Seam bowlers are the most destructive weapon one can come across in Test cricket. Their ability to move the ball both ways with the new Kookaburra poses a lot of problems to the batsmen, who are bound to succumb in the wake of a poor technique. These scenarios are quite evident bowling in SENA countries where there is plenty of help for the seamers throughout the course of five-days. Bowlers just need to stick to tight lines and lengths and remain patient for their wickets.
Batsmen who are overly dependent on their defensive skills rather than attacking the bad stuff are more vulnerable to being dismissed as the bowlers can comprehend the mindset of the opposition batsman and bowl tighter lengths to either nick them through or clean them up.
World cricket has seen several such bowlers who have been match-winners in their own right. In the below piece, we look at 5 current seam bowlers who are dominating Test cricket:
1. Josh Hazlewood
Blessed with unusual traits which massively suit the art of fast bowling, Hazlewood has made his presence indispensable as far as Test cricket is concerned. His ability to extract steep bounce owing to his tallness and move the ball in the air makes him a lethal weapon operating with the shining red-ball.
Hazlewood has picked 201 wickets from 52 Tests at an average of 25.69 and economy rate of 2.77. The bowler doesn’t bowl at express pace but is effective enough to scalp wickets at various facets of a game.
He has carved a special place for himself among the Aussie pace trio, who is more focused on the line and length aspect rather than the pace.
We all saw how he made batting look one heck of a task, dismissing India for a mere 36 in the first Test at Adelaide and the exploits might now see the tourists resort to a more cautious approach against him and target the others for some luxury.
2. James Anderson
Arguably, one of the legends of the game, it is England and world cricket’s good fortunes that we still see the man running hard from his bowling mark and hurling the balls at the batsmen. Having spent so many years in world cricket, Anderson is still one of the scariest seam bowlers to face in Test cricket, who absolutely gives no clue to the batsmen about his plans and executions.
The genius has scalped a record 600 batsmen in 156 Tests at an average of 26.8 and economy rate of 2.86. The spectacular feat of 600 wickets was achieved during the recent Test series against Pakistan where the bowler was at his impeccable best.
While most other pacers retire by the age of 35, Anderson’s drive and passion for the game has kept him going even at 38 and there is absolutely no doubt that he will end up scaling such a huge mark in his career which will be there for others to think but practically impossible to emulate.
3. Mohammad Shami
Possessing a fragile body which was more susceptible to getting injured in his initial playing days, Shami has worked hard on his fitness and became that bowler who could consistently bowl in the 145 clicks without bringing the intensity and energy down.
Shami has 180 wickets to his name from 50 games at an average of 27.58 and economy rate of 3.31. His lightning-quick spells have often brought India back in the games and helped them in finishing on the right side of the line.
Be it the in-swinger, outswinger, nip-backer, bumper or the slower one, Shami has it all which goes into making a perfect Test fast bowler. His absence due to injury from the remainder of Australia series is thus a huge blow to India’s plans of retaining the trophy and making it a habit of dominating on foreign soil.
4. Pat Cummins
Gifted with a naturally athletic body, Cummins uses his brisk pace to rattle opposition stumps or makes them liable to lbw dismissal. He does employ the short ball as a surprise element and sends shivers down opposition spine.
The speedster has galloped 150 wickets from 31 games at an average of 21.27 and economy rate of 2.75. His general inclination towards bowling ideal Test match lengths puts him in better stead to picks wickets on a consistent basis.
It will be safe to call him batsmen’s worst nightmare, for there are potentially no flaws in his armoury for the batters to expose and exploit. He was the chief destructor in India’s epic collapse at the Adelaide Oval and thus, it won’t be early if we predict him to bowl Australia to another whitewash against an out of sorts India.
5. Kemar Roach
He might not be in the limited-overs scheme of things for Windies at the moment, but Roach has certainly become an inevitable member of the line-up when it comes to bowling with the red-ball.
The pace sensation recently achieved the feat of picking 200 wickets against the hosts England in the first series contested after the lockdown. The tally has reached 204 for which he took 60 Tests and managed it at an average of 27.67 and economy rate of 3.11.
Roach along with the likes of Gabriel and Joseph form a potent bowling attack in Test cricket for the Stature Windies Seam bowlers possessed back then, who are capable of picking 20 wickets at any given any condition and situation. There are still a few years left of Roach and it will be his prime responsibility to bring the lost glory and honour back, propelling the team in the right direction.
