Several bowlers in the history of test cricket have significantly impacted at a very young age. With more years remaining from that point of that, they have had better chances at a successful career. We will now look at the bowlers with the most wickets before turning 25.
10. Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram was a left-arm pacer from Pakistan. He and Waqar Younis were two of the greatest bowlers in tests and ODIs of the time. Together, they made the Pakistani bowling attack one of the best in the world. Akram’s swing and reverse swing were pretty lethal and brought him a lot of wickets. Wasim Akram took 142 test wickets before turning 25.
9. Danish Kaneria
Danish Kaneria was a leg-spinner from Pakistan. He had an incredibly potent googly, which was considered to be a well-disguised one. At the end of his career, he was the spinner with the most wickets for Pakistan. He made his debut at 19 and took wickets consistently throughout his career. Danish Kaneria took 143 test wickets before turning 25.
8. Ishant Sharma
Ishant Sharma is a pacer from India. He made his test debut at the young age of 18. Sharma sent shockwaves throughout the world right from the beginning, during his fiery spell against Australia in the India tour of Australia 2007-08. He has been a workhorse-type bowler throughout his career. Ishant Sharma took 144 test wickets before turning 25.
7. Daniel Vettori
Daniel Vettori was a left-arm spinner from New Zealand. He was a world-class bowler. The New Zealand test team was average or, on occasions, below average. Hence, he had to carry the team on his shoulders. He did a decent job at it. He even honed his batting skills simply because he had to. He made his debut at 18 and had a great career of nearly 18 years. Daniel Vettori took 150 test wickets before turning 25.
6. Saqlain Mushtaq
Saqlain Mushtaq was an off-spinner from Pakistan. He was a pioneer of the doosra. He made his debut at 18. His terrific control made him a vital part of the Pakistani test bowling line-up. Saqlain Mushtaq took 151 test wickets before turning 25.
5. Ian Botham
Ian Botham was a pace bowling all-rounder from England. He was a terrific all-rounder. He was skilled enough to make it to the team both as a pure batsman and as a pure bowler. He made his test debut at 21, and within 3-4 years, he racked up more than 150 wickets. Ian Botham took 153 test wickets before turning 25.
4. Kagiso Rabada
Kagiso Rabada is a pacer from South Africa. He excelled at the U-19 World Cup in 2014 and got fast-tracked into the national side across all formats. He made an immediate impact on the team. He is an express pace bowler, bowling at 140-150 kmph. In his test bowling, the most peculiar aspect is his bowling strike rate. He has got an insane strike rate. Kagiso Rabada took 197 test wickets before turning 25.
3. Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh was an off-spinner from India. He was one of the greatest Indian spinners in test cricket. Singh and Anil Kumble, together, won a lot of matches for India in home conditions. He made his test debut at the age of 17 in 1998. However, the best series of his career came in 2001. It was when he took 32 wickets in three games against Australia. It was one of the most significant series victories in Indian test history, and Singh was the ‘player of the series’ in it. Harbhajan Singh took 199 test wickets before turning 25.
2. Waqar Younis
Waqar Younis was a Pakistani pacer. He was one of the pioneers of reverse swing. Injuries cut his career short. However, his brilliant start to his career ensured Younis had a pretty successful one overall. He was the second bowler in test cricket history to take 200 wickets before turning 25. Waqar Younis took 222 test wickets before turning 25.
1. Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev was a pace bowling all-rounder from India. As a bowler alone, he was terrific, as he was mostly the best bowler from the Indian unit. His batting skills were also crucial for the team. He became a key bowler for the team at a very young age. He once took 9-83 against West Indies in an innings by bowling in a single spell of nearly 31 overs because it looked like he was the only one who could take wickets. India lost this match by a significant margin. This was when he was just 24. Kapil Dev took 247 test wickets before turning 25.
