Pollock and Donald top 'world ranking'

Confirmation that South Africa have at present the world's top strike bowling combination at Test level has emerged in a series of listings contained in a statistical review of the season by Andrew Samson.

When you think of partnerships thoughts naturally turn to batsmen instead of bowlers, yet it is the hunters who are inclined to attract attention the white lightening and red flash duo of Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock are now rated the most effective, in terms of averages of 20 combinations who have taken 300 wickets between them.

Which is just as well for Sri Lanka that Donald is missing from the tour of the island in July and August.

In a second list in the same seasonal review Pollock has the second most impressive average of a bowler who has taken 150 Test wickets or more in a career, losing out to the great S F Barnes, who took 49 wickets in four Tests when of tour of South Africa in 1913/14.

The Donald/Pollock combination, which started out against England at what was Centurion Park in November 1995, has overtaken such legends as Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall of the West Indies and the now disgraced Pakistan paring of Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram as well as Garner and Michael Holding and Marshal and Courtney Walsh.

Between them in 38 Tests Donald and Pollock have collected 332 wickets at 20.96 with Donald's share being 176 at 21.25 and Pollock's 156 at 20.74. Garner (152) and Marshall (170) managed an average of 21.72 while taking 322 wicks in 36 Tests. The common term among batsmen of being either Waqared or Wasimed is interesting in that they bowled together in 51 Tests to take 494 wickets at 21.74.

Curtly Ambrose and Walsh have now spread mayhem sown destruction among more than 700 batsmen, although at the start of the series against Zimbabwe and Pakistan their collective haul had been 686 wickets spread over 87 Tests: Ambrose had 361 wickets and Walsh now the highest Test wicket taker had contributed 325.

Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne have shared 488 Test wickets at 23.17 in 53 Tests but are not the best of the Australian combinations; Keith Miller and Ray Lindwall have a marginally better average, taking 345 wickets in 51 Tests.

Pollock, the new South African captain, has a Test average of 20.33 for his 175 wickets; Barnes heads an impressive list with 189 wickets at 16.43 with the left-arm seamers and swing bowler Alan Davidson third with 186 at 20.33. The West Indian trio of Marshall, Garner and Ambrose fill the remaining positions. Donald is ninth with his 297 wickets costing 21.60.