Ten-Wicket Match in Cricket: Bowling Dominance Across Two Innings
A ten-wicket match is when a bowler takes ten or more wickets across both innings of a Test match, the rarest and most dominant bowling performance.
What Is a Ten-Wicket Match?
A ten-wicket match (or ten-for) is when a bowler takes a combined total of ten or more wickets across both innings of a Test match. It is exclusively a Test cricket achievement because only Test matches have two innings per side. It represents the single most dominant bowling performance at the match level.
All Ten Wickets in an Innings
Taking all ten wickets in a single innings is the rarest achievement of all. Jim Laker did it against Australia in 1956 (10/53), and Anil Kumble did it against Pakistan in 1999 (10/74). These are the only two instances in Test history.
Most Ten-Wicket Matches in Tests
| Bowler | Country | Ten-Wicket Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Muttiah Muralitharan | Sri Lanka | 22 |
| Shane Warne | Australia | 10 |
| Richard Hadlee | New Zealand | 9 |
| Anil Kumble | India | 8 |
How Match Bowling Figures Work
In a Test, a bowler's match figures combine their wickets from both innings. A bowler taking 6/50 in the first innings and 4/80 in the second has match figures of 10/130. Match figures are reported alongside innings figures in scorecards.
Frequently asked questions
What is a ten-wicket match in cricket?
A ten-wicket match is when a bowler takes 10 or more wickets combined across both innings of a Test match.
Who has the most ten-wicket matches in Tests?
Muttiah Muralitharan holds the record with 22 ten-wicket matches in Test cricket.
Has anyone taken all ten wickets in a Test innings?
Yes — Jim Laker (1956) and Anil Kumble (1999) are the only bowlers to take all ten wickets in a Test innings.