Best career bowling average (without qualification) in Tests
Best career bowling average (without qualification)
Player | Span | Mat | Balls | Overs | Mdns | Runs | Wkts | BBI | Ave | Econ | SR | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| W Barber (ENG) | 1935-1935 | 2 | 2 | 0.2 | - | - | 1 | 1/0 | - | - | 2.00 | - | - | - |
| AN Hornby (ENG) | 1879-1884 | 3 | 28 | 7.0 | 7 | - | 1 | 1/0 | - | - | 28.00 | - | - | - |
| BAG Murray (NZ) | 1968-1971 | 13 | 6 | - | 1 | - | 1 | 1/0 | - | - | 6.00 | - | - | - |
| 1960-1966 | 4 | 18 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1/1 | 1.00 | 0.33 | 18.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1896-1896 | 3 | 40 | 8.0 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4/8 | 2.00 | 1.20 | 10.00 | 1 | - | - | |
| 1980-1980 | 1 | 18 | 3.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1/1 | 2.00 | 0.66 | 18.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1896-1896 | 3 | 9 | 1.4 | - | 4 | 1 | 1/4 | 4.00 | 2.66 | 9.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1880-1884 | 4 | 48 | 12.0 | 5 | 19 | 4 | 4/19 | 4.75 | 2.37 | 12.00 | 1 | - | - | |
| 1976-1978 | 10 | 11 | - | - | 5 | 1 | 1/5 | 5.00 | 2.72 | 11.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1959-1967 | 4 | 30 | 5.0 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1/5 | 5.00 | 1.00 | 30.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1991-1998 | 5 | 10 | 1.4 | - | 5 | 1 | 1/4 | 5.00 | 3.00 | 10.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1972-1973 | 3 | 24 | - | 1 | 12 | 2 | 2/12 | 6.00 | 3.00 | 12.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1997-2012 | 147 | 8 | 1.2 | - | 6 | 1 | 1/6 | 6.00 | 4.50 | 8.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1899-1907 | 12 | 48 | - | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1/6 | 6.00 | 0.75 | 48.00 | - | - | - | |
| 2006-2018 | 161 | 18 | 3.0 | - | 7 | 1 | 1/6 | 7.00 | 2.33 | 18.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1928-1936 | 18 | 19 | 3.1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1/7 | 7.00 | 2.21 | 19.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1880-1880 | 1 | 51 | 12.3 | 4 | 23 | 3 | 3/23 | 7.66 | 2.70 | 17.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1890-1890 | 2 | 45 | 9.0 | 1 | 24 | 3 | 3/18 | 8.00 | 3.20 | 15.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1978-1994 | 116 | 18 | 3.0 | - | 8 | 1 | 1/2 | 8.00 | 2.66 | 18.00 | - | - | - | |
| 2025-2025 | 1 | 150 | 25.0 | 7 | 75 | 9 | 5/37 | 8.33 | 3.00 | 16.66 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| 1892-1892 | 1 | 105 | 21.0 | 8 | 26 | 3 | 3/26 | 8.66 | 1.48 | 35.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1889-1889 | 1 | 154 | 38.2 | 16 | 61 | 7 | 5/19 | 8.71 | 2.37 | 22.00 | - | 1 | - | |
| 1933-1933 | 1 | 247 | 41.1 | 8 | 96 | 11 | 6/59 | 8.72 | 2.33 | 22.45 | - | 2 | 1 | |
| 2000-2008 | 31 | 66 | 11.0 | 3 | 18 | 2 | 2/18 | 9.00 | 1.63 | 33.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1964-1969 | 5 | 36 | 6.0 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 1/2 | 9.00 | 1.50 | 36.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1968-1968 | 2 | 21 | 3.3 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 1/9 | 9.00 | 2.57 | 21.00 | - | - | - | |
| 2025-2025 | 1 | 75 | 12.3 | 4 | 29 | 3 | 3/22 | 9.66 | 2.32 | 25.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1899-1899 | 1 | 20 | 4.0 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1/10 | 10.00 | 3.00 | 20.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1933-1933 | 1 | 30 | 5.0 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1/10 | 10.00 | 2.00 | 30.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1993-2001 | 74 | 25 | 4.1 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1/4 | 10.00 | 2.40 | 25.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1890-1892 | 2 | 410 | 82.0 | 30 | 141 | 14 | 6/50 | 10.07 | 2.06 | 29.28 | - | 2 | 1 | |
| 1886-1896 | 18 | 3830 | - | 364 | 1205 | 112 | 9/28 | 10.75 | 1.88 | 34.19 | 2 | 9 | 5 | |
| 1882-1883 | 4 | 96 | 24.0 | 10 | 44 | 4 | 3/31 | 11.00 | 2.75 | 24.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1948-1955 | 27 | 45 | - | 2 | 22 | 2 | 2/4 | 11.00 | 2.93 | 22.50 | - | - | - | |
| 1951-1960 | 8 | 48 | 8.0 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 1/11 | 11.00 | 1.37 | 48.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1889-1889 | 2 | 321 | 80.1 | 42 | 90 | 8 | 4/19 | 11.25 | 1.68 | 40.12 | 1 | - | - | |
| 1981-1989 | 11 | 132 | 22.0 | 7 | 46 | 4 | 3/26 | 11.50 | 2.09 | 33.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1910-1910 | 1 | 90 | 15.0 | 4 | 47 | 4 | 4/47 | 11.75 | 3.13 | 22.50 | 1 | - | - | |
| 1937-1937 | 1 | 126 | 21.0 | 9 | 36 | 3 | 2/26 | 12.00 | 1.71 | 42.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1921-1921 | 1 | 123 | 20.3 | 5 | 36 | 3 | 2/28 | 12.00 | 1.75 | 41.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1946-1956 | 9 | 77 | - | 4 | 24 | 2 | 2/21 | 12.00 | 1.87 | 38.50 | - | - | - | |
| 1899-1899 | 2 | 285 | 57.0 | 32 | 73 | 6 | 3/17 | 12.16 | 1.53 | 47.50 | - | - | - | |
| 2025-2025 | 2 | 282 | 47.0 | 9 | 122 | 10 | 3/22 | 12.20 | 2.59 | 28.20 | - | - | - | |
| 1948-1948 | 1 | 282 | 35.2 | 10 | 74 | 6 | 3/8 | 12.33 | 1.57 | 47.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1932-1937 | 2 | 311 | - | 12 | 126 | 10 | 4/18 | 12.60 | 2.43 | 31.10 | 2 | - | - | |
| 1887-1892 | 9 | 2302 | - | 251 | 775 | 61 | 7/37 | 12.70 | 2.01 | 37.73 | 4 | 6 | 1 | |
| 1977-1977 | 1 | 342 | 57.0 | 24 | 77 | 6 | 5/63 | 12.83 | 1.35 | 57.00 | - | 1 | - | |
| 1877-1885 | 15 | 373 | 93.1 | 45 | 143 | 11 | 6/40 | 13.00 | 2.30 | 33.90 | - | 1 | - | |
| 1983-1986 | 8 | 102 | 17.0 | 4 | 39 | 3 | 2/31 | 13.00 | 2.29 | 34.00 | - | - | - | |
| 2019-2025 | 8 | 12 | 2.0 | - | 13 | 1 | 1/13 | 13.00 | 6.50 | 12.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1976-1986 | 88 | 19 | - | - | 13 | 1 | 1/9 | 13.00 | 4.10 | 19.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1935-1935 | 1 | 174 | 29.0 | 12 | 40 | 3 | 2/23 | 13.33 | 1.37 | 58.00 | - | - | - | |
| 2017-2018 | 4 | 250 | 41.4 | 9 | 147 | 11 | 3/13 | 13.36 | 3.52 | 22.72 | - | - | - | |
| 1889-1889 | 1 | 173 | 43.1 | 18 | 95 | 7 | 7/95 | 13.57 | 3.29 | 24.71 | - | 1 | - | |
| 2025-2025 | 1 | 192 | 32.0 | 4 | 97 | 7 | 7/97 | 13.85 | 3.03 | 27.42 | - | 1 | - | |
| 1912-1912 | 3 | 447 | 74.3 | 23 | 153 | 11 | 4/19 | 13.90 | 2.05 | 40.63 | 1 | - | - | |
| 1877-1877 | 2 | 136 | 34.0 | 9 | 84 | 6 | 2/7 | 14.00 | 3.70 | 22.66 | - | - | - | |
| 2003-2003 | 4 | 102 | 17.0 | 1 | 56 | 4 | 3/16 | 14.00 | 3.29 | 25.50 | - | - | - | |
| 1902-1902 | 1 | 48 | 8.0 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 1/14 | 14.00 | 1.75 | 48.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1895-1899 | 5 | 948 | - | 54 | 390 | 26 | 8/43 | 15.00 | 2.46 | 36.46 | 3 | 2 | - | |
| 1910-1914 | 10 | 259 | 43.1 | 11 | 120 | 8 | 3/11 | 15.00 | 2.77 | 32.37 | - | - | - | |
| 2003-2003 | 2 | 174 | 29.0 | 11 | 60 | 4 | 2/7 | 15.00 | 2.06 | 43.50 | - | - | - | |
| 1946-1946 | 1 | 66 | 11.0 | 2 | 30 | 2 | 2/30 | 15.00 | 2.72 | 33.00 | - | - | - | |
| 1956-1956 | 1 | 36 | 6.0 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 1/11 | 15.00 | 2.50 | 36.00 | - | - | - |
Adjust:Most recentPast weekPast MonthPast year4 years10 years25 years
Records includes the following current or recent matches:
South Africa vs India at Guwahati, South Africa in India 2nd Test, Nov 22-26, 2025 [Test # 2609]
Bangladesh vs Ireland at Mirpur, Ireland in Bangladesh 2nd Test, Nov 19-23, 2025 [Test # 2607]
England vs Australia at Perth, The Ashes 1st Test, Nov 21-22, 2025 [Test # 2608]