Bumrah trumps Marshall, Garner, McGrath in bowling average

Bumrah has now taken 76 wickets in 16 Tests at an average of 20.68

Melbourne: Jasprit Bumrah has trumped the likes of Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Curtly Ambrose and Glenn McGrath in the list of bowling averages for bowlers with 75 or more Test wickets over the last fifty years.

Bumrah has now taken 76 wickets in 16 Tests at an average of 20.68 while former West Indies pace bowler Malcolm Marshall is the next best having taken 376 wickets at an average of 20.94 in 81 Test matches.

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Marshall’s fellow West Indies bowler Joel Garner averages 20.97 with 259 wickets in 58 Tests to be at the third spot. Another West Indian, Curtly Ambrose, with 405 wickets at 20.99 in 98 Test matches is just behind Garner.

Current Australia pace bowler Pat Cummins rounds off the top five with 153 wickets at an average of 21.51 in 32 Tests, just ahead of fellow Aussie Glenn McGrath who has 563 wickets at 21.64 in 124 Test matches.

Bumrah has taken eight wickets in the two Tests in Australia so far, picking four for 56 in the first innings of the second Test. “I don’t look at stats and put unnecessary pressure on myself. I just look to do the basics,” said Bumrah after the Australian innings ended at lunch on Tuesday.

Bumrah, who picked 21 wickets during India’s previous tour of Australia in 2018-19, led the pace attack well in the second innings of the second Test even as Umesh Yadav limped off the field during the third day’s play. Bumrah took the prized scalp of Steve Smith and also broke the 57-run seventh wicket partnership when he got rid of Pat Cummins on Tuesday morning.

“The chat was to not complain about being a bowler short and to try and make the run-scoring hard for their batsmen. We were just trying to help each other and have good communication with each other,” Bumrah added.

The 27-year-old has taken 15 wickets in two Tests at the Melbourne Cricket Ground at an average of 13.06. He took nine for 86 in the 2018 Boxing Day Test and took six for 110 in this Boxing Day Test.