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Which bowlers have taken the most wickets in debut series of varying length

Travis Basevi and George Binoy August 13, 2008

The last time a Sri Lankan bowler took more wickets than Muttiah Muralitharan in a Test series - barring the one at home against South Africa in 2004 where he played only one match - was when West Indies visited in 2001-02. Murali would have topped the wickets tally again against India had it not been for a record-breaking performance from Ajantha Mendis in his debut series. Mendis' 26 wickets at 18.38 apiece was the record for most wickets by a debutant in a three-Test series. This week's List looks at bowlers with the most wickets in debut series of varying length.

The record that Mendis broke belonged to Alec Bedser, which he set during a three-Test rubber against India in 1946. Bedser took 24 wickets in five innings at 12.41, including 11-wicket hauls in the first two Tests. His 7 for 49 at Lord's was the second-best performance in an innings on debut, after Albert Trott's 8 for 43 against England at the Adelaide Oval in 1895.

Does anyone remember Franklyn Saliya Ahangama? He was a Sri Lankan medium-pacer fast-tracked into the Test side less than two weeks after his first-class debut with Sri Lanka Colts in 1985. He dismissed Mohammad Azharuddin with his fourth ball in Test cricket - the first of his 18 wickets at 19.33 apiece in the three-Test series against India. He took five wickets in his second match, at the P Saravanamuttu Stadium, which was Sri Lanka's maiden Test victory. Injuries, combined with the short supply of Tests, curtailed Ahangama's career and though he toured England in 1988 and 1991, the 1985 series against India remained his only Test appearances.

Player	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	Ave	5	10		Series	Season
BAW Mendis (SL)	3	979	478	26	6/117	18.38	2	1		v India	2008
AV Bedser (Eng)	3	866	298	24	7/49	12.41	2	2		v India	1946
SR Clark (Aus)	3	708	317	20	5/55	15.85	1	0		v South Africa	2005/06
J Cowie (NZ)	3	839	395	19	6/67	20.78	1	1		v England	1937
FS Ahangama (SL)	3	801	348	18	5/52	19.33	1	0		v India	1985
Shabbir Ahmed (Pak)	3	714	341	17	5/48	20.05	1	0		v Bangladesh	2003
MRCN Bandaratilleke (SL)	3	960	339	16	5/36	21.18	1	0		v New Zealand	1998
RO Collinge (NZ)	3	655	265	15	3/41	17.66	0	0		v Pakistan	1964/65
RJ Shastri (India)	3	882	277	15	5/125	18.46	1	0		v New Zealand	1980/81
BKV Prasad (India)	3	855	375	15	5/76	25.00	1	0		v England	1996

The West Indian spinners Alf Valentine and Sonny Ramadhin are first and third on the list of highest wicket-takers on debut in a four-Test series. Both played their first Test at Old Trafford during the tour of England in 1950, which West Indies won 3-1. Valentine finished the series with 33 wickets while Ramadhin took 26. John Goddard was West Indies' next highest wicket-taker, with six. Valentine and Ramadhin bowled 800.2 overs between them and, bizarrely, finished with the same economy-rate of 1.59 per over. Their performances helped West Indies secure their maiden Test and series victory in England.

Player	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	Ave	5	10		Series	Season
AL Valentine (WI)	4	2535	674	33	8/104	20.42	2	2		v England	1950
FS Trueman (Eng)	4	718	386	29	8/31	13.31	2	0		v India	1952
S Ramadhin (WI)	4	2267	604	26	6/86	23.23	3	1		v England	1950
W Ferguson (WI)	4	1296	567	23	6/92	24.65	3	1		v England	1947/48
S Venkataraghavan (India)	4	1545	399	21	8/72	19.00	1	1		v New Zealand	1964/65
JC Laker (Eng)	4	1120	548	18	7/103	30.44	1	0		v West Indies	1947/48
W Voce (Eng)	4	1130	584	17	7/70	34.35	1	1		v West Indies	1929/30
GAE Paine (Eng)	4	1044	467	17	5/168	27.47	1	0		v West Indies	1934/35
NGB Cook (Eng)	2	812	275	17	5/35	16.17	2	0		v New Zealand	1983
W Bates (Eng)	4	964	334	16	4/52	20.87	0	0		v Australia	1881/82

Australian legspinner Arthur Mailey's 36 scalps during the 1920-21 Ashes is the record for most wickets by a debutant in a five-Test series. He beat Frank Foster's tally of 32 against Australia during the 1911-12 Ashes. Mailey did not bowl in the second Test, in Melbourne. He took six wickets in Sydney, ten in Adelaide, 13 at the MCG (in the fourth Test), and seven more at the SCG. His haul of 9 for 121 in Melbourne is the best in an innings by an Australian bowler.

Player	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	Ave	5	10		Series	Season
AA Mailey (Aus)	5	1465	946	36	9/121	26.27	4	2		v England	1920/21
CEH Croft (WI)	5	1307	676	33	8/29	20.48	1	0		v Pakistan	1976/77
FR Foster (Eng)	5	1660	692	32	6/91	21.62	3	0		v Australia	1911/12
AS Kennedy (Eng)	5	1683	599	31	5/76	19.32	2	0		v South Africa	1922/23
WW Hall (WI)	5	1330	530	30	6/50	17.66	2	1		v India	1958/59
GB Lawrence (SA)	5	1334	512	28	8/53	18.28	2	0		v New Zealand	1961/62
WM Clark (Aus)	5	1585	701	28	4/46	25.03	0	0		v India	1977/78
AE Hall (SA)	4	1505	501	27	7/63	18.55	2	1		v England	1922/23
MW Tate (Eng)	5	1304	424	27	6/42	15.70	1	0		v South Africa	1924
WS Lees (Eng)	5	1256	467	26	6/78	17.96	2	0		v South Africa	1905/06

Terry Alderman has the highest wicket-aggregate for a debutant in a six-Test series, a mark unlikely to be bettered for there hasn't been a series of such length since 1998. Alderman took 9 for 130 on debut at Trent Bridge during the 1981 Ashes and went on to take 42 wickets in the series, beating Lillee's 39. Alderman bettered Rodney Hogg's record of 41 wickets, set in the 1978-79 Ashes, and his 42 wickets is the second highest series-tally for an Australian after Clarrie Grimmett's 44 in five Tests against South Africa in 1935-36.

Most wickets in a six-Test series on debut

Player	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	Ave	5	10		Series	Season
TM Alderman (Aus)	6	1950	893	42	6/135	21.26	4	0		v England	1981
RM Hogg (Aus)	6	1740	527	41	6/74	12.85	5	2		v England	1978/79
DR Doshi (India)	6	1838	630	27	6/103	23.33	2	0		v Australia	1979/80
DG Cork (Eng)	5	1106	661	26	7/43	25.42	1	0		v West Indies	1995
NS Yadav (India)	5	1407	577	24	4/35	24.04	0	0		v Australia	1979/80
PM Such (Eng)	5	1439	541	16	6/67	33.81	1	0		v Australia	1993
DW Headley (Eng)	3	788	444	16	4/72	27.75	0	0		v Australia	1997
Ehteshamuddin (Pak)	3	748	270	14	5/47	19.28	1	0		v India	1979/80
RMH Binny (India)	6	725	399	11	3/53	36.27	0	0		v Pakistan	1979/80
MA Holding (WI)	5	1125	614	10	4/88	61.40	0	0		v Australia	1975/76

In one-day internationals, the most wickets by a debutant in a series is 13. Shaun Pollock broke the 11-wicket mark, set by South Africa medium-pacer Eric Simons against the visiting Australians in 1993-94, when he took 13 in the seven-match series in 1995-96. That was equalled in 2008 by New Zealand medium-pacer Tim Southee, who took 13 wickets during the five-ODI series in England.

Shane Bond made the biggest splash on debut in a multi-nation one-day tournament. He took 21 wickets at 16.38 apiece in nine matches during the tri-series in Australia in 2001-02, beating established bowlers such as Glenn McGrath and Makhaya Ntini by seven wickets. The previous record was held by Simon Davis and Tony Dodemaide of Australia, who took 18 wickets each in the 1985-86 and 1987-88 World Series Cup.

Most wickets in a multi-team ODI tournament on debut

Player	Mat	Wkts	BBI	Ave	5		Series	Season
SE Bond (NZ)	9	21	5/25	16.38	1		VB Series	2001/02
SP Davis (Aus)	12	18	3/10	16.61	0		World Series Cup	1985/86
AIC Dodemaide (Aus)	10	18	5/21	16.05	1		World Series Cup	1987/88
MC Snedden (NZ)	10	17	3/27	21.94	0		World Series Cup	1980/81
BA Reid (Aus)	12	17	5/53	25.17	1		World Series Cup	1985/86
GD McGrath (Aus)	8	16	4/24	17.25	0		World Series	1993/94
B Lee (Aus)	9	16	5/27	20.00	1		Carlton & United Series	1999/00
IK Pathan (India)	10	16	4/24	31.06	0		VB Series	2003/04
DR Doshi (India)	10	15	4/30	20.86	0		World Series Cup	1980/81
CG Rackemann (Aus)	6	15	4/39	16.46	0		World Series Cup	1982/83
CJ McDermott (Aus)	11	15	3/30	32.13	0		World Series Cup	1984/85
SP O'Donnell (Aus)	13	14	2/19	37.35	0		World Series Cup	1984/85
MG Hughes (Aus)	9	14	4/44	22.07	0		World Series	1988/89
DR Gilbert (Aus)	9	13	5/46	28.92	1		World Series Cup	1985/86
SR Gillespie (NZ)	8	13	4/30	20.38	0		World Series Cup	1985/86

Click here for the full tables.