Australia might be a tough destination for batters to score runs. But that’s not the case with the bowlers.
Over the years, we have seen bowlers, especially pacers, feast on the helpful Australian pitches offering significant pace and bounce. And it’s not just the hosts bowlers who have benefitted from the conditions, but the visiting bowlers have also done equally well.
There have been instances when bowlers dominated throughout a series played in Australia and racked up plenty of wickets.
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This article will list the top 5 bowlers who have taken the most wickets in the Test series in Australia.
5. Arthur Mailey (Australia): 36 Wickets
Arthur Mailey is the only spinner to make it to the top five bowlers with the most wickets in a Test series in Australia. He took 36 wickets in five matches despite not bowling in one of the games at all.
Mailey started the 1920/21 Ashes against England with a six-wicket match haul in Sydney. In the Melbourne Test, Australia didn’t need him to bowl at all.
But the leg spinner returned with a 10-wicket haul in Adelaide before adding a 13-wicket haul in Melbourne. Mailey ended the series with a seven-for and a tally of 36 scalps at an average of 26.27.
4. Mitchell Johnson (Australia): 37 Wickets
Mitchell Johnson was a menacing fast bowler for Australia. And the left-arm pacer showed his absolute best performance in the 2013/14 Ashes against England.
Johnson started terrorising England batters from the first Test, getting nine wickets in Brisbane. He reached his peak in Adelaide, taking seven scalps in the first innings and adding another one in the second.
In the third Test at the WACA, Johnson picked up six wickets before racking up eight wickets in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. He rounded up the Ashes with a six-wicket match haul in Sydney to bag 37 wickets in five matches at an average of 13.97.
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3. William Whitty (Australia): 37 Wickets
Not quite a familiar name in international cricket, William Whitty troubled the visiting South African batters back in 1910/11. South Africa toured Australia for a five-match series.
Whitty, playing in his only second Test after a year and a half, got off the mark in the series with eight scalps in Sydney. The left-arm quick plucked nine wickets in Melbourne before adding another eight-for in Adelaide.
Both teams returned to Melbourne and Sydney for the remaining Tests, with Whitty picking up six wickets each in both matches. He wrapped up the series with 37 wickets at 17 apiece in five Tests.
2. Maurice Tate (England): 38 Wickets
Maurice Tate is the only touring bowler on this list. Representing England in the 1924/25 Ashes, the right-arm pacer wreaked havoc on the hosts.
Tate began the series with back-to-back fifers in the Sydney Test before adding another five-wicket haul and three scalps in Melbourne. He mustered only two wickets in Adelaide but bounced back with a seven-wicket haul in Melbourne.
Tate signed off the Ashes with a nine-wicket match haul in Sydney to end up with 38 wickets in five Tests. He was at the top of the chart for almost 54 years before he got pushed down to number two in 1979.
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1. Rodney Hogg (Australia): 41 Wickets
Rodney Hogg holds the record for taking the most wickets in a Test series in Australia. What’s fascinating about his feat is he was playing in his debut Test series and went on to pick up 41 wickets in six matches against England.
Hogg made his Test debut in the 1978/79 Ashes series and started his career with a seven-wicket haul in Brisbane. Then he added 2 ten-fors in the next two matches in Melbourne and Perth.
Hogg picked up six scalps in Sydney and seven wickets in Adelaide before capping off the series with his last wicket in Sydney. The right-arm fast bowler averaged just 12.85 per wicket and added 5 five-wicket hauls and 2 ten-wicket hauls.
