Mitchell Starc has achieved his career-best Test rankings after climbing up to No.3 in the latest update - here’s where he ranks among the all-time left-arm pacers.
The figures below represent the highest ICC rating each left-arm seamer achieved at any point in their Test career – retrospectively in some cases.
10. John Ferris - 816 points vs South Africa, 1892
John Ferris enjoyed a brief yet remarkably productive international career in the late 19th century, representing both Australia and England. He played nine Tests between 1887 and 1892 and remained one of the most effective bowlers of his era. He finished with 61 Test wickets at an exceptional average of 12.70, the second-best average in Test history (min. 50 wickets).
9. Marco Jansen - 825 points vs India, 2025
Marco Jansen has quickly established himself as one of South Africa’s most promising fast bowlers. Making his debut in 2021, the left-arm pacer has impressed with his ability to extract bounce and movement, consistently troubling top-order batters. He has 89 wickets from 21 Tests at an average of 21.12 with a strike rate of 38.2 - the fifth-highest in the world among bowlers who have sent down 2,000 deliveries.
9. Trent Boult - 825 points vs England, 2015
Trent Boult was a cornerstone of New Zealand’s Test bowling attack after making his debut in 2011. The left-arm seamer is celebrated for his ability to swing the ball both ways, consistently troubling top-order batters in all conditions. Across 78 Tests, he picked up 317 wickets at an average of 27.49, the fourth-highest among all left-arm seamers. He also formed one of the most formidable new-ball pairs, alongside Tim Southee, with the duo picking up 541 wickets when playing together.
7. Wasim Akram - 830 points vs Australia, 1994
Wasim Akram enjoyed a long and illustrious Test career for Pakistan, spanning from 1985 to 2002, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest left-arm fast bowlers in cricket history. Known as the Sultan of Swing, he played 104 Tests, claiming 414 wickets at an average of 23.62, including 25 five-wicket hauls. Akram left an impression in his second Test, when he took a ten-wicket haul to become the youngest player with a match ten-for. His exceptional control and lethal ability with both the new and old ball earned him a career-best rating points total of 830.
6. Shaheen Afridi - 836 points vs Sri Lanka, 2022
Shaheen Afridi’s rise was rapid, and he quickly established himself as one of Pakistan’s premier left-arm fast bowlers in Test cricket. His breakthrough year was in 2021, when he picked up 47 wickets in nine Tests at an average of 17.06. However, his returns have dipped since then, picking up 35 scalps in 12 games at an average of 37.80.
5. Mitchell Johnson - 849 points vs Pakistan, 2014
Think 2013 Ashes, and you think of Mitchell Johnson. The left-arm fast bowler terrorised England across the 2013-14 series, combining raw pace, steep bounce, and relentless aggression to claim 37 wickets at an astonishing average of 13.97. He regularly exceeded 145 kph, and consistently dismantled England’s top order with a mix of hostile short-pitched deliveries and lethal yorkers. Across his Test career from 2007 to 2015, Johnson played 73 matches, taking 313 wickets at an average of 28.40, including best innings figures of 8 for 61 and five 10-wicket match hauls. He picked up 100 Test wickets in 23 games, and needed 46 more to get to 300 wickets in the format.
4. Mitchell Starc - 852 points vs England, 2025
Mitchell Starc has emerged as one of Australia’s premier left-arm fast bowlers, combining bounce, pace, and lethal swing to dominate Test cricket. Only the second Australia pacer after Glenn McGrath to reach 100 Tests, the fourth to surpass 400 wickets, and the highest wicket-taker among left-arm pacers, Starc has been a consistent thorn-in-the-side for opposition batters. He has taken 115 wickets in the Ashes, at an average of 25.27, and you can now count on him to pluck out a wicket on the first ball of an over against England, having already done it twice in a row Down Under.
3. Neil Wagner - 859 points vs Australia, 2019
Neil Wagner long operated in the shadows of Trent Boult and Tim Southee, but his performances started speaking for themselves as his career developed. Over 64 Tests, he picked up 260 wickets at 27.57, and was the second-fastest of New Zealanders to reach 200 scalps in the format (46 Tests). His breakthrough year was between 2016 to 2019, when he picked up 134 wickets in 28 matches at 23.10 with eight five-fors.
2. Bill Johnston - 900 vs West Indies, 1952
Alternating between sharp medium-pace and subtle spin, Bill Johnston often operated in the shadow of Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller. On the 1948 Ashes tour with Bradman’s Invincibles, Johnston claimed 27 wickets at 23.33, including 9-183 across 84 overs in the Nottingham Test. He needed just 12 Tests to move from 50 to 100 Test wickets, and eventually ended with 160 in 40 games.
1. Alan Davidson - 908 vs West Indies, 1961
Alan Davidson emerged as one of the most threatening left-arm pacers of his era, with his most successful tour coming against the West Indies in 1960/61, when he picked up 33 wickets in four Tests at 18.54, including five five-fors. He bowled with a broken finger on the tour in the tied Test and then with a strained back at Lord’s in 1961, where he picked up 7-92. He ended his career with 186 wickets from 44 games at an average of 20.53 - the third-best in history among bowlers with at least 150 wickets.
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