Laker’s Match: The Untold Story Behind the Greatest Bowling Spell in Test History

Picking up all 10 wickets in a Test innings is such a rare feat that in 148 years of Test cricket, it has happened only three times. New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel joined this elite club alongside Jim Laker and Anil Kumble. While Kumble and Ajaz considered Jim Laker their inspiration, the question remains: who or what inspired Jim Laker?

Laker’s record is extraordinary, but since there was no live broadcast at the time and media wasn’t as fast or widespread as today, many remarkable facts about that performance remain largely unknown. Let’s revisit the journey of that historic spell.

Jim Laker’s legendary figures — 10 for 53 in 51.2 overs — came against Australia at Old Trafford, Manchester in 1956. It was the fourth Test of the series, which was tied 1–1 before the match. The pitch was expected to turn, and England’s hopes rested on Laker’s off-spin. Captain Peter May won the toss and elected to bat first. England capitalized on the decision and posted 459 runs.

When Australia began their innings, fast bowlers Brian Statham and Trevor Bailey bowled just 10 overs. Even the spin duo of Laker and Tony Lock couldn’t strike early. Captain May then switched their bowling ends — and it changed everything. Australia collapsed for just 84 runs. Laker took 9 for 37 in 16.4 overs, with the last wicket going to Lock.

Australia were asked to follow on. By the end of Day 2, they were 53 for 1. Days 3 and 4 saw less than two hours of play due to rain. On Day 5, the scoreboard read 84 for 2 — both wickets to Laker. Rain delayed the morning session, but by lunch the sun came out, and the pitch had deteriorated. With eight wickets to take and just a day left, England sensed an opportunity.

In the afternoon session, Laker bowled nine overs, conceding only three runs and taking four wickets. After tea, at exactly 5:27 PM, he dismissed Len Maddocks — his 10th wicket of the innings. Jim Laker became the first bowler in Test history to take all 10 wickets in a single innings. His match figures of 19 for 90 remain unmatched to this day — neither Kumble nor Ajaz Patel came close.

That match is still remembered as "Laker’s Match". In the 1956 Ashes series, Laker took 46 wickets in just five Tests — only Sydney Barnes has taken more in an Ashes series (49 wickets in 1912–13).

But the story doesn’t end there. Years later, Australian legend Richie Benaud admitted that watching Laker bowl in that match inspired him to change his own bowling style.

There was another strange detail: while heavy rain drenched the entire Old Trafford area, the cricket ground remained dry. It felt as if even the weather was on Laker’s side.

Before that Test, England had been on the back foot in the series. After a draw in Nottingham and a heavy loss at Lord’s, they realized their best chance was through spin. At Headingley, Laker and Lock took 18 wickets together. That led England to prepare another turning pitch at Old Trafford — which became controversial. Len Maddocks later wrote that even Don Bradman wouldn’t have survived on such a surface. Australians still believe they were "cheated" by the pitch.

To this day, Laker’s 10 for 53 remains the best bowling figures in a single Test innings. Although Kumble and Ajaz Patel also claimed all 10 wickets in an innings, no one has matched Laker’s match figures of 19 for 90.

The 1956 English season was also Laker’s benefit year with Surrey, where he earned £11,086. He was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year — the first cricketer to receive the award. Wisden’s Neville Cardus wrote a special tribute to him, and he was awarded £50 and the match ball.

What’s often forgotten is that Laker took all 10 wickets in an innings twice that year — once for Surrey against Australia and then for England in the Manchester Test. He became the first bowler since Ted Barratt in 1878 to achieve this against Australia.

Here’s another fascinating trivia: On the morning of that Test, Jim Laker didn’t want to play. He had been awake all night caring for his sick 3-year-old daughter Fiona. But Surrey captain Stuart Surridge insisted he play and made him bowl for 4 hours and 20 minutes. That grueling performance for Surrey became the fuel for his Test heroics. Had he not played that day, cricket history might have been very different.

Five years earlier, Laker had almost moved to New Zealand. He had traveled to Auckland for a cricket stint and liked it so much that he considered settling there. Just before the 1951 season, he married his wife Lilly, and they moved to Auckland — part cricket tour, part honeymoon. In four matches, he took 24 wickets and was named New Zealand’s Player of the Year in 1952. But Lilly didn’t take to life in New Zealand, and they returned to England — where fate had a place in history waiting for him.