Ranking the 5 best bowling spells in Tests in 2024 ft. Jasprit Bumrah

This year has witnessed several bilateral Test series, which have put the spotlight on the finest talents emerging from different countries. These players set the world stage alight and kept the longest format alive with their standout performances.

With crucial World Test Championship (WTC) points on the line, teams competed fiercely to stake a claim for the two spots in the standings. Currently, only South Africa have qualified for the WTC 2025 final and a few other teams are vying to secure the second spot.

This year saw the West Indies pulling off their first Test win in Australia in 27 years, while Bangladesh won their first-ever Test against Pakistan.

The recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test between India and Australia in Melbourne drew a total of 350,700 spectators over the course of five days. It became the second-highest-attended Test game of all time.

On that note, let's take a look at the five best Test spells by the bowlers in 2024.

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#5 Mitchell Santner - 7/53 vs IND, Pune

Mitchell Santner produced a sensational performance in his solitary appearance in the three-match series against India in October 2024 in Pune. The Blackcaps batted first and posted a 259-run total.

Santner effectively used the rank-turner to his advantage to send Shubman Gill (30) and Virat Kohli (1) packing. The early dismissals triggered the batting collapse as the left-arm spinner dismissed Sarfaraz Khan (11), Ravindra Jadeja (38), Ravichandran Ashwin (4), Akash Deep (6) and Jasprit Bumrah (0). He claimed figures of 7/53, as India was all-out for 156.

Santner picked up six wickets in the second innings as well to help New Zealand win the game by 113 runs. The Kiwi side also recorded their first-ever red-ball series victory on Indian soil.

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#4 Marco Jansen - 7/13 vs SL, Durban

Bowling all-rounder Marco Jansen stunned the cricket fraternity with his exceptional performances against Sri Lanka in Durban in November 2024. The visitors did well to bundle out the Proteas for 191.

However, they weren't aware of what was to arrive for them on a bright sunny day. After Kagiso Rabada opened the floodgates for the hosts, Jansen secured a breakthrough by dismissing Pathum Nissanka (3). He then went on to dismiss veteran batters Dinesh Chandimal (0) and Angelo Mathews (1) in quick succession.

The left-arm pacer went on to dismiss captain Dhananjaya de Silva (7), Prabath Jayasuriya (0), Vishwa Fernando (0), and Asitha Fernando (0). The breathtaking spell saw Jansen finish with figures of 6.5-1-13-7 as Sri Lanka was bundled out for 42.

The Proteas went on to win the game by a mammoth 233 runs, with Jansen picking up four wickets in the second innings.

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#3 Jasprit Bumrah - 6/45 vs ENG, Visakhapatnam

Undoubtedly the finest red-ball bowler in 2024, India pacer Jasprit Bumrah was sensational regardless of the assistance from the surface. On a flat Vizag surface and with the sun beating down hard, it required a special talent to overcome the wrath of England batters in February 2024.

Riding on Yashasvi Jaiswal's double century, the hosts compiled a 396-run total. In response, England was off to a good start, and going around five runs per over in the 26th over with only two wickets down. At this juncture, Bumrah induced an edge of Joe Root (5) to trigger a downfall for the visitors.

The right-arm pacer went on to dismiss Ollie Pope (23), Jonny Bairstow (25), Ben Stokes (47), Tom Hartley (21), and James Anderson (6) to finish with figures of 6/45, as India took a 143-run first-innings lead.

India secured a 106-run victory, with Bumrah picking three wickets in the second innings.

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#2 Jasprit Bumrah - 5/30 vs AUS, Perth

Another Jasprit Bumrah special arrived in the first fixture of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Perth. Interestingly, Bumrah acted as the stand-in captain for the Indian team in the absence of Rohit Sharma.

The visitors were bundled out for a paltry score of 150, and Australia were the favorite to gain a huge first innings lead and dominate the proceedings. However, Bumrah led India's fightback, as he put the Aussies under incessant pressure with his proficient line lengths and the ability to swing the ball both ways.

The right-arm pacer dismissed debutant Nathan McSweeney (10), Usman Khawaja (8), Steven Smith (0), Alex Carey (21) and his counterpart Pat Cummins (3) as Australia were bundled out for 104. He finished with spectacular figures 5/30 in 18 overs.

The second innings saw India declaring on 487/6 and eventually winning by 295 runs.

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#1 Shamar Joseph - 7/68 vs AUS, Brisbane

Shamar Joseph delivered a sensational performance that helped West Indies to win their first-ever Test on Australian soil after 27 years. Playing in his debut series, Joseph proved to be too much to handle for the hosts.

Batting first, the Caribbean side posted a 311-run total, with Joshua Da Silva (79) being the top contributor. Alzarri Joseph was the pick of the bowlers with four scalps as Australia declared on 289/9.

With the collective effort from the Australian bowlers, West Indies were all-out for 193. Chasing 216, the hosts suffered a major roadblock from Joseph, who breached the defense of Cameron Green (42) and Travis Head (0).

Mitchell Marsh (10), Mitchell Starc (21), Pat Cummins (2) and Nathan Lyon (9). Joseph's final wicket saw him breaking the furniture of Josh Hazlewood (0) and etching his name into the history books. He finished with figures of 7/68 as West Indies won the game by eight runs.