To take all ten wickets in a single innings has always seemed impossible ask from any bowler. Since it is near impossible, it remains every bowler’s dream too. Recently, this dream turned reality for one such bowler.
NZ spinner for Mumbai-origin, Patel was remarkable with his line and mixed the bowling speed very well. During the ongoing test match against India, Patel bowled roughly 50 overs, almost on the trot. His 10-for-119 was an act of art. Especially because Patel did it against a country whose gully cricketers play spin like a dream.
When Muralidharan was robbed of taking 10 wickets in an innings against Zimbabwe
For netizens who aren’t aware, England’s off-break bowler, Jim Laker was the 1st ever bowler to take a ten-wicket haul in single test innings. He did it in 1956. Kumble, in 1999 then repeated the heroics against arch-rivals Pakistan when he swooped 10/74 in Delhi. Now, Ajaz Patel finds himself on the coveted list.
However, there was another bowler who could have had his name on the list. Muttiah Muralidharan, during a match in 2002, took 9 for 52. The match was held at Kandy, against Zimbabwe. Murali was all set for his 10-wicket haul as every other Lankan bowler was avoiding wickets by dishing harmless balls outside-off.
Nonetheless, his heart was soon broken when Chaminda Vaas pitched up a good length ball around off-stump and Zimbabwe’s last active batter, Henry Olonga nicked it to the keeper. No Lankan player appealed during the initial seconds and thus, the umpire could not give it out. However, just when it seemed Muralidharan will get to have a crack at the last remaining batter, one of his mates appealed for the wicket. The party-pooper was not officially identified. Watch the video here.
In light of Ajaz Patel's 10-for, here's some Lankan hilarity. Murali had nine wickets in an innings v Zimbabwe, with one more to get.
Vaas nicked the last batter off, and although no one wanted to appeal initially, someone eventually did ??? https://t.co/uZOc5sjeta
— Andrew Fidel Fernando (@afidelf) December 4, 2021
This wasn’t the only instance of Muttiah Muralidharan ending up on nine wickets. Interestingly, Muttiah had taken 9/53 in 1988. Some say the later instance was against minnows. However, they can’t doubt the quality of this one. They just can’t. After all, England’s batting unit had established names in Graeme Hick, Alec Stewart, and Mark Butcher- when Muttiah pulled this off.
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Sure, Muralidharan can’t boast of bagging all 10 wickets in a Test innings. But still, he remains the greatest test spinner of all time. 800 wickets in whites at a lowly average of twenty-two point seven-two. Statistics never lie. Isn’t it?