Jim Laker – king of Old Trafford
All serious cricket followers know that Surrey’s Yorkshireborn spin bowler Jim Laker took a world record 19 wickets for England in a Test Match against Australia in July 1956. And since then, no-one has come near to beating, even emulating that terrific feat.
In its report of the fourth Test at Old Trafford 63 years ago, Wisden – the bible of cricket - began by saying that "this memorable game will always be known as Laker's Match because of the remarkable performance by the Surrey off-break bowler in taking nine wickets for 37 runs in the first innings and ten wickets for 53 in the second".
England skipper Peter May won the toss and decided to bat first - and his decision paid off big-time. Peter Richardson (Worcestershire), the Reverend David Sheppard (Gloucestershire) both scored centuries in a total of 459
In reply, Australia were dismissed for 84 and, following on, were dismissed for 205 second time round, leaving England winners by an innings and 170 runs. And it was Laker who did all the damage when bowling from the Stretford End.
His figures in Australia’s first innings were 16.4 overs, four maidens, 9 for 37… his county team-mate Tony Lock denied him all ten by dismissing opener John Burke early on.
No one could ‘play, read or defend’ Laker’s deliveries… and it was much of the same for the Aussies in their second innings when Laker was simply quite brilliant, finishing with figures of 51.2 overs, 23 maidens, 10 for 53, to earn him stunning and quite unbelievable match figures of 68 overs, 27 maidens, 19 wickets for 90 runs. In their second inninmgs the Aussies lost 10 wickets for just 38 runs following an opening partnership of 48 between Colin McDonald and Burke.
Also during this one-sided match, Aussies’ star batsman Neil Harvey and all-rounder Ken ‘Slasher’ Mackay were out for ducks in both innings and in fact, there were four players in each innings who were dismissed for nought by England’s spin king Laker.
In this encounter in Manchester, Laker, in fact, became the first bowler to take all ten wickets in a Test innings. The only other cricketer to achieve the feat is India's Anil Kumble with ten for 74 at Delhi's
Feroz Shah Kotla against Pakistan in 1999.
The record for the most wickets ever taken in a Test match was previously held by England's Sydney Barnes who took seventeen for 159 at the Wanderers ground in Johannesburg against South Africa in December 1913.
In fact, only Barnes and Laker have taken 17 or more wickets in a Test match anywhere in the world. Yet for the record, John Davison of Canada took seventeen wickets in the ICC Intercontinental Cup match against the USA in 2004 his figures being 8-61 and 9-76.
Amazingly both Barnes and Laker played club cricket for Saltaire in the Bradford League, Barnes from 1915 to 1923, Laker from 1938 to 1940.
NB… Also in the same 1956 cricket season, Laker took ten wickets for 88 against the touring Aussies in the annual match at The Oval.