200.00 842.31
11 JR Thomson 252.15 186.14 242.50 151.02 831.80
12 Wasim Akram 248.47 209.04 221.08 151.02 829.61
13 JA Snow 231.90 201.43 228.78 167.35 829.45
14 K Rabada 250.31 190.26 241.47 142.86 824.90
15 CEL Ambrose 230.06 227.06 205.01 159.18 821.32
16 IT Botham 255.83 184.41 205.77 167.35 813.36
17 PJ Cummins 235.58 216.71 211.41 142.86 806.56
18 MG Johnson 230.06 184.75 223.89 163.27 801.96
19 SCJ Broad 206.13 204.23 210.95 167.35 788.67
20 AK Davidson 220.86 189.98 211.87 159.18 781.89
21 SM Pollock 217.18 212.80 192.51 159.18 781.68
22 Fazal Mahmood 230.06 179.77 185.43 179.59 774.86
23 J Garner 217.18 218.66 210.03 122.45 768.32
24 ARC Fraser 222.70 177.92 186.40 171.43 758.45
25 MA Starc 217.18 173.76 214.21 151.02 756.16

BRIEF EXPLANATION

Dynamic Nature

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.

Trend Setter (TS)

  1. TS is the player who does the best in a criteria.
  2. The rating of all other players are calculated taking the TS as the benchmark. Example:-
  3. TS Bowling Ave: 25.00; Player X Ave: 30.00; Section Points: 300.00
  4. TS Points: 300.00 (Max)
  5. Player X Points: TS Ave/Ave X 300 = 25.00/30.00 X 300 = 250.00.
  6. Ratings of all sections are calculated similarly with Ave being replaced by the Criteria Stat.
  7. Know All About the Trend Setter
    8. .

Top Teams (TT)

  1. An opposition is counted as a TT considering its Win/Loss (WL) Ratios in last 7 years.
  2. Home, Away, In Asia, Outside Asia and Overall WL Ratio is considered.
  3. The WL Ratio should be more than a certain value overall or in specific condition.

Abbreviations

  1. AVE - Average or Runs/Wkt
  2. BLS - Balls
  3. ER - Economy Rate or Runs/Over
  4. FF, 5WH - Five Fors or 5 Wkt Hauls
  5. FP - First Played by Year
  6. INF - Infinite
  7. INNS - Innings
  8. LP - Last Played by Year
  9. MDNS - Maidens
  10. MP - Middle Played or (FP+LP)/2
  11. NA - Not Applicable
  12. NI - Not In Top
  13. NK - Not Known
  14. NO, * - Not Out
  15. NQ - Not Qualified
  16. OPP - Opposition
  17. OVRS - Overs
  18. SR - Strike Rate or Balls/Wkts
  19. TS - Trend Setter
  20. TT - Top Teams
  21. WKTS - Wickets Taken

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