India spin legend R Ashwin (REUTERS)
Who is the fastest bowler to 100 Test wickets? It is a statistical record that has highlighted the same name for nearly 128 years. India’s Ravichandran Ashwin and Pakistan’s Yasir Shah came close in the modern era, but fell just short.
England’s bowling pioneer George Lohmann, who featured in only 18 Tests, reached the magical 100 Test-wickets figures shortly before his retirement in 1896. Regarded among the premier right-arm pacers of his time, Lohmann reached 100 wickets in his 16th Test and continues to hold the record for the best Test bowling average (10.75) and strike rate (34.1), for a min. 2000 balls bowled.
This week, Sri Lanka’s Prabath Jayasuriya came the closest to equal Lohmann’s record as he registered nine wickets in the second Test against New Zealand in Galle, reaching 97 wickets in only 16 Tests. With three wickets in his next Test, Jayasuriya could become the joint-second fastest bowler to 100 wickets, matching Shah’s Asian record.
| Mat | Player | Opposition | Ground | Match Date | Debut |
| 16 | George Lohmann (ENG) | v South Africa | Johannesburg | 2 Mar 1896 | 5 Jul 1886 |
| 17 | Charles Turner (AUS) | v England | Sydney | 1 Feb 1895 | 28 Jan 1887 |
| 17 | Sydney Barnes (ENG) | v Australia | Sydney | 23 Feb 1912 | 13 Dec 1901 |
| 17 | Clarrie Grimmett (AUS) | v West Indies | Brisbane | 16 Jan 1931 | 27 Feb 1925 |
| 17 | Yasir Shah (PAK) | v West Indies | Dubai (DICS) | 13 Oct 2016 | 22 Oct 2014 |
| 18 | R Ashwin (IND) | v West Indies | Wankhede | 14 Nov 2013 | 6 Nov 2011 |
| 19 | Colin Blythe (ENG) | v South Africa | Cape Town | 11 Mar 1910 | 13 Dec 1901 |
| 19 | Alfred Valentine (WI) | v England | Georgetown | 24 Feb 1954 | 8 Jun 1950 |
| 19 | Andy Roberts (WI) | v England | Leeds | 22 Jul 1976 | 6 Mar 1974 |
| 19 | Ian Botham (ENG) | v India | Lord’s | 2 Aug 1979 | 28 Jul 1977 |
| 19 | Saeed Ajmal (PAK) | v England | Abu Dhabi | 25 Jan 2012 | 4 Jul 2009 |
| 19 | Vernon Philander (SA) | v India | Johannesburg | 18 Dec 2013 | 9 Nov 2011 |
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