The wicket of Marcus Trescothick on the fifth and final day of Oval Test was special for Shane Warne for it gave him a world record.
Trescothick's was wicket number 168 for Warne against England in his 31st Test, which put him ahead of countryman Dennis Lillee in the list of bowlers capturing most wickets against a particular country. Lillee had taken 167 wickets in 29 Tests - also against England. Warne, at the end of series, has taken 172 wickets in 31 Tests.
Earlier in this series, Warne had achieved the world record of taking most wickets in a country other than his own.
Already the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, Warne is also the only bowler to have taken 100-plus wickets against three different countries with 172 wickets against England, 103 against New Zealand and 101 against South Africa. One wonders how many more records will Warne end up with, whenever he decides to retire from the game!
The following table lists the leading wicket-takers against a particular country in Test cricket:
|
Bowler |
For |
Wkts |
Vs |
Tests |
Balls |
Runs |
Ave |
Best |
5WI |
10WM |
|
SK Warne |
Aus |
172 |
England |
31 |
9309 |
3837 |
22.30 |
8-71 |
10 |
4 |
|
DK Lillee |
Aus |
167 |
England |
29 |
8516 |
3507 |
21.00 |
7-89 |
11 |
4 |
|
CEL Ambrose |
WI |
164 |
England |
34 |
8284 |
3082 |
18.79 |
8-45 |
8 |
2 |
|
IT Botham |
Eng |
148 |
Australia |
36 |
8479 |
4093 |
27.66 |
6-78 |
9 |
2 |
|
CA Walsh |
WI |
145 |
England |
36 |
8818 |
3683 |
25.40 |
6-74 |
5 |
1 |
|
H Trumble |
Aus |
141 |
England |
31 |
7895 |
2945 |
20.89 |
8-65 |
9 |
3 |
|
CA Walsh |
WI |
135 |
Australia |
38 |
8560 |
3872 |
28.68 |
6-54 |
4 |
0 |