Test cricket has seen various bowlers of different varieties, throughout its history of more than a hundred years. The quantity of left-arm bowlers is significantly lesser than that of right-arm bowlers. However, there have been many left-arm bowlers, who have been excellent. We will now look at the left-arm bowlers who have been the highest wicket-takers in test cricket.
10. Bishan Singh Bedi
Bishan Singh Bedi was one of the key bowlers of the spin quartet, from India. He had taken over 260 test wickets, but in terms of his first-class cricket career, he had taken more than 1500 wickets. He was known to be an attacking bowler. He was also known to be a tricky opponent to face, as a lot of his variations had very similar actions. Bishan Singh Bedi took 266 test wickets.
9. Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Starc is one of the most essential components of the Australian bowling unit, at present. Particularly, on his good days, he is known to be highly lethal. His capabilities to swing the new ball, have been pretty dangerous, and he has been responsible for various top-order collapses. His yorkers are also pretty lethal against the tail. Mitchell Starc has taken 287 test wickets.
8. Derek Underwood
Derek Underwood was a left-arm spinner from England. He was known to be annoyingly accurate. His accuracy and consistency in bowling the same length and line, were comparable to that of a bowling machine. He played in the 1970s. He was known to be invincible in uncovered pitches, but he was pretty dangerous in covered pitches too. Derek Underwood took 297 test wickets.
7. Zaheer Khan
The Indian team was known to have a severe lack of resources in the pace department for a very long time. Zaheer Khan’s career was one such period, when his left arm pace was vital for India’s test exploits. He had a pretty good career, overall. Zaheer Khan took 311 test wickets.
6. Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell Johnson was a left-arm pacer from Australia. He was a pretty decent bowler throughout his career, but during his peak, he was one of the terrifying bowlers in the world. One of the most notable performances from him was the 2013-14 Ashes in Australia, where he ripped apart the English lineup, match-after-match, innings-after-innings. Mitchell Johnson took 313 test wickets.
5. Trent Boult
Trent Boult is a pacer from New Zealand. The swinging conditions in New Zealand have been pretty conducive for his bowling. He is an excellent bowler across formats, and is one of the best New Zealand bowlers in test cricket. He was a key reason why New Zealand made it to the 2019-21 World Test Championship finals, and won it. Trent Boult has taken 317 test wickets.
4. Chaminda Vaas
Chaminda Vaas was a pacer from Sri Lanka. For a large part of his career, it would seem as if he and Muttiah Muralitharan were the only two Sri Lankan players who knew how to bowl. Vaas was the strike bowler for the Sri Lankans, with the new ball. Chaminda Vaas took 355 test wickets.
3. Daniel Vettori
Daniel Vettori was a spinner from New Zealand. The New Zealand team was pretty average throughout his career, and he had to take over the responsibility of shouldering the burden of his team, in both the batting and the bowling departments. He did quite an excellent job at it. Daniel Vettori took 362 test wickets.
2. Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram was a left-arm pacer from Pakistan. He and Waqar Younis made the Pakistani team, one of the most dangerous bowling units in the 1990s, with their exemplary reverse-swinging skills. Akram was the first left-arm bowler to take 400 test wickets. Wasim Akram took 414 test wickets.
1. Rangana Herath
Rangana Herath was a left-arm spinner from Sri Lanka. For a significant portion of his career, he was under the shadows of Muttiah Muralitharan. However, once Muralitharan retired, Herath took it upon himself to be Sri Lanka’s strike spinner, and he performed his role in an exemplary manner. Herath was a lethal bowler in the Sri Lankan conditions. One of the best performances in his career, was when he took 7-48 against India, defending a target of 176, bowling them out for just 112. Rangana Herath took 433 test wickets.
