Jim Laker's 19 Wickets: The Greatest Bowling in Test History
Jim Laker took 19 wickets for 90 runs against Australia at Old Trafford in 1956 — the greatest bowling performance in Test cricket history. Learn about the spinner's extraordinary match and why it may never be beaten.
In the fourth Test of the 1956 Ashes at Old Trafford, English off-spinner Jim Laker took 19 wickets for 90 runs — the greatest bowling performance in the 149-year history of Test cricket. His match figures of 19/90 (9/37 and 10/53) have never been approached.
The Pitch and the Match
The Old Trafford pitch was prepared to suit spin, and Laker exploited the conditions brilliantly. Australia batted first and were skittled for 84 (Laker 9/37). Following on, they were bowled out for 205 in their second innings (Laker 10/53), giving England an innings victory.
The Other Wicket
Laker's Surrey and England partner Tony Lock took the only wicket he didn't claim — 1/106 from 69 overs. Lock bowled from the other end throughout the match but the ball simply didn't turn for him as it did for Laker. The asymmetry of their figures remains unexplained.
The 10-Wicket Second Innings
Taking 10 wickets in a single innings is cricket's rarest feat — only Laker and Anil Kumble (1999) have achieved it in Test cricket. Laker's 10/53 in Australia's second innings came after he'd already taken 9/37 in the first — a combined 19/90.
Frequently asked questions
What were Jim Laker's bowling figures in the 1956 Ashes?
Jim Laker took 19/90 in the match — 9/37 in Australia's first innings and 10/53 in their second innings at Old Trafford in 1956.
Who took the other wicket in Laker's match?
Tony Lock took the one wicket in the match that Laker did not claim (1/106), bowling from the opposite end throughout. Why the ball didn't turn for Lock as it did for Laker remains a cricket mystery.