5 bowlers who can join the 300-wickets club in Test cricket next

Here are five bowlers who are close to the 300-wicket milestone in Test cricket.

The first-ever bowler to reach the 300-wicket mark in Test cricket was England’s Fred Trueman and he quoted that “Whoever does will be very tired” when asked about when his record would be broken.

Well, there have been many bowlers who have gone past the 300 Test wickets mark since him achieving it the first. Lance Gibbs of West Indies was the first spinner to achieve the feat, while Kapil Dev was the first Indian to take 300 and then 400 wickets in Test matches.

5 potential candidates to make 10,000 runs in Test cricket

Later Courtney Walsh became the first bowler in the history of Tests to pick 500 wickets, while Shane Warne became the first bowler to reach the 600 and 700 Test wickets milestone, in the end, Muttiah Muralitharan ended up with 800 wickets to his name a feat he achieved in his last Test match.

In the current ongoing era, there are a handful of bowlers who are close to joining the 300-wicket Test club in near future and Team COC looks at five such bowlers who might reach 300 Test wickets soon.

Check out the 5 bowlers who can join the 300-wickets club in Test next

ISHANT SHARMA (IND)

Ishant Sharma is an obvious candidate to reach the 300-wicket club in Tests, given that he is just 3 wickets away from the milestone. He has played 97 Tests having made his debut in 2007. In the last 2-3 years, Ishant has found something new in his skills, pitching the ball further up and getting more wickets.

Ishant Sharma donates to the Prime Minister's relief fund; urges people to do the same

The Delhi-lad has become the leader of the bowling attack for the Indian team in Test cricket and so far has seen best bowling figures of 7/74, which came in a brilliant match-winning effort at the Lord’s in 2014, against England.

TIM SOUTHEE (NZ)

New Zealand’s Tim Southee made his Test Debut in 2008 against England at Napier and has played 73 Tests thus far. In these matches, he has 284 wickets to his name with the best bowling figures of 7/64 at an average of 29. Southee is also the vice-captain of the New Zealand team, aiding Kane Williamson in leadership duties.

NZ v IND 2020: "Indian openers are inexperienced but classy," feels Tim Southee

Southee was one of the U19 stars to shine brightly for the New Zealand alongside the likes of Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill, Trent Boult, and Corey Anderson, who have gone onto play international cricket for Kiwis. Southee made a name for himself as a swing bowler, capable of generating tremendous movement in the air and has had success for the Black Caps in all three formats.

MITCHELL STARC (AUS)

Australia’s Mitchell Starc has captivated the world ever since his Test debut in 2011 against New Zealand. The tall left-arm fast bowler is capable of touching speeds of 150 kph with ease and is able to generate swing at that speed, putting batsmen in serious troubles. They have either been late to play him or the movement off the pitch and swing in the air have thrown them off.

IPL 2020: Opposing lawyers claim Starc's leg injury wasn't "unexpected" in IPL payout case

Starc has played 57 Tests so far and has 244 wickets to his name with the best bowling of 6/50. Starc lost his shine in the last year and a half but has been capable of bringing it back when it was most needed. The New South Wales fast bowler is perhaps on his way to picking up more than 300 wickets in Tests given that he is only 30 years old.

TRENT BOULT (NZ)

Trent Boult of New Zealand is perhaps the country’s best bowler on par with Sir Richard Hadlee if some are to be believed. He has 267 wickets in 67 Tests with the best bowling of 6/30 at an average of 27.65. The left-arm pacer from Rotorua made his Test debut in 2011 and has become the leader of the pace attack.

AUS v NZ 2020: Boult responds to Clarke's "token games" comment on Chappell-Hadlee trophy

Boult is athletic and generates good pace with a perfect action. He is also a gun fielder anywhere in the field and Boult has been taking wickets everywhere in the world and not just in helpful conditions at home, where he gets swing and movement. He has also shown tremendous potential to adapt to different situations and conditions.  

RAVINDRA JADEJA (IND)

The only spinner on our list, Ravindra Jadeja has shown tremendous potential as an all-rounder as well. However, he has been more effective as a left-arm spinner picking 213 wickets in 49 Tests. He has the best bowling of 7/48 at an average of 24.62. At 31 years of age and being a slow bowler, he has chances of reaching the 300 wickets milestones more than any of the fast bowlers.

WATCH- The fielding and catching brilliance of Ravindra Jadeja

He has made a great combination with R Ashwin in India and the duo have routed oppositions at home on spin-friendly pitches. He has also had success outside India as well, picking important wickets recently on the tour to Australia and New Zealand. Jadeja has shown potential to be a match-winner or atleast keep one end tight so that wickets can be picked from the other end.