Most wickets taken by a pace trio in a calendar year in Test cricket

Ishant Sharma scalped the wicket of Nathan Lyon to complete a famous victory for India in the third Test at the MCG, 37 years since they won at the stadium. This wicket also set a unique record by the Indian pacers: the number of wickets taken by a pace trio in a calendar year.

The record is surprising as India has never been considered a pace superpower, with Australia and South Africa grabbing most accolades in the pace department in recent years. India played a lot of exciting Test cricket this year, and there was a lot of scope to achieve this record, playing on pacy tracks in South Africa, England and Australia.

History in away Test series definitely does not favour the Indians, but the pacers have been instrumental in retaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

But do they qualify as the top trio in terms of maximum number of wickets in a calendar year? Let's find out.

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(5) Morne Morkel / Vernon Philander / Dale Steyn - 108 wickets in 2012

Dale Steyn was back in the team to lead the attack in 2018

The fearsome trio of Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn amassed 108 wickets in 2012. South Africa reached top spot in the rankings, owing to their excellent away tours in New Zealand, England and Australia, which they held until April 2014.

The pacers played an extremely influential role in achieving the goal, with Vernon Philander grabbing a 10-wicket haul in the lone Test win in New Zealand, Dale Steyn snatching 7 wickets in the victory in Australia, and a combined effort to comfortably win the series in England.

Morne Morkel - 38 wickets at an avg of 30.29

Vernon Philander - 43 wickets at an avg of 21.12

Dale Steyn - 39 wickets at an avg of 29.72

(The cumulative wickets taken were 120, but 108 wickets were taken when they played together as a pace trio)

(4) Curtly Ambrose / Malcolm Marshall / Courtney Walsh - 118 wickets in 1988

Sir Curtly Ambrose was at the peak of the ICC rankings for most of his career

The West Indies team of the 1970s-80s has always been touted as one of the greatest teams to ever play the 'Gentleman's Game', and huge credit is duly given to their fierce pace attack. Ambrose and Walsh were over 6 ft 5 in, and their height assisted them to bounce the ball unusually high. Malcolm Marshall was relatively short but generated fearsome pace, bowling regularly over 90 mph throughout his career.

Curtly Ambrose debuted in 1988, snapping an astounding 49 wickets in 11 games. The West Indies won 8 Tests out of 12 that year, including a comprehensive 4-0 series win over England and a 3-1 series win over Australia. Marshall took his career best figures of 15.4–5–22–7 in the third Test against England, ending the year with 60 wickets to his name.

Malcolm Marshall - 60 wickets at an avg of 17.87

Curtly Ambrose - 49 wickets at an avg of 23.20

Courtney Walsh - 35 wickets at an avg of 30.83

(The cumulative wickets taken were 144, but 118 wickets were taken when they played together as a pace trio)

(3) Morne Morkel / Makhaya Ntini / Dale Steyn - 123 wickets in 2008

South Africa had a great pace attack in 2008

South Africa had a brilliant year in 2008, winning every series except one against India, which they drew. Their bowling lineup was a boon to Graeme Smith, a pace attack which wreaked havoc even on spinning pitches in India.

Morne Morkel was consistent as South Africa defeated England away from home, while Dale Steyn was the chief destroyer in Australia. South Africa won 11 out of 15 Tests that year, playing 11 of those away from home. Dale Steyn was at his peak in the 2007-08 season, ending with 74 wickets in 11 Tests.

Makhaya Ntini - 54 wickets at an avg of 28.46

Morne Morkel - 43 wickets at an avg of 32.16

Dale Steyn - 74 wickets at an avg of 20.01

(The cumulative wickets taken were 171, but 123 wickets were taken when they played together as a pace trio)

(2) Joel Garner / Michael Holding / Malcolm Marshall - 130 wickets in 1984

Joel Garner - Considered one of the most effective bowlers ever

Another entry in this list is of the famed West Indies team of the 80s with Joel Garner, Michael Holding and Malcolm Marshall shouldering pace bowling responsibilities in 1984. The Windies had a spectacular year, with zero Test losses, claiming every series on their journey.

Garner, who stood at 6 ft 8 inches, used his height to devastating effect to rip apart oppositions. He claimed a record 79 wickets in the year, ably supported by Marshall and Holding.

Joel Garner - 79 wickets at an avg of 20.62

Michael Holding - 43 wickets at an avg of 19.47

Malcolm Marshall - 73 wickets at an avg of 20.15

(The cumulative wickets taken were 195, but 130 wickets were taken when they played together as a pace trio)

(1) Jasprit Bumrah / Ishant Sharma / Mohammed Shami - 131 wickets in 2018

Bumrah and Shami have led the pace attack for India in 2018

2018 promised to be a good away season for India, due to the depth in batting and the consistency in the bowling attack at home in 2017. Although India lost away series in South Africa and England, they have bounced back against Australia in style. Throughout the year though, the batting was a letdown while the bowling rose to the occasion more than once.

Bumrah made a mark by debuting in Tests this year, and how. He broke Dileep Doshi's record (40 wickets) for most number of wickets in a debut year by claiming 48 victims in 2018. He spearheaded the attack, while Ishant and Shami played important roles as well.

The Indian bowlers have been able to take 218 wickets out of a possible 220 in away Tests in 2018, which is definitely a reflection of how good the pace attack has been.

Jasprit Bumrah - 48 wickets at an avg of 21.02

Ishant Sharma - 41 wickets at an avg of 21.80

Mohammed Shami - 47 wickets at an avg of 26.98

(The cumulative wickets taken were 136, but 131 wickets were taken when they played together as a pace trio)