There have been many legendary bowling spells in the history of test cricket. Lot of bowlers have left an indelible impact with a spell of bowling that is talked about for years to come. Seeing Bowlers create history is very pleasing to the eye as they are the ones who have to toil the hardest.
There have been only 3 bowlers in the history of test cricket who have picked 10 wickets in an innings so these 3 will be there in the top 5 bowling spells of all time. However, it will be interesting to see who are the other Two bowlers whose spells are in the top 5.
1. Jim Laker (10/53):
The bowling figures of Jim Laker in this match against Australia is frankly ridiculous, it doesn’t happen all the time. This was his effort in the 2nd innings of the match where he pummeled the Aussies and England won that match by an innings and 170 runs. This was a dream for any bowler and the first time that such a historic feat had been achieved. All the people at that time were in awe of what they had witnessed and it is a performance that is still remembered fondly by all cricket fans.
2. Anil Kumble (10/74):
This spell by the legendary Anil Kumble is remembered so fondly by Indian cricket fans across the world and the fact that this came against Pakistan when the team was in a spot of bother and he single handedly won India this test match makes it even more special. He bowled the spell of his life and proved why he ks the Biggest match winner India has seen. India won that match by 212 runs and Anil Kumble became a hero for every Indian.
3. Ajaz Patel (10/119):
This is the most recent of all of them as it happened not less than 10 days ago in Mumbai. For Ajaz to achieve such a historic feat at the place of his birth against a very strong Indian team shows the enormity of his achievement. He was the lone bowler for New Zealand who looked like picking wickets those 2 days. He bowled and bowled overs and was rewarded with history to his name. New Zealand could not win the match but the name of Ajaz Patel will forever be written with golden letters in test cricket history.
4. George Lohmann (9/28):
Among the bowlers who have picked up 9 wickets in an innings he has the best bowling figures in an innings. He did this feat against South Africa in 1896. He bamboozled South Africa that day and just fell short of picking up all 10 wickets in an innings, still it was such a legendary spell that he held the record for 60 years. England was the best team during that time.
5. Jim Laker (9/37):
In the match where he picked up 10 wickets in the 2nd innings, He bowled this incredible spell in the first innings picking up 9 wickets for just 37 runs and just fell short of taking all 20 opposition wickets on his own. His 19 wickets in a test match is still the all time record for most wickets in a test match and it looks like it won’t be broken anytime soon. Such spells of bowling happen only once in a century.
