Battle of the Test Bowling

Seems as Test innings is drawing to a close, maybe we could have a similar contest run for the best bowling performances in Test Cricket

What does everybody think?

GeraintIsMyHero said:

Seems as Test innings is drawing to a close, maybe we could have a similar contest run for the best bowling performances in Test Cricket

What does everybody think?

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I think judging a bowling performance is much tougher then judging a batting performance because bowling figures dont always tell you how well a bowler bowled.

How about starting a battle of the test matches

It'll definately be harder, but it might work, or it might go the way of the "battle of the fast bowlers" thread.

It's worth a shot though. Like with the other thread, it'll be interesting to see what criteria people apply. Quality of the batsmen, state of the pitch, quality of support, modes of dismissal and so on. I'll come up with a few nominations shortly.

FaaipDeOiad said:

It'll definately be harder, but it might work, or it might go the way of the "battle of the fast bowlers" thread.

It's worth a shot though. Like with the other thread, it'll be interesting to see what criteria people apply. Quality of the batsmen, state of the pitch, quality of support, modes of dismissal and so on. I'll come up with a few nominations shortly.

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It would certainly be far harder as their are more variables invovled but probably worth a try.

Ill throw a few names into the hat soon.

1 HJ Tayfield 9 for 113 SA Eng Johannesburg 1956-577
2 A Kumble 10 for 74 Ind Pak Delhi 1998-99
3 JC Laker 10 for 53 Eng Aus Old Trafford 1956
4 JC White 8 for 126 Eng Aus Adelaide 1928-29
5 RJ Hadlee 9 for 52 NZ Aus Brisbane 1985-86
6 DE Malcolm 9 for 57 Eng SA The Oval 1994
7 RGD Willis 8 for 43 Eng Aus Headingley 1981
8 H Verity 8 for 43 Eng Aus Lord's 1934
9 WJ O'Reilly 7 for 54 Aus Eng Trent Bridge 1934
10 GD McKenzie 8 for 71 Aus WI Melbourne 1968-69
11 M Muralitharan 9 for 65 SL Eng The Oval 1998
12 AA Mailey 9 for 121 Aus Eng Melbourne 1920-21
13 LR Gibbs 8 for 38 WI Ind Bridgetown 1961-62
14 Harbhajan Singh 8 for 84 Ind Aus Chennai 2000-01
15 Sarfraz Nawaz 9 for 86 Pak Aus Melbourne 1978-79
16 RAL Massie 8 for 53 Aus Eng Lord's 1972
17 JA Snow 7 for 40 Eng Aus Sydney 1970-71
18 Imran Khan 8 for 60 Pak Ind Karachi 1982-83
19 PS de Villiers 6 for 43 SA Aus Sydney 1993-94
20 IW Johnson 7 for 44 Aus WI Georgetown 1954-55
21 L Klusener 8 for 64 SA Ind Kolkata 1996-97
22 NG Cowans 6 for 77 Eng Aus Melbourne 1982-83
23 PM Hornibrook 7 for 92 Aus Eng The Oval 1930
24 AA Mallett 8 for 59 Aus Pak Adelaide 1972-73
25 JC Laker 9 for 37 Eng Aus Old Trafford 1956
26 PCR Tufnell 7 for 47 Eng NZ Christchurch 1991-92
27 IT Botham 7 for 48 Eng Ind Bombay 1979-80
28 Abdul Qadir 9 for 56 Pak Eng Lahore 1987-88
29 AW Greig 8 for 86 Eng WI Port of Spain 1973-74
30 KR Miller 7 for 60 Aus Eng Brisbane 1946-47

Thats a good list to start with (its wisden top 30 bowling performances of all time).

I would like to volunteer to be the moderator for this as well.

Here's a bunch that I've seen and remember in detail as the best bowling performances I've watched, along with a few that I've merely read about. Obviously, most of them involve Australia on one side or the other, as I've seen more of those games, and other people will most likely supply better examples for or against their own sides than I could.


Jeff Thomson, 5/62 vs West Indies, MCG 1975
Michael Holding, 8/92 vs England, The Oval 1976
Dennis Lillee, 6/26 vs England, MCG 1977
Sarfraz Nawaz, 9/86 vs Australia, MCG 1979
Bob Willis, 8/43 vs Australia, Headingley 1981
Dennis Lillee, 7/83 vs West Indies, MCG 1981
Richard Hadlee, 9/52 vs Australia, GABBA 1985
Shane Warne, 7/52 vs West Indies, MCG 1992
Curtley Ambrose, 7/25 vs Australia, WACA 1993
Shane Warne, 7/23 vs Pakistan, GABBA 1994
Shane Warne, 7/56 vs South Africa, SCG 1994
Petrus De Villiers, 6/43 vs Australia, SCG 1994
Jason Gillespie, 7/37, Headingley 1997
Allan Donald, 5/36 vs Australia, Supersport Park 1997
Chaminda Vaas, 3/43 vs Australia, Asgiriya Stadium 1999
Anil Kumble, 10/74 vs Pakistan, Feroz Shah Kotla 1999
Glenn McGrath, 6/17 vs West Indies, GABBA 2000
Harbhajan Singh, 8/84 vs Australia, Chidambaram Stadium 2001
Anil Kumble, 8/141 vs Australia, SCG 2004
Steve Harmison, 7/12 vs West Indies, Sabina Park 2004
Michael Clarke, 6/9 vs India, Mumbai 2004
Glenn McGrath, 8/24 vs Pakistan, WACA 2004
Shane Warne, 5/90 vs Sri Lanka, Asgiriya Stadium 2004
Glenn McGrath, 5/53 vs England, Lords 2005
Simon Jones, 6/53 vs Australia, Old Trafford 2005
Shane Warne, 6/86 vs South Africa, Kingsmead 2006

I'd say the only ones that need explaination are Vaas and Michael Clarke. I picked Clarke because I think it's interesting to have examples of poor bowlers who had one great day in there. Now that I think of it, Bob Massie would be a good inclusion, so I'd throw his debut performance in there too. Vaas is only three wickets, but they were hugely significant as they set the scene for a Sri Lankan series win against Australia, along with the injuries to Gillespie and Waugh. Vaas and Zoysa destroyed Australia on that first day.

edit: Take note, I'm not suggesting that all of these are automatic inclusions in the final 128 or whatever. It's just meant to be a list of the best bowling performances in tests involving Australia in the last 10-15 years or so, along with a few other famous ones.

Some obvious and others not so. Trying to think of different types of bowling performances so its not just a matter of comparing stats. Will post more soon.

Hadlee 9-52
vs Aus Brisbane November 1985
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1985-86/NZ_IN_AUS/NZ_AUS_T1_08-12NOV1985.html

Kumble 10-74
vs Pakistan, Delhi February 1999
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1998-99/PAK_IN_IND/SCORECARDS/PAK_IND_T2_04-08FEB1999.html

Holding 8-92
vs England, The Oval, August 1976
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1970S/1976/WI_IN_ENG/WI_ENG_T5_12-17AUG1976.html

Border 7-46
vs WI, Sydney, January 1989
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1988-89/WI_IN_AUS/WI_AUS_T4_26-30JAN1989.html

Hirwani 8-61
vs West Indies, Madras January 1988
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1987-88/WI_IN_IND/WI_IND_T4_11-15JAN1988.html

Laker 10-53
vs Australia, Manchester, July 1956
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1950S/1956/AUS_IN_ENG/AUS_ENG_T4_26-31JUL1956.html

Willis 8-43
vs Aus, Headingley, 1981
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1981/AUS_IN_ENG/AUS_ENG_T3_16-21JUL1981.html

Harmison 7-12
vs WI, Jamaica March 2004
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2003-04/ENG_IN_WI/SCORECARDS/ENG_WI_T1_11-15MAR2004.html

silentstriker said:

I would like to volunteer to be the moderator for this as well.

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Why, so you can try and sway votes in this one as well?

Won't be complete without the Agarkar 6fer.

Shoaib 5-21 vs Aus 2002
Asif 11-71 vs Sri 2006 (match)
Wasim 6-62 vs Aus 1989
Waqar 5-22 vs NZl 1992
Imran 7-40 vs Eng 87
Shoaib 4-47 vs Ind 1999
Saqlain 10-187 vs Ind 1999 (match)
Fazal 12-107 vs Eng 1954 (match)
Imran 8-60 vs Ind 1982

marc71178 said:

Why, so you can try and sway votes in this one as well?

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*SHRUG*, I guess if people think that its inappropriate to give an opinion, then I won't.

FaaipDeOiad said:

It'll definately be harder, but it might work, or it might go the way of the "battle of the fast bowlers" thread.

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I used to quite enjoy that. Jamee just seemed to give up one day.

Mind you, CW had a bad case of battle-itis about a year back...

Wasim's 11-fer in Antigua's the best bowling performance by a Pakistani I have witnessed. Xuhaib's list is good too.

More

Ambrose 6-24
v England Trinidad March 1994
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1993-94/ENG_IN_WI/ENG_WI_T3_25-30MAR1994.html

Botham 5-11
vs Australia Birmingham August 1981
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1981/AUS_IN_ENG/AUS_ENG_T4_30JUL-02AUG1981.html

Ambrose 8-45
v England Barbados April 1990
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1989-90/ENG_IN_WI/ENG_WI_T4_05-10APR1990.html

I guess all of these listed below have to be included for sheer weight of wickets.

http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/STATS/TESTS/BOWLING/TEST_BOWL_BEST_INNS_FIGS.html

Ill leave it up to others to nominate interesting performances

silentstriker said:

*SHRUG*, I guess if people think that its inappropriate to give an opinion, then I won't.

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Yeah, coming on a cricket forum & expressing opinions on cricket. Ya blummin' cheeky sod!

Xuhaib said:

Shoaib 5-21 vs Aus 2002
Asif 11-71 vs Sri 2006 (match)
Wasim 6-62 vs Aus 1989
Waqar 5-22 vs NZl 1992
Imran 7-40 vs Eng 87
Shoaib 4-47 vs Ind 1999
Saqlain 10-187 vs Ind 1999 (match)
Fazal 12-107 vs Eng 1954 (match)
Imran 8-60 vs Ind 1982

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Common theme?

silentstriker said:

*SHRUG*, I guess if people think that its inappropriate to give an opinion, then I won't.

Click to expand...

LHC never felt the need...

One thing that will need clarifying is is it an innings performance or a match performance?

Personally I think we need one or the other, but not a mixture.

Innings. Match performance would be harder to judge.

marc71178 said:

LHC never felt the need...

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All right, then I won't. I don't see what the big deal is, its not like I'm counting the votes wrong. But its fine. I don't have strong feeling on the bowling performances one way or the other anyway.