Taking 10 wickets in a Test innings sounds almost impossible. A bowler needs to dismiss every batter from the opposition, leave no wicket for a teammate, and maintain enough control to keep taking wickets throughout the innings.
Test cricket has produced thousands of bowlers. However, only three players have managed to take all 10 wickets in a single innings. The achievement requires skill, patience, and a little bit of history to fall into place.
Two of these performances came in the 20th century. On the other hand, the most recent one arrived in 2021. Interestingly, all three bowlers achieved the feat with spin bowling.
1. Jim Laker – 10/53 vs Australia
Jim Laker etched his name into the record books when he became the first bowler to take all 10 wickets in a Test innings.
He produced his historic performance against the rivals Australia during the fourth Test of the 1956 Ashes series at Old Trafford in Manchester.
Australia struggled against Laker’s off-spin as he picked up 10 wickets for 53 runs in the second innings. He dismissed every Australian batter who walked out to face him.
His performance became even more remarkable because Laker had already taken nine wickets in Australia’s first innings.
That gave him a staggering 19 wickets in the match.
England won the Test by an innings and 170 runs, but Laker’s bowling figures became the biggest talking point. His 19-wicket match haul remains one of the greatest bowling performances in Test history.
| Category | Figures |
|---|---|
| Opposition | Australia |
| Venue | Old Trafford, Manchester |
| Year | 1956 |
| Innings figures | 10/53 |
| Match figures | 19/90 |
| Bowling style | Right-arm off-spin |
2. Anil Kumble – 10/74 vs Pakistan
It took more than four decades for another bowler to repeat Laker’s achievement.
India’s Anil Kumble became the second bowler to take all 10 wickets in a Test innings when he achieved the feat against Pakistan in Delhi in 1999.
Kumble finished with 10/74 in Pakistan’s second innings at the Arun Jaitley Stadium (previously known as the Feroz Shah Kotla).
Kumble generated sharp turn with leg spin and made life extremely difficult for Pakistan’s batters.
Kumble dismissed all 10 Pakistan wickets himself. In the process, he became the first Indian bowler and only the second player in Test history to achieve the remarkable feat.
| Category | Figures |
|---|---|
| Opposition | Pakistan |
| Venue | Delhi |
| Year | 1999 |
| Innings figures | 10/74 |
| Bowling style | Leg-spin |
| Test wickets | 619 |
He finished his Test career with 619 wickets and is also India’s leading wicket-taker in the format.
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3. Ajaz Patel – 10/119 vs India
For 22 years, Kumble remained the last bowler to take all 10 wickets in a Test innings.
Then New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel produced history in Mumbai in 2021.
Patel became only the third bowler to take all 10 wickets in a Test innings when India batted in the first innings of the second Test at the Wankhede Stadium.
He finished with 10/119 and dismissed every Indian batter.
This feat means a lot for Patel because he was born in Mumbai before moving to New Zealand as a child. Taking all 10 wickets at his birthplace made the moment even more memorable.
| Category | Figures |
|---|---|
| Opposition | India |
| Venue | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| Year | 2021 |
| Innings figures | 10/119 |
| Bowling style | Left-arm orthodox spin |
| Test wickets | 80+ |
Patel became the first New Zealand bowler to take all 10 wickets in a Test innings. His performance also made him only the third player in the history of the format to enter the exclusive club.
The Only Three to Achieve the Feat
The achievement has remained extremely rare despite the huge number of Test matches played over the years.
| Bowler | Team | Opposition | Figures | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Laker | England | Australia | 10/53 | 1956 |
| Anil Kumble | India | Pakistan | 10/74 | 1999 |
| Ajaz Patel | New Zealand | India | 10/119 | 2021 |
One interesting detail connects all three performances. Every bowler used spin to claim all 10 wickets.
Laker relied on off-spin, Kumble used leg-spin and Patel bowled left-arm orthodox spin.
A Record That Remains Extremely Difficult to Match
Taking 10 wickets in an innings requires much more than outstanding bowling. A bowler also needs the right conditions and the chance to remain on the field long enough to dismiss every batter.
In most Test innings, wickets fall between several bowlers. Even when one bowler dominates, teammates usually claim one or two wickets and prevent a single player from completing a 10-wicket haul.
That explains why only three bowlers have achieved the feat.
Laker set the benchmark in 1956. Kumble matched it in 1999, and Patel became the latest member of the club in 2021.
More than 65 years separated Laker’s performance from Patel’s, showing just how rare the achievement remains.
