Stats: Most wickets in a calendar year in Tests

Shane Warne

Australian magician Shane Warne, one of the best exponents of leg spin, tops the list with a record 96 wickets in Tests in the year 2005 at an impressive average of 22.02.

Muttiah Muralitharan comes in at second, albeit, having played fewer games than Warne. The Sri Lankan picked up 90 wickets in just 11 Tests in 2006, with a better average than Warne’s of just 16.9. The 41-year old makes the list on three separate occasions with the other two coming in 2000 and 2001.

Indian swing legend Kapil Dev makes the list twice, once in 1979 with 74 wickets and the other in 1983 with 75.

*Stats as on 26 March, 2014