Top 10 Best bowling figures in Test history

Top 10 Best bowling figures in Test history

Unlike limited overs cricket, test cricket offers numerous opportunities to players to grab cricket records. The main reason for such liberality from the classical version of the game is the non-restriction of the number of overs. Usually the more cricket a player plays the more he learns. Similar formulae applies in test matches where a player get countless number of deliveries to play. On the other hand, 10 overs per person restriction also gets abolished for the bowlers. Thus this more freedom brings a lot of opportunities for both the batsmen and bowlers to show their talent. Although taking wickets in a test game is not an easy task, some great bowlers still manage to rip apart the whole batting lineup of the opposition. Also these best bowling figures in test matches prevent the game from being a one sided encounter.

Best bowling figures in test matches record goes deep in history. Certainly such performances from the bowlers cannot be expected now a day. With all test playing nations adopted and improved that much none can expect a bowler to take almost a whole team’s wickets. However that has been the case in past. JC Laker from England took 19 wickets in a test match against bitter rivals Australia in 1956. A record created almost sixty years ago is still the best bowling figures in test matches. Similarly some other unbelievable performances from bowlers belong to 70 and 80’s era. 

The most recent performance from a bowler that shock the whole world also came 15 years ago. Harbhajan Singh from India took 15 wickets in a test match played at Chennai. Although his opponent were the best team in the world – Australia, however considering the favorable conditions he had in the game it wasn’t of much surprise. Top 10 best bowling figures in test cricket history goes as under.

Top 10 Best bowling figures in Test history

Player	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Wkts	Econ	Team	Opposition	Ground	Match Date
JC Laker	68.0	27	90	19	1.32	England	Australia	Manchester	26 Jul 1956
SF Barnes	65.3	16	159	17	2.42	England	South Africa	Johannesburg	26 Dec 1913
ND Hirwani	33.5	6	136	16	4.01	India	v West Indies	Chennai	11 Jan 1988
RAL Massie	60.1	16	137	16	2.27	Australia	v England	Lord’s	22 Jun 1972
M Muralitharan	113.5	41	220	16	1.93	Sri Lanka	v England	The Oval	27 Aug 1998
J Briggs	33.3×4	16	28	15	1.24	England	v South Africa	Cape Town	25 Mar 1889
GA Lohmann	25.3×5	11	45	15	2.10	England	v South Africa	Port Elizabeth	13 Feb 1896
C Blythe	38.3	10	99	15	2.57	England	v South Africa	Leeds	29 Jul 1907
H Verity	58.3	23	104	15	1.77	England	v Australia	Lord’s	22 Jun 1934
RJ Hadlee	52.3	13	123	15	2.34	New Zealand	v Australia	Brisbane	8 Nov 1985