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2021 - the year which first saw the World Test Championship (WTC) final. And what a final it was! The quality of cricket on display was incredibly high as New Zealand got the better of India in a rain-marred yet supremely competitive match.
Apart from the WTC final, there were 25 other Tests played in the first half of the year between January and June. While 21 out of 26 matches produced a result, five ended in draws. What's more, the Tests were laced with fantastic bowling performances from a wide mix of bowlers.
From Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel bamboozling England batsmen with their spin at home to New Zealand's pace quartet imposing themselves on English conditions. There were also some astonishing debuts from the likes of Nauman Ali and Praveen Jayawickrama, whilst the South African pace attack of Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, and Kagiso Rabada thrilled in pieces as well.
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On that note, here are the five best Test bowling performances in the first half of 2021.
Honorable Mentions - Axar Patel’s record-breaking exploits against England in Ahmedabad and Anrich Nortje’s five-for at Rawalpindi versus Pakistan were fantastic performances, but they just about missed out from the top five.
#5 James Anderson: 29-13-40-6 vs Sri Lanka in Galle
England came to Sri Lanka in early 2021, still in with a chance of qualifying for the World Test Championship final. They had to win both Tests against the Lankans before heading to India for a tougher challenge.
A Joe Root special with the bat helped England win the first Test, but it was James Anderson's magical bowling that helped them get the better of Sri Lanka in the second. Having missed the first match, owing to England’s rotation policy, Anderson was up against a determined set of Sri Lankan batsmen, who were looking to not repeat their mistakes from the first Test.
Anderson, though, was at his incisive best. He bowled 29 overs in the humid and searing Galle heat, conceding just 40 runs, while scalping six wickets, only one of which was a tailender.
It was his best-ever bowling performance in Asia. Incidentally, his previous best of 5-72 also came at Galle in 2012. Anderson also became the oldest seamer to pick up a five-for in Asia. As the oft repeated cliché goes, James Anderson, just like fine wine, seems to be getting better with age.
#4 Rashid Khan: 62.5-17-137-7 vs Zimbabwe in Abu Dhabi
It was a rare Test series for Afghanistan as they squared off against Zimbabwe in Abu Dhabi. It was a closely-contested series which ended 1-1. Zimbabwe had decimated Afghanistan in the first Test as the African nation won the encounter by a handsome 10 wickets.
Afghanistan, who have been extremely vocal about becoming a serious Test-playing nation, had a lot more than just the series to play for. They wanted to prove that they belonged in the longest format.
They did a lot more than just that in the second Test. After a dominating batting performance in the first innings (545/4d), it was Rashid Khan’s turn to show the world the superstar that he is. It wasn’t just about the number of wickets he took, but the sheer willingness and zest with which he kept bowling, over after over.
He was relentless over his 60-plus overs as he kept challenging both edges of the bat. What makes it even more special is that he did all of it with a semi-healed middle-finger of his bowling hand.
While it might look like a random Test series, Rashid Khan's performance could well be a defining factor in Afghanistan’s rise in the Test ranks. It was not just about Afghanistan's win or his seven-wicket haul, but the grit and fight he showed in the longest format will be remembered for long. Rashid Khan showed the world that he is more than just a T20 superstar.
#3 Ravichandran Ashwin: 23.5-4-43-5 vs England in Chennai
The leading wicket-taker of the World Test Championship put up a special performance in what future historians would and should refer to as the Ravichandran Ashwin Test. India were beaten comprehensively in the first Test in Chennai as England’s hopes of securing a WTC final berth were starting to look a bit brighter.
But normal service was restored in Chennai. After a Rohit Sharma special with the bat, Ravi Ashwin took over the reins as he plucked five English wickets for a mere 43 runs to bundle out the visitors for just 134 runs.
He followed it up with a three-wicket haul in England's second innings and sandwiched between his two bowling masterclasses was a phenomenal century in India’s second innings. Having toiled hard for nearly 50 overs in the first match, Ashwin was back to his best in the second Test as England had no answers for him.
He won the Player of the Match award for his all-round efforts, his eighth overall and first on home soil. The Test turned India's fortunes as they decimated England in the Ahmedabad leg of the series and thumped their way to the World Test Championship final.
#2 Tim Southee: 25.1-8-43-6 vs England at Lords
Tim Southee often falls under the radar as a New Zealand bowler. While Trent Boult looks more exciting, Neil Wagner makes for blockbuster viewing with his short ball metronomic style, and Kyle Jamieson’s historic start to his career makes the headlines. But it's Southee, operating in the backline, who is the consistent one. The one who keeps pegging away without much credit.
The Test against England was no different. His six-for at Lord's should have been the talk of the town, but it was Devon Conway’s debut double century that shone bright instead. However, Southee’s efforts were instrumental in helping New Zealand push for victory in what was a rain-affected match at Lords. With conditions firmly in his favor, the pacer bowled with tremendous consistency and guile to pick up six wickets - his second appearance on the Lord's honors board.
Although the match ended in a draw, Tim Southee’s efforts gave England a mighty scare. Southee ended as New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker in the World Test Championship, picking up 56 wickets in 11 Tests at an average of 20.82.
#1 Kyle Jamieson: 22-12-31-5 vs India in Southampton
Kyle Jamieson made his Test debut in the WTC cycle against India and picked up 43 wickets in the tournament at an incredible average of 12.53. But he saved the very best for the last - a Player of the Match performance in the first-ever WTC final.
India were off to a fantastic start after having been put into bat by New Zealand. It wasn’t until Jamieson showed up that the Kiwis bowling started to look incredibly menacing. He sent down 22 overs for just 31 runs and picked up five wickets, including the big guns of Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma.
Tall, quick and accurate – Jamieson was throwing thunderbolts at the Indian batsmen, for which they didn’t have much answers. It was pure fast bowling magic as he made the final of the first-ever World Test Championship his own.
Jamieson is just 26, and it is scary to see the amount of potential he has. While bigger challenges lie ahead, his bowling performance in the summit clash has to be one of the most important ever bowled in Test cricket history.
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