Test Cricket has been the ultimate form of cricket, challenging every aspect of a player. Test matches evaluate the soul of bowlers and batters. Test Cricket challenges the patience, emotions and endurance of all players. Battling for five days, players commit errors that prove costly to the teams; Extras, committed by the bowlers to the opposition as wides, no balls, or maybe disallowed wickets due to illegal deliveries. Some of the bowlers who bowled no balls in test cricket are listed.
1. Brett Lee
The former Australian bowler, Brett Lee, had been recognized as one of the fastest bowlers; Rather than relying on the pace alone, Lee used a wide array of deliveries hoping to take down the batters. His ability to generate speed through his runups came with many illegal deliveries. Lee bowled 472 no-balls in 72 test matches for Australia.
2. Fidel Edwards
Spotted by Brian Lara in the nets, Edwards struggled to fulfill his true potential in the long run; Despite a promising start, Edward’s career included enormous injuries. He used to bowl hard and generate pace through his runup; this led him to overstep on 325 occasions in 325 test matches for West Indies.
3. Ishant Sharma
The 6 ft 4 inch Indian bowler, Ishant Sharma started his test career at 18 years. A rhythm-dependent bowler, Ishant has been one of the fastest Indian bowlers; Trying to punch the wicket hard, Ishant often overstepped; Playing for India, Ishant ended his red ball career with 314 no-balls in 105 test matches.
4. Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan came to the rescue when India struggled with their bowling lineup. He received critical appraisal for his ability to swing the bowl both ways, impairing the batter to score runs against him. However, Zaheer conceded a good amount of runs through extras, which included 299 no-balls in 92 test matches for India.
5. Shaun Pollock
The former South African Pacer, Pollock captained South Africa across all formats. A genuine all-round bowler, Shaun led the South African bowling from the front; When it came to bowling legal deliveries, Pollock retired from tests with 289 no-balls in 108 tests for South Africa.
6. Andrew Flintoff
The legendary British all-rounder, Andrew Flintoff, had been a consistent player for England in all forms of cricket. Flintoff bowled at a constant pace of 90 mph; utilizing the natural gift of height his basic strategy evolved into holding back of length and wearing batter down. Flintoff’s red-ball career included 279 no-balls in 79 tests for England.
7. Morne Morkel
The former South African pacer, Morkel troubled the batters with his pace and bounce. His height gave him an edge over the batter; He never failed to exploit his gift. But, his genuine performance came at the cost of 234 no-balls in 86 test matches while playing for the South African test side.
8. Chaminda Vaas
The former Sri Lankan pacer, Vaas was known for his accuracy and consistent line and length, troubling the batters; Vaas frequently overstepped, leaking runs for the team. After playing 111 test matches for Sri Lanka, Vaas finished his red ball career with 262 no-balls.
9. Shanon Gabriel
The Caribbean bowler, Shanon Gabriel was a terrific left-arm fast bowler. He soon became a crucial member of the test side for the West Indies. Gabriel bowled a combined 224 no-balls in 58 test matches for West Indies; which certainly has been a headache for the team.
10. Lasith Malinga
The legendary Sri Lankan speedster, Lasith Malinga averaged almost a no-ball every test match; Known as “ Slinga Malinga” due to his unorthodox round-arm action, Malinga’s approach changed the dynamics of bowling in cricket. He earned the reputation of troubling the batters with his consistent pace and surprising bouncers and yorkers. He bowled 224 no-balls in 30 test matches while playing for Sri Lanka.
