Most wickets against Australia in Tests: Ian Botham tops charts, Anil Kumble in top 10

Australia have been one of the powerhouses in Test cricket in the last few decades. Multiple Australian teams have piled on the victories, both at home and away. Batters like Steven Smith, Ricky Ponting, Greg Chappell, Michael Clarke and David Warner have made bowlers toil hard to earn their scalps. 

However, despite the Aussie exploits, bowlers have shown their class against them to be successful. England’s iconic cricketer Ian Botham has picked up the most wickets against Australia in Test cricket. 

The 6ft 2in all-rounder, who possessed mystical brilliance in the Ashes, took 148 wickets against the Australian cricket team in Tests. Botham also amassed 1673 runs, including four centuries, in the Ashes.

Meanwhile, just like the Ashes, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has also been a riveting contest in cricket’s longest format. Former Indian captain and leg-spinner Anil Kumble, with 111 scalps, has the most wickets for India against Australia in Tests. Ravichandran Ashwin has picked up 97 wickets and ranks second on that list.

Let us look at the leading wicket-takers against Australia in Tests.

Most wickets against Australia in Tests

Ian Botham (England) - 148 wickets vs Australia in Tests

Sir Ian Botham was a consistent headline-maker in English cricket. His ability to dazzle on the biggest stage and surge to improbable heights in the game made him one of the greatest.

He scalped 148 wickets against Australia in Test cricket in only 66 innings. Botham averaged a wicket every 27.65 runs in this fixture, while conceding runs at a miserly rate of 2.89. The former England captain recorded nine five-wicket hauls in an innings and two ten-fors in a match against the Aussies. 

Courtney Walsh (West Indies) - 135 wickets vs Australia in Tests

Former West Indian speedster Courtney Walsh has the second-most wickets against Australia in Test cricket. The Jamaica-born pacer boasts an overall of 519 scalps in this format, 135 of which came against the team from Down Under.

Walsh played 38 Tests against Australia and took five wickets in an innings on four occasions. He had best bowling figures of 6/54, while he conceded less than three runs per over against the Australians. 

Stuart Broad (England) - 131 wickets vs Australia in Tests

Meanwhile, Stuart Broad features in the top three in this list with 131 wickets versus Australia in Tests. His spell of 8/15, one of his eight five-fors in this fixture, at Nottingham in Ashes 2015 is the joint third-best spell against the Australian cricket team. Nicknamed Broady, he also has a 10-wicket haul in a Test.

Broad has maintained an average of 29.05 and an economy rate of 3.16 against Australia in Test match cricket.  

Photo credits: Alamy