Top 5 wicket-takers in single edition of The Ashes

Top 5 wicket takers in Ashes: After the ongoing 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and Australia at The Oval, London, the Ashes will return with its edition, thus test cricket fans may enjoy the thrilling action over the upcoming few days.

It’s not easy for bowlers to shine more than the batters in a high-stakes Test series like the Ashes, but some bowlers made it look easy as they not only established themselves as the competition’s top wicket-takers but also set new records for the most wickets in an Ashes series.

The top five wicket-takers in an Ashes series

Terence Alderman (41 wickets,1989 Ashes)

Terence Alderman was instrumental with the ball in Australia’s 4-0 victory over England in the 1989 Ashes. The speedster, along with England wicketkeeper-batter Jack Russell, received the Player of the Series award for catching 41 batters in 11 innings across six matches.

Alderman destroyed England’s batting order in both innings of the first Test at Headlingley, picking up five-wicket hauls twice, and leading his team to a 210-run victory. At the conclusion of the game, the pacer was also named Player of the Match for his match-winning bowling effort.

In the fourth and fifth Tests of the championship, Australia absolutely thrashed the hosts, and Alderman bowled effectively and grabbed a few wickets to humiliate them. Both teams returned home after the last Test at The Oval with a tie, but Alderman had a successful match as he finished with seven wickets, becoming the match’s leading wicket-taker.

Shane Warne (40 wickets, 2005 Ashes)

In the 2005 Ashes competition, Shane Warne collected 40 wickets in five games and shared the Player of the Series award with England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff. Warne’s impressive bowling performances were ineffective because the home team won the series 2-1 over the visitors.

Warne helped Glenn McGrath in the first Test at Lord’s with some excellent bowling (2/19 and 4/64) and led his team to a 239-run victory. Australia lost to England by two runs in the second Test at Edgbaston following the outstanding victory at the legendary stadium. Warne collected the numbers 4/116 and 6/46 in the losing effort.

In the fourth Test, which England lost to Australia by three wickets at Trent Bridge, Warne once again looked fierce and finished with eight wickets. Australia lost the series as a consequence of the draw in the most recent test. However, the Australian spinner played with assurance and claimed six wickets in each of the game’s two innings.

Mitchell Johnson (37 wickets, 2013-14 Ashes)

In November 2013, Australia hosted England on their Ashes tour, and Michael Clarke and his team completely dominated the visitors in the five-match Test series. At the conclusion of the competition, Mitchell Johnson was named Player of the Series after amassing the most wickets with 37 in 10 innings.

Johnson had a commanding presence against Cook and company from the beginning of the series. The pacer was named Player of the Match in his team’s thrilling 381-run victory during the opening Test at The Gabba, where he chased out nine batters with the ball.

Johnson continued to build on his recent success by honing his attack against the visitors in the second Test, leading Australia to a 218-run victory and earning Player of the Match honours once more.

At the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Johnson gave his team another outstanding effort. Johnson picked up a wicket in the first innings of the dramatic Australian eight-wicket triumph at the storied venue, earning him the Player of the Match honour for the third time in the series.

Glenn McGrath (36 wickets, 1997 Ashes)

Australia won the Ashes in 1997 after a convincing 3-2 victory over the hosts, England. With his outstanding bowling, the visitors’ bowler Glenn McGrath was a major contributor to their victory. The Australian speedster finished as the series’ top wicket-taker with 36 wickets in 12 innings across six games.

Despite the fact that the second Test at venerable Lord’s ended in a draw, McGrath gave it his all and dominated England with bowling statistics of 8/38 and 1/65. The pacer also won Player of the Match for his brilliant bowling performance in the drew Test. In the following game, McGrath continued his recent success by taking 4/46 in the second innings and leading Australia to a 268-run victory.

After five Test matches, Australia easily won the series thanks to his incredible efforts. In the sixth Test, England competed for dignity, and the hosts ultimately prevailed by a narrow score of 19 runs. McGrath performed admirably and amassed 7/76 numbers in the first innings even if his team lost.

Shane Warne (34 wickets, 1993 Ashes)

Australia visited England in 1993 for a six-game Ashes Test series. The Australian team won the prestigious trophy after crushing the hosts 4-1. Australia received Shane Warne from this series as their match-winner as the spin maestro claimed 34 wickets in 12 innings across six games.

Warne was the Player of the Match during the opening game at Old Trafford in Manchester, when he took eight wickets to help his team to a comfortable 179-run victory. Following up on his performance in the first game, Warne continued to play well and contributed eight more wickets to Australia’s second straight victory in the series.

With his 5/82 bowling performance in the second innings of the fifth Test at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Warne broke the record for most wickets taken and enabled his team to defeat England by eight wickets. Along with England’s starting batter Graham Gooch, the leggie was named Player of the Series at the conclusion of the series.