World Test Championship Final will be played between India and New Zealand. There is a big theory to crack the Test match is if your side is able to pick 20 wickets, you can rule the game. It doesn’t matter how you are performing with the bat. In the end, bowlers win you matches. In other formats, batsmen rule the game but in Test cricket, bowling is a big thing that cannot be underestimated. WTC 2019-21 saw some quality bowling performances. Even few performances changed the story of the game within one session like Hazlewood did against India in Adelaide or Bumrah did against West Indies in 2019. Sri Lanka’s spinner holds the best figure in WTC but it was not as impactful as the other performances. We have picked the top five bowling performances which played a vital part to decide the game and the performance was a delight to watch.
Jasprit Bumrah 27/6 vs WI
Bumrah’s 27/6 was his best Test figure and it came in India’s first WTC assignment against West Indies. Courtesy of Hanuma Vihari’s hundred, India posted 417 in the first innings. Bumrah demolished West Indies’ batting order with the new ball. He became the first Indian to grab a Test hat-trick after Irfan Pathan. He picked Bravo, Brooks, and Chase on successive deliveries to pick a hattrick. West Indies were bowled out on just 117 runs. Indian pacer got six batsmen out of the top 7 which showed his dominance. His all wickets were up against the good batsmen. India went on to win the match by 257 runs.
Jason Holder 42/6 vs ENG
Cricket was resumed after the covid outbreak and West Indies faced England in Southampton. The skipper Holder made a solid start of the Test by bowling England out on just 204 with bagging a 6-wicket haul. He demolished the middle-order after early dismissals from Gabriel. Holder got Crawley, Buttler, Pope, and Stokes to avoid any late comeback. England couldn’t sustain more after the first innings and a lead of 114 runs helped West Indies. They got a target of 200 and the West Indies scripted a famous win in Southampton.
Axar Patel 38/6 vs ENG
Axar Patel was a shining star of India’s incredible home-series win against England. After the competitive first two Test in Chennai, the series was leveled 1-1 and India needed a win to strengthen their chances for WTC Final. England had an advantage due to pink-ball Test and they won the toss as well. Axar Patel just outclassed the English side with a dominant bowling display. He bagged a 6-wicket haul with pink-ball and set the best figure by a spinner in pink-ball Tests. England got out on just 112 and later, they tried to add a comeback when India collapsed to get out on 145 but Axar fired again with a 5-wicket haul to bowl out England on just 81. India won the match by 10 wickets and it became the shortest Pink-Ball test in history which lasted two days only.
Josh Hazlewood 8/5 vs IND
Josh Hazlewood delivered a carnage against India in Adelaide which outclassed the top-class batting unit. It was India’s horror story. After taking a short lead in the first innings, India had a good advantage and they needed a good total in their 2nd innings to call Australia to chase it down. After winning the majority of the sessions, India delivered the poorest show in their cricket history as they bowled out on just 36, the lowest Test score by India. Not a single player scored in double digits. Hazlewood bagged the cheapest 5-wicket haul in WTC. Well, India bounced back hard after this loss and won the series 2-1.
Jofra Archer 62/6 vs AUS
Jofra Archer started his Test career with Ashes and started with a bang. He troubled Australian players throughout the series and bagged two 6-wicket hauls in his debut series. Archer’s 62/6 in the 5th Test was our favourite because it came in winning cause. His previous haul in Leeds was overshadowed by Stokes’ marvelous heroics. Australia retained the Ashes after a 2-1 lead and England required a win to end this series in a draw. Hosts posted 294 in the first innings and Archer gave early blows to Australia. He bagged the top three batsmen including a well-set Labuschagne. Smith fought hard but Archer’s 6-wicket haul helped England to take 69 runs of the lead. England later won the match by 135 runs to draw the Ashes series 2-2.
