Part two of five-wicket hauls in Test cricket: a look across and deep

This is ordered by the margin of wins. All wins by fewer than 25 runs are considered. Norman Cowans's and Fanie de Villiers's performances are of recent vintage. Fred Spofforth has been responsible for two sub-10 run wins. Bob Willis's mind-blower effort of eight for 43 followed Ian Botham's from-the-edge innings of 149. Saqlain Mushtaq's was after the nearly-innings of Sachin Tendulkar.

Let me devote some space to one specific performance. That is Hugh Tayfield's nine for 113. This was analyzed and concluded as the best ever Test bowling performance in the famous Wisden-100 lists which I had prepared for Wisden. If I do the lists today, I have no doubt that this would be on top. England, trailing by 89 runs in first innings, dismissed South Africa for 142 and England had to score 232 for a win on a turf wicket. Tayfield bowled unchanged for 35 8-ball overs on the last day and never flagged even when England were 147 for 2. He captured the next 8 wickets for nothing and England fell short by 17 runs. This performance had everything. Low total to defend, close margin of win, top order wickets, against a good batting side and the result.

Bracewell's heroics this week were missed out and thanks to Yash, this entry has been added.

12a. Great defensive winning bowling performances in fourth innings - 2

MtId Year For Vs  Score HA Bowler          BT I <--Analysis--> R

This was asked for by Anand. He wanted Srinath-like performances to come in. These are matches in which the winning target was below 200 but the margin is greater than 25. So these performances would have escaped the previous selection. Again these are ordered by the margin of wins.

Look at Bedi's effort, 40 overs for 63 runs. Probably the most important ones in this table are Srinath's 6 for 21 at Ahmedabad against South Africa and the double-barrelled virtuoso performance of Wasim and Waqar against New Zealand, that too away. This also finds a place in table no 21. Shaun Pollock's 5 for 37 was away against Pakistan. The most recent one was Hauritz's effort against Pakistan.

13. Great defensive bowling performances in the fourth innings in close draws

MtId Year For Vs  Score HA Bowler          BT I <--Analysis--> R Needed

This was the surprise I had mentioned in the Part 1 article. To pick draws in a bowling-centric article is not easy. However these efforts were primarily responsible for the results. This collection also includes the three performances in the two ties. Wesley Hall bowled his heart out and ensured that the Brisbane match was tied. Remember that Australia were 226 for 6, needing only seven more runs. Hall took the key wicket of Richie Benaud and there were three run-outs. Hall also captured four top order wickets. Matthews and Bright shared all the Indian wickets. India were only a single hit away in 1949 but Jones held them at bay.

14. Bowling spells which dismissed teams for low scores in the first innings of match - Away

MtId Year For Vs  Score HA Bowler          BT I <--Analysis--> R

I had to separate the first, almost always opening day, performances into home and away since the criteria were different. For away performances, I have selected all innings in which the concerned bowler dismissed the opposition for a 125 or lower score. The most devastating was Glenn McGrath's 1997 Lord's spell when he ran through a strong English line-up for 77. Then comes the famous Curtly Ambrose blitz in Perth, including 7 for 1 (or was it 6 for 1), which dismissed a strong Australia for 119. Dwell on Chris Pringle's opening day effort in Faisalabad during 1990, which dismissed a tough Pakistani team for 102. That New Zealand lost should not detract anything from his effort. They ran into a gentleman called Waqar Younis, who captured 12 wickets. Of recent vintage is Peter Siddle's five-for at Headingley, although it must be said that Siddle captured the 7-11 wickets. More relevant is Dale Steyn's pre-lunch demolition of India. Makhaya Ntini played an equal part in this.

15. Bowling spells which dismissed teams for low scores in the first innings of match - Home

MtId Year For Vs  Score HA Bowler          BT I <--Analysis--> R

At home, I set tougher criteria. All innings below 100 and innings between 100 and 125 where the bowlers captured 6 or more wickets. The interesting part about Bert Ironmonger is that he kept Clarrie Grimmett at bay, while capturing 7 wickets. Maninder Singh's effort was in Sunil Gavaskar's last Test and the famous all-time classic of 96. India lost narrowly but Maninder more than did his bit. West Indies found that McGrath was unplayable in Brisbane during 2000. As did Pakistan against Steve Harmison in Manchester, a few years later.

16. Bowling spells which dismissed teams for matching low totals in the second innings of match

MtId Year For Vs  Score HA Bowler          BT I <--Analysis--> R F-Inns

These are the second (in the match) innings spells. It would be silly if I considered Jim Laker's nine for 37, backed by a huge score of 459. Hence I have selected only five-fors in matches where the teams had a cover of 150 runs or less. The best modern spell was Dennis Lillee's top-class effort in the Centenary Test at Melbourne. He had only an innings of 138 behind him and helped secure a lead of 43 which was very crucial since Australia finally won by 45 runs. McGrath did similarly against West Indies although the effort went in vain as did Amar Singh's 60 years earlier. The most recent spell has been Zaheer Khan's five-for while defending a low score of 99 at Hamilton. It can be seen that quite a few of these brave efforts have ended in vain.

17. Match-winning five-fors in third innings when in arrears of over 100 runs

MtId Year For Vs  Score HA Bowler          BT I <--Analysis--> R Arrears

Now we come to the third innings of the match. Since two innings have already been played this is the setting innings. Here it is essential that I look for performances which defined the results. Hence I have selected matches in which the third bowling team was in arrears by over 100 runs and went on to win the match.

Ian Johnson's performance set up an unlikely win orchestrated by Neil Harvey's all-time great innings of 151 not out. The most recent spell above is Vernon Philander's effort in his debut Test last month. South Africa were trailing by 188 runs and Philander captured 5 for 15 on that manic Thursday and paved the way for a South African win. Monty Panesar did similarly a few years back. However the most noteworthy spell was Shoaib Akhtar's in the Wellington Test during 2003. Pakistan narrowly avoided follow-on and then Shoaib ran through New Zealand for 103 to set a famous win, cemented by Mohammed Yousuf and Inzamam-ul-Haq. Andy Caddick appears twice with one effort dismissing West Indies for 54. Mohammad Asif's effort was away in Sri Lanka. Trailing by 109, Asif (and Abdul Razzaq) dismissed Sri Lanka for 73 and Pakistan won comfortably.

18. Five-fors in each innings & 14-plus wkts in match

MtId Year For Vs  Score HA Bowler          BT I <--Analysis--> R

What does one say of Laker? The 400 might very well be beaten one day by an attacking batsman, ordinary attack, shorter boundaries and two+ day's time availability. The 952 for 7 might be beaten one day by a bloody-minded captain and equally bloody-minded batsmen. The 10-wicket capture might be equalled, as I have already prophesied, probably around 2050. Some one might take a double hat-trick in a match. An Indian may win Wimbledon. India might qualify for the football World Cup. Someone might do the Grand Slam in Tennis. Wigan Athletic might win the Premier Division title. Okay I will stop here.

But no one is going to capture all 20 wickets in a match. Everyone must co-operate. The other bowlers, the umpires and the opposing team's batsmen. No sir, not in a thousand years.

Narendra Hirwani's and Bob Massie's were on debut only for the two to fade away. Muralitharan's is probably the best bowling effort in a match over the past 13 years, after Richard Hadlee's efforts against Australia in 1985, which in turn was the best match effort for nine years, after Holding's 14-wicket effort at The Oval shirt-front. These three, and Massie's, are the defining bowling efforts during the past 35 years.

19. Two bowlers who got five-fors & ran through the batting team

MtId Year For Vs  Score HA Bowler          BT I <--Analysis--> R

This has been reverse-chronologically listed. I have also taken only innings of 110 and fewer. Wasim Akram and Waqar did this double-act away against New Zealand. Kapil Dev and Madan Lal needed no one else, during 1981 at home. Max Walker and Lillee, in England, were too much for the home team. Wonderful to see the great spin combination of Bishen Bedi and Erapalli Prasanna over 40 years back, keeping Australia (and S Venkataraghavan) at bay. Alec Bedser's and Fred Trueman's combined effort is the only dual-performance which did not help their team win.

19a. Two bowlers who get 4/6 wkts & run through the batting team

MtId Year For Vs  Score HA Bowler          BT I <--Analysis--> R

20. Five-fors in lost matches

MtId Year For Vs  Score HA Bowler          BT I <--Analysis--> R

Wonderful efforts, only captures of eight or more wickets included, but in a losing cause. I have mentioned in Part one about the three 9-wicket captures of Kapil, Jack Noreiga and Subhash Gupte which finished on the losing side. Now come the eight-wicket captures. The other notable bowling performance in this table is that of Javagal Srinath, whose eight wickets, with another five-for in the second innings had the best figures in a losing match, i-e., 13 for 132. However he was in good company, since three others, SF Barnes, Merv Hughes and Tom Richardson all captured 13 wickets and lost. During 2008, two Australian bowlers, Mitchell Johnson and Jason Krejza, captured eight wickets but lost the match.

21. Six or more Bowled dismissals in a five-for

MtId Year For Vs  Score HA Bowler          BT I <--Analysis--> R Bowled

This is easy. But Briggs deserves his own paragraph. He neither needed the umpire nor his fielders to capture his eight wickets. This was after the first innings in which Briggs bowled six of his seven victims, making a total of 14 in the match. And the 15th wicket, well he made the umpire raise his hand, to uphold a Lbw claim. And let me continue, all these 15 wickets were captured in one day, 26 March 1889.

Lohmann twice bowled seven of the hapless batsmen, once out of eight wickets he captured. That puts Holding's six bowled, out of eight, in the flat Oval track in perspective. One of only two occurrences during the last 80 years.

22. Five or more Lbw dismissals in a five-for

MtId Year For Vs  Score HA Bowler          BT I <--Analysis--> R Lbw

These five Lbws in one innings occurrences are all modern, clearly indicating the drastic changes in Lbw law. Previously batsmen could stick their pad with immunity, not now. Alderman's Lbw exploits during the England tour are well known. Then Ambrose did it. The most recent occurrence is by Panesar (what happened to him - is his fielding so bad he is out of the frame).

23. Seven or more Bowled/Lbw dismissals in a five-for

MtId Year For Vs  Score HA Bowler          BT I <--Analysis--> R B+L

Now the combination. On Briggs and Lohmann we have talked about enough. Holding, at Oval, got all his eight wickets unaided, two with Lbws. Venkataraghavan's was in his debut match.

24. Matches in which bowler captured 10 or more top-order wickets

MtId Year For Vs HA Bowler          BT  Inns1   Inns1  R  TopOrder
1  2 Mat

This was asked for by Rameshkumar. This adds the top order wickets (1-6) of both innings and orders the table based on this measure. No surprise that Laker tops with 11 top order wickets. Jim Burke managed to get dismissed by Lock, the only non-Laker wicket in the match. The other bowler to capture 11 top order wickets was SF Barnes during 1913. Barnes dismissed 10 top order batsmen the next year, before the fighting took over. Spofforth had done this way back. The last one to capture 10 top order wickets was Underwood, during 1975. This seems to be a tough feat to achieve. So if I lowered the bar to 9 top order wickets, this would have allowed a few recent bowlers like Hirwani, Holding, Kumble, Hoggard, Waqar, Asif and Lillee to come in. But I am going to keep the bar high to preserve the sanctity of achievement. However look at Lillee's feat. All the 9 wickets he captured were top order ones.

Finally a summary of 5-wicket and 10-wicket captures. All these, and more, are available in StatsGuru of Cricinfo. I have just given a summary to round off the articles.

1. Muralitharan has captured five-fors in an innings 67 times. He has achieved this once in every 1.99 Tests. The only bowlers ahead of him are all from way back: Barnes - 1.12, CTB Turner - 1.55 and Grimmett - 1.76. At the other end, Abdul Razzaq has achieved this once in 46 Tests.

2. Muralitharan has captured 10 or more wickets in a match 22 times. Mind-blowing it is, this s one every six Tests. That is like scoring a double-century every six Tests.

3. SF Barnes has captured five-fors in six consecutive Tests. These were the last six Tests he played. CTB Turner also had a run of six Tests: this time, his first six Tests. The third bowler to do this in six consecutive Tests was Alec Bedser. Muralitharan and Waqar Younis have had runs of four Tests, on two separate occasions in their careers.

4. CTB Turner has captured five-fors in six consecutive innings. T Richardson has had a run of five consecutive innings in which he captured five or more wickets.. 10 other bowlers have had runs of four consecutive five-fors.

This has been one huge exercise and inarguably the most comprehensive analysis I have ever done on a single topic. Unfortunately the reader reaction is muted. Not surprising since batsmen get 75% of the attention.

Readers' selections:

Maximum of five per reader, to be given in the form (this is my selection)
Tayfield 9/113, Holding 14/149, Laker 10/53, Hadlee 9/52, Murali 9/65
Also short names, not "cricket-follower-from-pietermaritzburg" ???
Must be limited to a single line.
Can include innings or match performances.

Ranga: Murali 9/52, de Villiers 6/43, Ambrose 6/23, Saqlain 5/93, Steyn 5/23.
Navin: McGrath 7/27, Kumble 10/74, Srinath 5/21, Harbhajan 13/213, Srinath 13/132.
Pavan: Kumble 10/74, Saqlain's 10/xxx, Srinath 6/21, Steyns 8/xx (Nagpur) & Mcgrath 5/53
Boll: Marshall, Lillee, Warne, Ambrose, Hadlee.
Anand: Kumble 10/74, McGrath 8/77, Srinath 6/21, Pollock 5/37 and Steyn 5/23.
Iain: Ambrose 7/25, Devilliers 6/43, Warne 8/71, Hadlee 9/52, McGrath 8/38.
Obelix: McGrath 10/27, Warne 11/77, Ambrose 9/97, Murali 11/110, Marshall 9/41.
Gerry: Warne 7/161, Qadir 6/16, Ambrose 6/74, Mathews 5/146, Davidson 6/87.
Ganesh: Ambrose 7/25, Kapil 9/83, Holding 8/62, Sarfraz 9/86, Wes Hall 5/63
Aditya: Holding 14/149, Chandra 6/38, Hadlee 9/52, Lillee 8/29, Ambrose 7/25
Harsh: Holding 14-149,Imran 8-60,Willis 8-43,Lillee 11-164,Sarafraz 9-86.
OE: Holding 14-149; Ambrose 7-25; Marshall 5-21; Fazal Mahmood 12-99; Walsh 6-74.