Top 5 bowlers with most wickets in a calendar year across all formats

Bowling in cricket is perceived as the most strenuous aspect of the game. Bowling is physically and mentally more demanding and taxing for the players when compared to batting. It does not mean that batting is an effortless task, but it is relatively less burdensome than bowling.Generally, the bowler's career span is also way less than that of batsmen. The maintenance of optimum fitness has been an issue for most of the bowlers throughout their international cricketing careers.The beautiful game of cricket has seen many great bowlers over the years who have amused the spectators through their display of magnificent skills and a wide range of accomplishments.From deadly West Indies pace bowlers to exquisite Indian spin bowlers, from enchanting Pakistan swing bowlers to adroit and versatile Australian bowlers, the cricketing universe has witnessed and savoured everyone's contribution towards the game since its inception.Over the years there have been many eminent bowlers who consistently performed for their teams and lead them to numerous victories. Premiere bowlers like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Muralitharan, Anil Kumble, Wasim Akram proved their match-winning capabilities through exceptional accomplishments over the course of their careers across all formats of the game.Through their performances, they demonstrated that they are not inferior to their counterparts in any aspect of the game. The bowlers have also evolved through various phases of the game by constantly adjusting according to the changes in playing conditions.In this slideshow, we are going to look at the bowlers who have displayed immaculate levels of consistency and performed exceptionally well for their nation.Here are top 5 bowlers who took most number of wickets in a single calendar year -Notable mentions - The players from the top ten of this list are#6 Graeme Swann - 111 wickets (39 matches), 2010#7 Saeed Ajmal - 111 wickets (50 matches), 2013#8 Muttiah Muralitharan - 109 wickets (31 matches), 2000#9 Allan Donald - 107 wickets (27 matches), 1998#10 Dennis Lillee - 105 wickets (28 matches), 1981#5 Mitchell Johnson (113 wickets) - 2009Mitchell JohnsonFiery pace bowler Mitchell Johnson was one of the biggest match-winners that Australian team produced in the last decade.He took over the reins of Australian pace attack after the departure of legends like Glenn Mcgrath, Brett Lee and led the attack with reasonable success until he bid adieu to the game of cricket. His monumental contributions played a vital part in Australia's success in the Test cricket during the fag end of his career.Mitchell Johnson was always known for his wicket-taking ability throughout his career. He took 113 wickets in 2009 across all formats from 47 matches at an average of 28.18He occupies the fifth position on this list.

Top 5 bowlers with most wickets in a calendar year across all formats

#3 Shane Warne (120 wickets) - 1994