Bowlers with best strike-rates in a calendar year (Tests)
What's the story
Australian ace Mitchell Starc has set a new benchmark in Test cricket by posting the best strike-rate in a calendar year among bowlers taking at least 50 wickets. The 35-year-old left-arm pacer was simply on a roll throughout 2025 as he delivered one lethal spell after another. On this note, we list down the bowlers with the best strike rate in Tests in a calendar year (minimum 50 wickets).
#1
Mitchell Starc - 28.3 in 2025
As mentioned, Starc now tops this list as he had a stellar year in 2025. According to ESPNcricinfo, he claimed 55 wickets in 11 Tests at an average of 17.32 and a strike-rate of 28.3 balls per wicket. He also took three five-wicket hauls, with his best figures being an impressive 7/58 in Perth. Starc also clocked the best average for an Australian bowler with 50-plus Test wickets in a calendar year.
#2
Waqar Younis - 29.5 in 1993
Pakistan's Waqar Younis comes second on the list with a strike-rate of 29.5 in 1993. He took 55 wickets in just seven Tests at an average of 15.23, claiming six five-fors along the way. Such was Younis's dominance that he recorded at least four wickets in 10 of the 12 Test innings that he bowled in 1993. The other two innings saw him register three-fers. His best figures that year were 7/91.
#3
Jasprit Bumrah - 30.1 in 2024
At number three, we have India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who was deadly to say the least in 2024. The star fast bowler played 13 matches and picked a staggering 71 wickets at a brilliant average of 14.92. This includes five fifers, four four-wicket hauls, and a stunning strike rate of 30.1 (BBI: 6/45). Notably, no other bowler has scalped 65-plus Test wickets in a calendar year at a sub-15 average.
#4
Gus Atkinson - 35.6 in 2024
England's Gus Atkinson made a name for himself in 2024 by taking 52 wickets in 11 Tests at a strike-rate of 35.6 and an average of 22.15. The pacer, who made his Test debut in July, became just the second bowler in Test history to pick 50 wickets in their debut calendar year. He had an impressive debut against WI as he claimed twin five-wicket hauls, including a 7/45 in WI's first innings. He overall claimed three fifers in 2024.