In test cricket, a bowler is crucial to a team’s success, and cricket fans have seen several instances where a single bowler has bowled out an entire team. Anil Kumble and Ajaz Patel are examples of players who have taken 10 wickets in a single innings.
Let’s have a look at some of the bowlers who have achieved the best bowling figure in test cricket:
1. Jim Laker (10 Wickets for 53)
Jim Laker, former right-arm off-break spinner of England, is at the top position for getting the best bowling figure in test cricket. Jim Laker played against Australia where he took 9 wickets in the first innings and then 10 wickets in the second innings. He started his test career at the international level in the match against West Indies at Bridgetown on January 21 – 26, 1948 where he took a total of 9 wickets in that match. He played his last match against Australia at Melbourne on February 13 – 18, 1959. He appeared in 46 test matches and took 193 wickets for his team.
2. Anil Kumble (10 Wickets for 74)
Anil Kumble, a former leg break spinner of the Indian cricket team, is in the second position for getting the best bowling figure in the test matches. He took 10 wickets in the second innings while playing against Pakistan at Delhi on 4 Feb 1999. He started his test career from the match against England at Manchester on August 09 – 14, 1990, and ended up with the match against Australia at Delhi on October 29 – November 02, 2008. He was one of the best spinners in the world who took more than 600 wickets in tests.
3. Ajaz Patel (10 Wickets for 119)
Ajaz Patel, a left arm bowler of the New Zealand cricket team, is sitting at the number 3rd position for achieving the best bowling figure in test cricket. He dismissed all the 10 wickets in the first inning while playing against India at Wankhede stadium on 3 – 6 Dec 2021. He made his test debut for New Zealand in the match against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi on Ajaz November 16 – 19, 2018. Since his debut, he has played 11 test matches in which he has taken 43 wickets.
4. George Lohmann (9 Wickets for 28)
George Lohmann, the former right arm medium fast bowler of England, stands at the number 4th position for making the best bowling figure in test cricket. While playing against South Africa at Johannesburg in 1896, he took 9 wickets in the first innings that assisted England to win that match by 197 runs. George Lohmann started his test career from the match against Australia at Melbourne on July 05 – 07, 1886. He appeared in the 18 test matches for England and took 112 wickets in his test career.
5. Jim Laker (9 Wickets for 37)
Jim Laker, the former right-arm off-break spinner of England, is again listed at the 5th position for getting the best bowling figure in test matches. On 26 Jul 1956, when England faced Australia, England batted first and added a total of 459 on the scoreboard. In reply, Australia could make only 84, and 205 in both innings and lost the match by 170 runs. Jim Laker was incredible with the ball as he took 9 wickets in the first innings and 10 wickets in the second innings.
List of the Best Bowling Figures in Test Match
| Player | W | R | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Laker | 10 | 53 | Australia | Manchester | 26 Jul 1956 |
| Anil Kumble | 10 | 74 | Pakistan | Delhi | 4 Feb 1999 |
| Ajaz Patel | 10 | 119 | India | Wankhede | 3 Dec 2021 |
| George Lohmann | 9 | 28 | South Africa | Johannesburg | 2 Mar 1896 |
| Jim Laker | 9 | 37 | Australia | Manchester | 26 Jul 1956 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | 9 | 51 | Zimbabwe | Kandy | 4 Jan 2002 |
| Richard Hadlee | 9 | 52 | Australia | Brisbane | 8 Nov 1985 |
| Abdul Qadir | 9 | 56 | England | Lahore | 25 Nov 1987 |
| Devon Malcolm | 9 | 57 | South Africa | The Oval | 18 Aug 1994 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | 9 | 65 | England | The Oval | 27 Aug 1998 |