Stats: Top 10 bowlers with most 10-wicket hauls in Tests

When Rangana Herath took his second wicket in the second innings in the second Test match at the Harare Sports Club against Zimbabwe, he had done something very few bowlers have achieved. He had completed an unlikely set of five-for’s, something not many had done.

The six wickets in the match signified that Herath had completed the set. He had taken his first five-wicket haul against Zimbabwe meaning that he now has five-for’s against all Test playing nations. However, a few stats suggest that the 38-year old southpaw is much more than just an incredible bowler.

The second Test against Zimbabwe saw Herath pick his seventh 10-wicket haul. Although it would not mean much for the likes of Herath, he has just become one of the few players to claim seven ten-wicket hauls.

In fact, his countryman – Muttiah Muralitharan holds the record of having claimed the most number of 10-wicket hauls in his career. At 22, it is unlikely that Muralitharan would ever be passed by anyone. These wickets have quite clearly contributed to the 800 wickets that the former off-spinner has taken in the past.

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Murali’s long-term adversary Shane Warne is in second place having taken 10 or more wickets in a match on exactly 10 occasions, once again, something no other Australian has done at the international level. In spite of the usage of banned substances making an uninvited welcome towards the close of his career, he has 718 wickets to his name.

Sir Richard Hadlee, the former captain of New Zealand and perhaps the best all-rounder to have ever been produced by New Zealand sits in third place, one 10-wicket haul shy of Warne. However, Hadlee’s numbers call for an impressive viewing simply because he is one of the many who has played in less than a 100 matches.

Anil Kumble, India’s incumbent coach finds himself also on the list with 8 to his name. Perhaps, one of the takeaways for Kumble would probably be the fact that most of his impressive bowling has come in overseas conditions that does not really suit the spinner as much.

Trailing Kumble by one is former Australian tearaway pacer Dennis Lilliee. The latter was perhaps one of the fastest bowlers to have ever been produced by Australia, despite the fact that there was no way to measure the speed one bowled at the time.

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At 7 hauls to his name, Lilee finds himself tied with the likes of Sydney Barnes, England’s medium pacer prior to the first World War; Clarrie Grimmett, the fastest to 200 Test wickets, and Rangana Herath.

Ravi Ashwin’s 13 wickets against New Zealand in the final Test match at Indore saw him enter the top-10 with 6 hauls to his name. The list is completed by the former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan who is tied with Ashwin at 6.