1956 – Perfect 10 for Laker
At Manchester in the fourth Test of a series England won 2-1, off-spinner Jim Laker achieved cricketing perfection when he took 10 wickets in the second innings to end with an incredible match haul of 19.
Anil Kumble has since become the second bowler to take all 10 in a Test innings, while Muttiah Muralitharan has bagged 17 in a match.Laker, however, stands alone – and probably always will. Though he had conditions in his favour, particularly after the uncovered pitch received a soaking midway through the match, he bowled with great control and considerable menace.
At the other end, Laker’s spin twin Tony Lock bowled superbly, too – but his left-arm orthodox spin was less of a mystery to the Australians, and his reward was the only wicket which eluded his team-mate.
1977 – Boycott’s 100th hundred
After abandoning Test cricket for four years, Geoffrey Boycott returned in 1977 and registered his 100th first-class century against Australia in the fourth Test at Headingley, his home ground.
He finished with 191, one of 22 Test centuries during a stunning career which saw him average 47.72 and become England’s leading run-scorer with 8,114.
1993 – Ball of the Century
England’s best player of spin, Mike Gatting, was at the crease when Allan Border threw Shane Warne the ball in the opening Test at Old Trafford.
His first delivery in Test cricket in England was a vicious, dipping leg-break which pitched outside leg stump and beat Gatting’s defensive prod to hit the top of off.
It was subbed the ‘ball of the century’ by Gatting, and represented the first entry in a long and distinguished Ashes story for the legendary Warne.
-With New Age input
