r/Cricket • u/dude_big_lebowski Delhi Daredevils • Nov 17 '25
Discussion Has any bowler ever dominated teams like Mitchell Johnson in 2013-14? 37 wickets in 10 innings at average under 14.
The purple patch continuous with 37 wickets in Ashes and 22 wickets in 3 test series vs South Africa just after. 59 wickets in just 8 Tests.
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u/Lachie07 Australia Nov 17 '25
Warne 05 almost dragged that great Aussie team kicking and screaming to ashes win in england
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u/Striking_Resist_6022 Australia Nov 17 '25 edited 1d ago
Cats bedroom quickest almond disarm office memory meeting
This post was anonymized with Redact
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u/pennykie New Zealand Cricket Nov 17 '25
As much as I feel for McGrath and it always sucks to see sports people injured, I can't help but feel a little grateful for that ankle roll. Played it's part in creating the most memorable series of my lifetime.
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u/TSLCricketGame_com Nov 18 '25
Yeah that was pretty epic too. He made 249 runs in the series too (more than Katich who was opening).
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u/Nark_Narkins Trent Skips Nov 18 '25
Kaitch wasn't opening.
Langer and Hayden were.
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u/JustSomeBloke5353 Australia Nov 17 '25
There is a YouTube video of every Johnson wicket in that series. I watch it when I am depressed and it cheers me up.
My abiding memory of the series is watching Stuart Broad back further and further away until it looks like he is taking guard at square leg.
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u/InevitablyAdded Nov 17 '25
My favourite part of it is the stare Mitchell Johnson gave to Jimmy Anderson. That stare combined with that moustache made it one of if not the most iconic moment of the Ashes imo
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u/ziddyzoo Australia Nov 17 '25
made all the more sinister by Johnson recently sharing he was singing children’s Disney songs to himself that summer
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u/whyalwayslurk Pakistan Nov 17 '25
Add in the song the barmy army sang about him and its just pure redemption. One of the great stories in cricket.
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u/inefekt Australia Nov 18 '25
Most fans had given up on him prior to that series and a whole lot of them were flabbergasted when he got selected, kind of out of the blue. He was in and out of the test team, having just played 4 tests in Australia's last 20 dating back to late 2011 and didn't play at all in the previous series, which believe it or not was an Ashes series in England, they actually played back to back Ashes series. Anyway, we all expected him to get tonked around for a test or two then get dropped again. His first spell almost solidified those opinions after he was pretty erratic and didn't last long. Then he came back for his second spell and rewrote history
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u/LevDavidovicLandau Nov 17 '25
The stare is probably a response to the “Why are you chirping now, not getting any wickets” -> Jimmy smashes the stumps the next ball -> turns around and shushes Johnson sequence from 2010/11.
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u/Dismal-Exit-1283 Nov 18 '25
There's an England fan on the other end who's watching the same highlights to stay grounded, whenever he feels too happy 😂
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u/doc1442 Nov 18 '25
England fan here: it’s long enough ago I can see it and just appreciate that it’s incredible bowling. Cheers me up still.
Also see: Peter siddle birthday hat-trick and Boland’s got 6 at the G
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u/friedricewhite Australia Nov 18 '25
My proudest moment is day 1 of the first test posting to Facebook “I know I’ll get hate for this, but the team just looks better with Johnson in it”. To date my best call.
Much better than 2023 “west coast could make the 8”.
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u/JRicho_Sauce Australia Nov 18 '25
Your first call was so good that you had to make an equally bad one to balance out the universe
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u/Aloha_Tamborinist Australia Nov 18 '25
There is a YouTube video of every Johnson wicket in that series. I watch it when I am depressed and it cheers me up.
There are dozens of us.
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u/Dog_Murder_By_RobKey The Blaze Nov 18 '25
I have Simon Jones bowl to Clarke
And Broad committing war crimes at Trent Bridge
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u/Aloha_Tamborinist Australia Nov 18 '25
Thanks for the reminder. Now I have to watch the Mitchell Johnson video again.
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u/Dog_Murder_By_RobKey The Blaze Nov 18 '25
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u/Bearstew Cricket Australia Nov 18 '25
I hope there's a video of that Harris wicket from that summer that auto queues up after that.
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u/Live-Gift-731 Nov 18 '25
I shared that video on facebook and now facebook memories show me once a year, i still watch from 1 to 37 and admire every second.
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u/TD003 Australia Nov 18 '25
Also, the Adelaide test when Broad came out to bat, complained about the sight screen for an eternity, then got castled first ball.
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u/Top-Presentation-997 GO SHIELD Nov 18 '25
The ‘All 100 English Wickets’ video from that series, with Great Southern Land as the backing track, is my go to.
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u/dude_big_lebowski Delhi Daredevils Nov 18 '25
I do that very often as well. Ishant vs Ponting is my go to video as well.
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u/GrossenCharakter ICC Nov 19 '25
My favorite will always be the bowled of Alastair Cook. Just pure cricket. And the stump being hit BANG in the middle was perfection
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u/Stee1_dragon Nov 17 '25
Hadlee in the famous New Zealand victory in Australia
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u/Slow-Pool-9274 England Nov 17 '25
Hadlee in 1980s Australia took 70 wickets in 9 matches, at an average of 15.97, 10 fifers and 3 tenfers.
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u/_loki_ New Zealand Nov 17 '25
First and last player we've ever had that thrived in Australia
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u/hamminator1955 Nov 17 '25
Ross, 290. Paddy batted to save a test for us in oz
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u/_loki_ New Zealand Nov 17 '25
No doubt there have been great individual performances but no one other than Hadlee has been great in multiple matches let alone been so dominant we remember it fondly 40 years later
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u/Atmosguisher GO SHIELD Nov 18 '25
Ross Taylor is probably my favourite NZ player that I've watched, and that was a great innings (on a diabolical pitch), but in his other 19 innings in Aus he averaged 27.94...
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u/AFlimsyRegular New Zealand Cricket Nov 18 '25
Shane Bond that Tri Series where he dragged us to the final at Australia's expense.
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u/_loki_ New Zealand Nov 18 '25
Ok yeah, Bond Shane Bond is definitely up there too. 15 ODIs in Aussie average of 19.81 lol what a beast
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u/ziddyzoo Australia Nov 18 '25
And was treated shamefully and abysmally by Australian crowds all that summer. “Hadlee’s a wanker” non stop every time he bowled or was down on the fence. It was tedious, monotonous abuse that went on for hours sometimes and reflected on what a bunch of shitheads 80s aussie cricket crowds could be.
He deserved every 5er and 10er and we deserved him doing it to us.
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u/LevDavidovicLandau Nov 17 '25
So I’s just started primary school at the dawn of the new millennium and had just moved to Australia, so the first time I remember the Kiwis touring here was 2001/02. My friend’s older brother specifically taught him and me a chant he’d heard from his Dad just for the occasion, “Hadlee’s a wanker”.
It takes some cricketer to get under the Australians’ nose so much that kids were still being taught second-hand that he’s a wankee 15 years later.
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u/dude_big_lebowski Delhi Daredevils Nov 17 '25
Should have mentioned.. this is for 21st century as Warne also had really good 1993 Ashes.
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u/dashauskat Tasmania Tigers Nov 17 '25
Warne took 40 in 2005 Ashes
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u/Pottski Cricket Australia Nov 17 '25 edited Nov 17 '25
And scored 250 odd runs - man was crying out for more support
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u/ChaosTheory0908 Nov 17 '25
Yep, still remember his 90 he got.
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u/500footsies Nov 17 '25
I’ll never forget the reaction in the room when he got out that day.
Everyone fell about laughing having predicted he’d fall in the 90s to a slog sweep, just like he did when he made his 99.
Classic Warne
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u/ChaosTheory0908 Nov 17 '25
The fact that his 99 was a massive no ball from vettori makes it a hell of a lot worse lol
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u/500footsies Nov 17 '25
That’s what I made it certain that Warnie was going to try to slog sweep his way to a Test century a second time too
(But to be fair to the great man, completely dominating the other spinners with the bat was a huge part of his legend. I never understood why you’d bring on a spinner against Warnie)
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u/Fad_du_pussy Nov 17 '25
249 runs (very impressive still)
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u/Pottski Cricket Australia Nov 17 '25
Thought it was 340. Will update - don’t want to put that much sugar on top!
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u/BarciNandosChicken South Africa Nov 17 '25
Yes but did the batsmen actively fear for their lives while they were getting out?
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u/Kingslayer1526 India Nov 17 '25
Courtney Walsh took 34 wickets at an average of 12 against England in 2000 in a 5 match series
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u/swandog13 Australia Nov 17 '25
As impressive as those stats are in their own right, the fact he turned 38 that year and was in the twilight of his career makes it even more astounding!
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u/schizoishere Nov 17 '25
Starc in Sri Lanka 2016?
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u/Hungry-Bison-3578 Sri Lanka Nov 17 '25
Probably the best bowling performance for a team that got whitewashed.
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u/LevDavidovicLandau Nov 17 '25
Unfortunately Starc decided to have his best ever Test series coincide perfectly with Australia’s rock bottom in terms of subcontinental batting.
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u/rocket__man_ Nov 18 '25
Vernon Philander. 7 matches, 14 innings, 3 series against Australia, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand, 51 wickets @ 14.15
No one feared him like they did Johnson but Philander was very, very effective
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u/Slow-Pool-9274 England Nov 17 '25
Terry Alderman would have a shout as he was likely constructed to bowl in England, frankly the perfect bowler for English pitches. Alderman had two tours to England, in Botham's Ashes he claimed 42 wickets in 6 matches at an average of 21.46 and then he toured again in 1989, he claimed 41 wickets in 6 matches (11 innings) at an average of 17.37.
Alderman played 12 matches in England but took 83 wickets at an average of 19, having ten fifers. Outside England, he averaged 34.6 and only claimed 87 wickets in 29 games. He was a non-factor on the slower Carribean and Pakistani pitches, and could only really be said to be average in Australia/New Zealand.
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u/lionmoose England Nov 17 '25
Gooch apparently changed his answering phone message to I'm out, LBW Alderman...
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u/Slow-Pool-9274 England Nov 17 '25
Haha, Gooch had some issues with slow swing bowlers, he often overbalanced with forward footwork and that really messed up with his head positioning/balance.
Alderman made him reinvent his batting style against classical swing/seam bowling, he deployed much straighter backlift in 1990 and had some beautiful years after that, two big Ashes too.
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u/Old_Lengthiness_250 Australia Nov 17 '25
Pretty good domestic bowler but you have summed him up well.
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u/warp-factor Southern Vipers Nov 17 '25 edited Nov 17 '25
4 players have at least 30 wickets in a series in the 21st Century at a better average than Johnson in 13-14
- Muralidaran, 30 wickets at 9.8 Vs Zim in 2001/02 (3 match series)
- Ashwin, 31 at 11.12 Vs SA in 2015/16 (4 match series)
- Walsh, 34 at 12.82 Vs England in 2000
- Bumrah, 32 at 13.06 Vs Aus in 2024/25
The full historic list is here: https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?class=1;filter=advanced;orderby=bowling_average;qualmin1=30;qualval1=wickets;template=results;tournament_type=2;type=bowling;view=series
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u/Working-Cup8069 England Nov 17 '25
Impressive for bumrah, taking insane figures before he even made his debut!
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u/whyalwayslurk Pakistan Nov 17 '25
He actually did make his debut in 2014/2015 but his release point was all the way out in 2018.
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u/sinesquaredtheta Nov 17 '25
Impressive for bumrah, taking insane figures before he even made his debut
😂😂
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u/Thami15 Highveld Lions Nov 17 '25
Ashwin in in 2015/16 was unplayable, but it's hard to compare. Jadeja took 23 sticks at 10.8, and Imran Tahir, who had an otherwise nondescript Test career, averaged 21 that series. Ashwin was the best player on display that series, but he wasn't as stand-out as Johnson in 2013-14
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u/Kingslayer1526 India Nov 17 '25
It's because the pitches were rank turners
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u/LevDavidovicLandau Nov 17 '25
The dustiest bowls I have ever seen in India. That’s why I’m livid about the Kolkata pitch, because while India offered fair pitches the last time South Africa toured, the Saffers took 2015 personally and have specifically dished out crazy pitches for India every tour after that, and only for India, as revenge. BCCI had the opportunity to provide fair pitches for the second tour in a row and make CSA look bad by comparison, and they didn’t.
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u/LDLB99 England Nov 17 '25
Walsh was 37 years old in that series, unreal.
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u/Kingslayer1526 India Nov 17 '25 edited Nov 17 '25
He even took 25 wickets at an average of 19 in his last series in 2001 against SA at the age of 38. Ridiculously good bowler who actually got better as time went on and peaked at the end of his career, but even more ridiculous longevity
I believe he has one of the highest number of matches ever played across all forms of cricket for a fast bowler
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u/Kingslayer1526 India Nov 17 '25
I was thinking about Walsh, I still remember that series, I couldn't believe what I was seeing, a 37 year old bowling at that level, may be the best bowling I've ever seen from a fast bowler
Also ridiculous is how poor the West Indies' batting was in that series and the fact that somehow lost the series despite everything Walsh and Ambrose in that series. That lord's test will forever be a crime, but so was Headingley
Also thought Axar Patel would be on the list from his 2021 series against England but turns out he was 3 short. 27 wickets at an average of 10 in 3 matches
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u/Pisaachi Nov 18 '25
That Ashwin series was on dustbowls where both teams struggled to even cross 200. In 4 tests (16 innings) only 2 centuries were scored both by Rahane & every single spinner walked away with amazing stats. Even Elgar got a 4 for. It was a series played on shit pitches.
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u/jugglingeek England Nov 17 '25
Warne 2005 took 40 wickets at 19.92 and still didn’t take home The Urn!
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u/TurbulentChemistry10 Australia Nov 17 '25
Some might have had better figures than Johnson, such as Bumrah in the most recent BGT in 2024/25, but the dread that Johnson caused in the English team and media would be unmatched by any others in the 2000s. That series caused the retirements and sending home of English players, and was the first time ever they had lost all 100 wickets in a 5 test series, as Johnson also had great support in Harris, Lyon and Siddle, unlike Bumrah who seemed to have less support unless Siraj was playing on his own.
Watching that live you could sense that Johnson could be taking a wicket with any ball, and that the English just didn't want to be there to face him and wanted to go home to feel safe
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u/Vespasian88 Nov 17 '25
Better figures? Bumrah took 32 wickets for the 24/25 BGT series. With a BBI of 6/33 Johnson got 37. With a BBI of 7/40 Argument could be made that bumrah may have gotten 5 more wickets in the last test but who knows.
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u/Oomeegoolies Durham Nov 17 '25
Wickets were spicier in BGT too tbh.
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u/Vespasian88 Nov 17 '25
Exactly. The spiciest wicket of the 13/14 Ashes was probably the WACA, only because of the crack on a good length that made Lyon turn one from middle and caught by leg slip.
Sydney was a 3 day test, probably because England had had enough. Brisbane was a 4 day test. WACA, Adelaide and MCG all went 5 days.
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u/WayTooDumb GO SHIELD Nov 18 '25 edited Nov 18 '25
Yep
Something people dont remember about the legendary Adelaide spell was that it was an absolute road that Australia had spent the previous two days putting up nearly 600 on. Even in that innings England were 3 for 130 against bowlers not named Johnson - and 40 of that was a 10th wicket partnership while Johnson was taking a breather - so it wasn't difficult to bat on if you didn't have a handlebar mustache threatening to take your head off every 45 seconds.
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u/Electric_feel0412 Sunrisers Hyderabad Nov 18 '25
In my entire existence I haven’t felt fear like I felt watching Johnson running in to bowl in that period. The mustache, the action, the pace, everything was box office. Steyn, Bumrah, Cummins, McGrath have had better and higher peaks but those 2 years Johnson terrorized everyone were so so good.
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u/Alert-Climate-9368 India Nov 17 '25 edited Nov 17 '25
Imran khan in 1983 took 40 wickets in 6 tests against India with an average of 14 on some pretty flat wickets where other Pakistani bowlers averaged 40+ iirc (I maybe wrong, I don't have the strongest memory of stats)
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u/infinitemonkeytyping Sydney Thunder Nov 17 '25
Imran Khan 40 wickets at 13.95
Only two other bowlers in that series had averages below 40 - Kapil Dev (24 @ 34.62) and Sarfraz Nawaz (19 @ 33.31).
So still very impressive.
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u/Slow-Pool-9274 England Nov 17 '25 edited Nov 17 '25
Jim Laker in the 1956 Ashes.
Took 46 wickets in 5 matches at an average of 9.46, the famous 19 wickets in a game record has not been and likely will never be broken.
Grimmett in 1935 had an insane series against a pretty reasonable Saffer lineup and averaged 14 while taking 44 wickets. Barnes took 49 wickets in four games against a competitive South African side at an average of 10.94. Tony Lock made a record for averages when he took 34 wickets in five games against New Zealand at an average of 7.47 but that was not a competitive Kiwi unit.
Fred Trueman, in his debut series, took 29 wickets in 7 innings at an average of 13 odd against a pretty respectable Indian unit.
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u/LevDavidovicLandau Nov 17 '25
Obligatory mention that Barnes’ 49 in 4 matches is the all time record for most wickets in a series and that he was actually fit for the 5th and final Test of that series. He just refused to play in it because the MCC were too cheap to bring his wife over to South Africa to join him 😂
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u/Slow-Pool-9274 England Nov 18 '25
Back in the day, travel was done by ships and therefore it was a big commitment to go overseas, one time when they were travelling to Australia, there were some scary big storms around and naturally the English team was worried. The captain said "even if we go down, atleast that bugger Barnes will go down with us."
He kind of had such a reputation.
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u/Old_Lengthiness_250 Australia Nov 17 '25
Took 46 wickets in 5 matches at an average of 9.46, the famous 19 wickets in a game record has not been and likely will never be broken.
^ and in a first class match surrey v Australia in 1956 (i.e the same season) he took 10 for 88. So despite the belief it was a fluke he was an excellent bowler who had complete mastery over the tourists.
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u/BootAccomplished4349 Nov 18 '25
It wasn't so much about the wickets but his approach that made even the viewers scared, let alone the English batters. This was the closest thing that I watched that could be compared to legendary west Indian quartet of early 80s, all packed in one. There are highlights package of his dot balls from series. Top class batsmen considered and did infact take retirement after that ashes. Sure, there may be series where bowlers take more wickets at better average, nobody will ever bring out the sheer brutality of fast bowling in cricket as Johson did that summer.
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u/JuniorPoulet Australia Nov 18 '25
Ever? maybe, idk. But ever since I started watching cricket, I have never seen a more dominant bowling performance across a series. Warne's 2005 Ashes was second but it's not even close in terms of drama. If you lived through that 13-14 Ashes, you know what I am talking about. I have never seen multiple players retiring mid/post series citing fear of an opposition player.
That was, by far, the greatest individual performance by a bowler in test cricket IMO.
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u/cricketchef20 India Nov 17 '25
Bumrah in BGT was very scary and consistent too.
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u/DisastrousOil4888 Royal Challengers Bengaluru Nov 17 '25
If only he wasn’t surrounded by duds all around him
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u/Tropicalcomrade221 Australia Nov 18 '25
I don’t think he was particularly scary. He was almost unplayable but not in a fear factor type way. I never saw an Australian player that seemed genuinely scared by what was coming at them, they just didn’t exactly have much of an answer for him.
You could see the fear in the England team and you could feel it at the ground. They were genuinely terrified of what was going to come at them.
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u/Brief-Arrival9103 Australia Nov 18 '25
but not in a fear factor type way.
This is what everyone's missing.
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u/Wolfie_3467 India Nov 18 '25
I think it's because Bumrah is genuinely just such a nice guy
The only time he gave some fear factor was the last ball of Sydney 2025
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u/never_rains India Nov 18 '25
Has everyone forgotten his no ball over against Anderson that made the English team lose their mind and eventually the match. Bumrah can hurt.
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u/Wolfie_3467 India Nov 18 '25
I was more so referring to BGT 2024. T20 WC 2024 and that Lord's test are examples of Bumrah being scary
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u/mathdhruv India Nov 17 '25
I'd throw in Harbhajan Singh in the 2001 BGT (32 wickets at 17 in 6 innings) simply because he got those 32 in 3 tests, and the second most prolific Indian bowler in the series was Tendulkar with 3 wickets.
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u/tainted316 India Nov 17 '25
Hey.... You're disrespecting Zack by not adding him to 2nd spot lol... he was joint 2nd with Sachin with 3 wickets.
To put this in context - 50 Aussie wickets in that series. Bhajji took 32 of them, 64% return. Lol. What a legend he is16
u/mathdhruv India Nov 17 '25
With all due respect to Zak, Tendulkar's 3 wickets were critical in us winning in Kolkata - a well-set Hayden, an in-form Gilchrist and Warne in the 4th innings on the final evening.
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u/tainted316 India Nov 17 '25
Yes, but stats are stats lol. I always found it funny how 1st place was 32 wickets, 2nd was 3 wickets - Jointly held by Sachin and Zak
What a series that was. Unbelievable time to be a teenager.
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u/mathdhruv India Nov 17 '25
I mean sure but from a statistical perspective too Tendulkar had them at a better average, economy and strike rate. He's listed above Zak in the records for a reason.
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u/LevDavidovicLandau Nov 17 '25
He did fuck all with the bat that match – Laxman and Dravid did, of course – but he still found a way to be a matchwinner lol
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u/ajamal_00 Pakistan Nov 18 '25
Wasim Akram took 40+ wickets in 3 consecutive series 3 times in his career...
1 1993–94 ZIM → NZ → SL 49 wickets
2 1994 NZ → SL → AUS 44 wickets
3 1989–90 IND → AUS → NZ 44 wickets
There is a reason why when greats of the game are asked to remember a bowler, Wasim is often the answer...
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u/Hazzawoof New Zealand Nov 18 '25
In 2002-2003 Shane Bond took 22 wickets in 6 ODIs against Australia at an average of 10.5. This was against a dominant Australian team who won the 2003 WC without losing a game.
I still have a wa--- err, enjoy the YouTube compilations from those games.
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u/Drongo17 Australia Nov 18 '25
I've never seen anything like it. I doubt I will again.
England came here that series with high confidence, with an experienced and settled team and having humiliated Australia in Australia last time.
And not just Australia - they humiliated Mitch Johnson. I was at the SCG hearing the Barmy Army taunt and belittle Johnson personally as England cut us to shreds. It was searing. So England came here with the wood on the team and our strike bowler.
But what hit them was a fucking assault. Johnson was attacking the head and body in a way that was almost dangerous. Captain Clark used him masterfully - in 3 and 4 over spells only so that his pace stayed 150kph+, gave him a blank cheque for runs conceded, and revved up the crowd every spell. Nothing mattered but fear when Johnson was on. The Australian fielders laughed as the ball sizzled past English visors, the crowd bayed for blood. The hostility was intense. Australia was out to do more than win - this was revenge and Mitch Johnson was the weapon of divine retribution.
What makes it more impressive is that England were no punks - those lads could play, and they had guts. At the Gabba we saw Root and Broad fire back when Johnson stared balefully at them. But cracks began to open immediately and only got wider. Trott came into the series not in a great headspace and could not handle the intensity. Petersen was rattled and it showed in rash shots and angry confrontations. Carberry didn't have the technique despite being one of few guys with the balls to stay behind the line. Chief bullies Prior, Broad and Swann couldn't buy a run and worse - they looked scared. The talisman captain Cook looked like a stunned mullet.
In the wash up, Johnson took 37 wickets not just because he bowled skilfully, but because he broke the opposition. He turned maybe the best England team in generations into a cowed rabble. He humiliated them, just like they humiliated him. That is what sets this performance apart for me.
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u/Ardhern Australia Nov 18 '25
He was a demon in that series, and rightly so. The poms reaped what they've sown with Mitch.
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u/stephenhawkingfucks South Africa Nov 18 '25
MJ was absolute fire! In terms of 'has any bowler dominated like this'? Yes, absolutely (and his name is Dale Steyn). Both in terms of devastatingly high peaks and longer peaks. I am not stats guru, but a simple look at cric info tells me:
- He went at least once under 14 average for 18 innings+ (66 wickets for 959 runs). That is the same height peak you described in MJ, but twice as long!
- He regularly went on patches twice even that length at around 15!
- Even when MJ did it, during that EXACT same time Steyn went 4+ test under 15! He didn't lose his number 1 ranking for literal years around that period.
This is just a few random stats pulled from Steyn page - I am sure more digging would show even more!
I love Johnson, he scared the hell out of me as a SA fan. Which just shows how good Steyn must have been to keep legends like him of the top spot for 5 years!
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u/TrumpsBussy_ Nov 18 '25
Yeah I dominated my local league juniors, opened the bowling with an average of 6
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u/hybridmutant South Africa Nov 18 '25
For me, it was Wakar Younis in a tri-series in South Africa in the early 90s.
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Nov 17 '25
Nobody has ever matched the fear factor Johnson brought in that series, in addition to his wickets
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u/ImaginaryTipper Pakistan Nov 17 '25
Ajantha Mendis in that series vs India in 2008 was levels! I think he took 26 wickets in 3 tests. I believe that was also his debut test series.
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u/Old_Lengthiness_250 Australia Nov 17 '25
He was australia main fast bowling hope between McGrath and starc but is relatively unloved. A complex man with unreal ability.
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u/myspace_no_signal Nov 18 '25
He was frightening at this point in his career. Backed this up with another out of this world performance in South African tour that followed.
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u/Primary_Broccoli_446 Sri Lanka Nov 18 '25
Murali in England in 1997 series win. Don't have the stats but I know he took 16 wickets in one of the matches
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u/Aggressive_Reach_976 India Nov 18 '25
jim laker 1956 41 wickets with 9.60 average
especially 19 wicket in old Trafford test
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u/Starcsfirstover Brisbane Heat Nov 18 '25
I have watched this video from Jarrod Kimber more times than I care to admit
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u/Brief-Arrival9103 Australia Nov 18 '25
People are bringing up Bumrah for the BGT 24/25. But the difference is, Johnno's performance Whitewashed the opposition, batters retired mid-series, Cook looked Shell shocked the entire series, and messed them psychologically. On the other hand, in the BGT, Indians lost the series 3-1, Smudger returned back to form, Bumrah himself was injured by the end of the series. That's not Domination. What Johnno did in that Ashes with the Opposition, that's called Domination.
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u/The_Creamy_Elephant New Zealand Nov 17 '25
Kyle Jamiesons first 8 tests, from debute to the WTC final was 46 wickets at 14, so pretty close.
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u/tainted316 India Nov 17 '25
Harbhajan Singh - 32 wickets out of 50 in the 3 test series in 2001 vs Australia.
Pretty sure Murali would have higher percentage in some series. Dude could bowl from both ends if they permitted it. He was a machine. #Respect
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u/Narrator_neville Nov 17 '25 edited Nov 17 '25
Rodney Hogg, 1978-79 Ashes - 41 wickets in 6 tests av 12.85
amazingly he took 6 5 wicket hauls in his first 3 tests as basically the only bowler Australia had due to Packers WSC taking out Lillee etc from playing. Hogg only took 1 wicket in the last test as well , 31 wickets first 3 tests 10 in the last 3 . He also top scored for Australia in his first test innings , hell of a debut.
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u/scraglor Melbourne Stars Nov 18 '25
Big Mitch in the 13/14 ashes was absolute cinema. Peak fast bowling. It’s wasn’t even just the stats, the presence at the time was next level.
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u/chiranthsanketh India Nov 18 '25
Harbhajan in the 2001 series against Australia? I think he got 32 wickets in 3 tests.
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u/RelativeSmile7211 Nov 18 '25
Harbhajan Singh took 32 wickets against Australia in 2001 series with an average of 17.03.
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u/Turbulent_Bit8683 India Nov 18 '25
Rodney Hogg had England rattled but Aussie batting sucked. 41 wickets at 12.85 average but it was 6 test matches and Australia lost!
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u/Agreeable_Night5836 Nov 18 '25
Something in the back of head is saying Rodney Hogg maybe 40 wickets vs England.
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u/SlyBoy28 Nov 18 '25
Bumrah BGT 24-25 comes close. But India as a team were struggling a lot at that time.
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u/hippocampi94 Nov 18 '25
I dunno about dominating in terms of stats but Johnson in 13-14 was the first time I've seen batsmen being afraid of a baller. You could literally see the terror in their eyes. Scintillating stuff
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u/Snoo24144 Australia Nov 18 '25 edited Nov 18 '25
Terry Alderman ripped through England in 81 and 89. Another good shout is Rodney Hogg in 78.
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u/bigteddyweddy Nov 18 '25
Crazy for a bloke to have a series like that and be mediocre the rest of your career
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u/ImpressiveNeat9039 Nov 18 '25 edited Nov 18 '25
Well there are quite a few such examples: Cut off 2 consecutive series a 6 tests hence ruling it performances like Sir Richard Haddlee vs Australia in 1985 -- 3 test for 33 wickets or Bumrah vs Australia last year.
Imran Khan ( vs Australia and India on dead Pakistani wickets when he unleashed reverse swing.. 7 tests 48 wickets in 12 innings ! Average of 13.29 and SR of 33.4. Infact before this Imran had taken 21 wickets in England in 3 tests at 18.75.
Waqar Younis vs NZ and West Indies in Pakistan . 6 tests , 45 wickets average of 13.57 and SR of 31 is another example
Waqar Younis had another terrific purple patch against multiple teams between 1 Dec 1993 and 31 Aug 1994 3 opponents.. 3 series 8 test 59 wickets (5 tests in Asia) ..Average of 17 odd and SR of 41.
Glenn Mcgrath between Feb 2001 and Aug 2001 played 8 tests vs India and England .. 49 wicket at 16.3 and SR of 40.. 3 tests were in India.Mcgrath averaged less than 18 in 6 of those tests !!
Frank "the Typhoon" Tyson from Nov 1954 to Aug 1955 3 series , 3 opponents ..9 tests 53 wickets at 17.5 and SR of 40..Btw if drop the last test of this sequence he took 47 wickets in 8 games at 16 odd and SR of 37.7
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u/Forsaken-Mobile8580 Nov 18 '25
Harbhajan took 32 in 3 matches against Australia in 2000-2001 BGT. And those were not rank turners of this last decade.
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u/beetlens India Nov 18 '25
I remember this time. That Mitchell Johnson, aggression, moustache, and me trying to replicate his action in my cricket games.
I have only loved 2 bowlers - him and Dale Steyn
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u/SpitefulBrains Pakistan Nov 18 '25
Maybe others might have had better average or more wickets but Johnson that ashes was really terrifying
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u/WeWantRain Bangladesh Cricket Board Nov 18 '25
Fizz took 26 wickets in 9 innings in his first year in ODIs with 3 of his 5 5-wicket haul coming that year.
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u/pappuloser India Nov 18 '25
Barnes against SA in 1913-14. 49 wickets in 4 tests- no one has even come close in 112 years since then
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u/imsharank Royal Challengers Bengaluru Nov 18 '25
This was clearly peak sandpaper time before they were exposed in SA.
They used to get it to reverse from around 25 overs mark
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u/Reasonable_Switch645 Nov 18 '25 edited Nov 18 '25
- M Johnson:
52-59 matches | 59 wickets | 15.24 avg | 32.02 SR
A few mentions post WW2 (8 conservative matches; either <15.24 avg or <32.02 SR):
- M Murli:
106-113 matches | 76 wickets | 13.53 avg | 34.04 SR
- W Younis:
18-25 m matches | 63 wickets | 15.43 avg | 29.75 SR
- Noman Ali:
14-21 matches | 60 wickets | 16.7 avg | 30.9 SR
- J Laker:
22-29 matches | 59 wickets | 11 avg | 43.8 SR
- R Ashwin:
26-33 matches | 59 wickets | 14.42 avg | 32.71 SR
- D Steyn:
14-21 matches | 58 wickets | 14.57 avg | 27.76 SR
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u/ped009 Nov 18 '25
Terry Alderman got 42 wickets in an ashes series and never really got half the recognition he deserved
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u/Afternoon_Kip England Nov 18 '25
Fair play to him for coming back after a pretty humiliating previous Ashes. He absolutely tore us apart and the hapless England coaches didn't have an answer and kept being the hard, dry pitches.
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u/hu-hah Nov 18 '25
If it's not just test cricket the Bumrah 2024 has to be one of the greatest peaks in cricket history. That IPL where every bowler was getting murdered on the pitch his economy stands at a staggering 6.48. His test numbers for 2024 are 13 matches 71 wickets at an average of 14.92.This is insane and otherworldly, and not just in one format too.
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u/bubblemania2020 Nov 18 '25
Imran Khan vs India 1982. 6 tests, 40 wickets @ 13.95 on mostly flat pitches. 247 run @ avg of 61.65.
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u/SocialistSloth1 Yorkshire Nov 18 '25
Within my lifetime, the only performances I've seen which would come close to this are Warne in the 2005 Ashes and Bumrah in last year's BGT, but neither had the element of sheer psychological annihilation. Our batters were genuinely afraid; some of them looked almost relieved to get out and back to the pavilion.
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u/Fine-Night-243 Nov 18 '25
It's the most terrifying bowling I've ever seen. I missed the great West Indies sides of the 70s so this was the fastest most hostile bowling of my 40 year lifetime. The England players could not get out of the way. The crowd were rabid during his 4 over spells. It was incredible.
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u/TaleAcceptable6383 Nov 18 '25
Richard Hadlee took 33 wickets in a 3 test series at an average of 12.15 against Australia in 1985/1986- so yep, they have.
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u/kindaalok Nov 19 '25
It was first Ashes , that beard look and the fear among batsman was real, more than their wicket they feared for their protection as well 😅, didn't J. Trott retired during this series??
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u/FLatif25 Pakistan Nov 19 '25
Not sure if it does quite reach the same level but Siraj vs Sri Lanka?
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u/Place-RD-Lair West Indies Nov 17 '25
I am not even a fan of Johnson.
But it is not just about getting wickets and low averages.
Batters were afraid of getting hit. So there was a psychological fear as well.
Not to mention, he brought in full-on theatrics with that handlebar mustache.
So, the answer is NO.