5 most successful bowler-fielder combinations in recent Test history

Cricket is a game of partnerships. A century stand in the middle of the innings or a couple of short, tight bowling spells in tandem from each end can shift the momentum of a game quite swiftly. However, one of the least talked about but one of the most significant partnerships in cricket is the bowler-fielder combination.That is so because it’s convenient to credit the bowler for inducing a fine edge, even though the fielder is equally involved in completing the dismissal; or point to the chinks in the batsman’s stance instead of applauding the slip fielder’s reflexes.So, here we list five of the most formidable and successful bowler-fielder combinations in recent cricket history that made for interesting on-field duels.

#1 Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist

McGrath and Gilchrist bagged 90 wickets together

Glenn McGrath was a class act. He set-up the batsman beautifully even on placid tracks and his consistency was unparalleled on a cricket pitch. As his inch-perfect lengths piled on the misery on the opposition, there was no reprieve for them behind the stumps as Adam Gilchrist made sure the deed was complete most of the time.

This deadly combo picked 90 wickets in 71 test matches in an era of Aussie world domination. The duo accumulated these astonishing figures from 1999 to 2007 as we saw caught Gilchrist bowled Mcgrath turn into one of the most common sights on a scoreboard.

#2 Muttiah Muralitharan and Mahela Jayawardene

Muralitharan and Jayawardene have a total of 77 dismissals to their name

Muralitharan and Mahela Jayawardene’s on-field chemistry is something which every cricket fan admires because it takes very good reflexes for a slip fielder to anticipate where the ball is going to land and especially when you have a maverick churning out outstanding deliveries.

Both these legends were a part of the golden generation of cricketers for Sri Lanka including Sangakkara. That the wicket-keeper, Kumara Sangakkara, doesn't make it to the list along with Muralitharan points to the fact that the Mahela-Muralitharan partnership was indeed quite special.

The duo managed a total of 77 dismissals which is just a fraction of Muralitharan’s 800 scalps.

#3 Makhaya Ntini and Mark Boucher

The duo played together for South Africa for almost 10 years

What would a top-class seam bowler want most from his team, you ask? A safe pair of hands behind the stumps because for him that’s where the magic happens. It is one of the lesser known partnerships in world cricket because both Boucher and Ntini are such humble blokes.

Mark Boucher was as safe as a house for Makhaya Ntini and their wonderful combination accounted for 84 dismissals in just 96 matches. Makhaya Ntini retired in 2009 after pairing up with Boucher for almost 10 years and provided the much-needed sting alongside Jaques Kallis and Shaun Pollock, accumulating an impressive 390 wickets for South Africa.

#4 Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid

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Who can forget those Kumble top spinner’s rushing onto the batsmen forcing their hand and jumping straight into Dravid’s lap. Kumble-Dravid’s clockwork combination was just pure art and delighted many fans around the world.

This is the only other bowler-fielder combination after Mahela-Muralitharan which doesn't feature a wicket-keeper. Rightly so, because we are yet to see a better slip fielder in the Indian team than Rahul Dravid. He also holds the record for most catches taken by a non-wicketkeeper in Test Cricket, he retired with a total of 210 catches in his 164 test matches.

The Bangalorean duo, however, managed a total of 55 wickets in 107 matches together.

#5 Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin

The duo retired from international cricket in 2015

Watching Johnson in the later part of his career was like watching a boxer in his prime, the jabs didn’t stop till the opposition was knocked out. It was complete mayhem and his partner in crime was none other than his best mate and wicket-keeper Brad Haddin.

That Haddin made it to the list alongside greats like Boucher and Gilchrist is a testament to the fact that his batting might have been inconsistent at times but his wicketkeeping was, without a doubt, the strongest aspect of his game.

The pair scalped 71 wickets in just 52 matches before retiring from international cricket in 2015.