BATTING

Name

Score

For

Against

Season

Rating

GL Jessop

104

England

Australia

1902

203.8

It was in keeping with Gilbert Jessop's hit-and-miss approach that he scored only one Test century. It was equally appropriate that it was scored at a furious rate and helped to win one of the most dramatic Tests of all time. Going in when England were 48 for 5 in pursuit of 263, The Croucher scored 104 in only 75 minutes. England got home by one wicket.

L Hutton

364

England

Australia

1938

200.4

Australia opened the bowling with Stan McCabe, a batsman, and the pitch was so placid that England declared at 903 for 7 - but this was still a remarkable study in concentration and stamina, especially from a 22-year-old. Len Hutton's innings lasted 13 hours and was the highest in all Test cricket until 1957-58. It's said that the church bells in Hutton's home town rang 364 times.

AR Morris

196

Australia

England

1948

197.9

After England had been dismissed for 52, Arthur Morris turned the screw. He put on 117 for the first wicket with Sid Barnes, whose 61 was the second-highest score of a total of 389 (Don Bradman's final Test innings was a duck). It was more than enough to win the match by an innings and the series 4-0.

SM Gavaskar

221

India

England

1979

192.9

India were set an unlikely 438 to win. Thanks to one of the great opening batsmen, they came astonishingly close. Sunil Gavaskar batted for eight hours, faced 443 balls, and India came within nine runs of achieving the highest winning score in any Test. England held out to draw the match and take the series 1-0 but Gavaskar's epic innings was the talk of the day.

IVA Richards

291

West Indies

England

1976

188.4

It was getting cruel by then. Earlier in the series, Viv Richards had scored 232 and 135. Now he hit 38 fours in his highest Test score and astounded everyone by missing out on a triple century. West Indies declared at 687 for 8 and won by 231 runs to take the series 3-0. Richards's innings gave him 1710 runs in the calendar year, still a Test record.

MA Atherton

108

England

West Indies

2000

183.7

England's first-innings total of 281 leaned heavily on the foundations of an opening stand of 159 between Mike Atherton and Marcus Trescothick. Atherton's innings of 83, described by the Wisden Almanack as "ever vigilant", was overshadowed by his second-innings century, the backbone of a total of 217 in which the next-highest score was 26. England's victory gave them their first series win over West Indies since 1969.

WH Ponsford

266

Australia

England

1934

182.7

In the previous Test, Bill Ponsford and Don Bradman had shared a stand of 388, a nice little warm-up for what happened here. Their partnership of 451, made in only five hours, was a world record in all Tests until 1990-91. Big Bill put the embarrassments of the 1932-33 Bodyline series firmly behind him by hitting his highest Test score, outscoring even Bradman, who made a mere 244. Australia won by an inhuman 562 runs to regain the Ashes. Ponsford's last three innings in Test cricket were 181, 266 and 22.

Asif Iqbal

146

Pakistan

England

1967

182.1

England won the match and the series, but only after some tremendous pyrotechnics by Asif, whose 146 was made off 244 balls and included two sixes and 21 fours. His partnership of 190 with Intikhab Alam (51) was a record for the ninth wicket in Tests until 1997-98.

L Hutton

202*

England

West Indies

1950

178.0

More defiance in defeat. Faced with a West Indies total of 503, England responded with a decent enough 344, based almost entirely on Len Hutton's latest epic. With no-one else making more than 44, he carried his bat in what Wisden described as "his effort of concentration and perfect stroke play." When England followed on, he was dismissed by tiredness as much as anything, making exactly 200 less than in the first innings. Without him, England dissolved for 103 and lost a home series to West Indies for the first time.

PBH May

89*

England

South Africa

1955

175.8

According to Wisden, the England captain "carried his side" in each of his four second innings of the series, making 112, 117, 97 and now this. In a low-scoring match, Peter May's typically classy innings was the highest by 29 runs. The pillar of a total of 204, it gave spinners Jim Laker and Tony Lock something to bowl at. Their nine wickets won the match by 92 runs and the series 3-2 after South Africa had come back from 2-0 down.

BOWLING

Name	Figures	For	Against	Season	Rating
DE Malcolm	9-57	England	South Africa	1994	234.4

When a bouncer from Fanie de Villiers clanged against big Devon's helmet, alarm bells should have been ringing. A natural No. 11 with the bat, he could be genuinely formidable with the ball. Whether or not he made his much-quoted "You guys are history" comment, he certainly made it happen. Bowling with fire and lift, he got the radar right for once, blasting South Africa out in 99 balls to win the match and square the series. He is the only England bowler to take nine wickets in a Test innings since Jim Laker in 1956, and currently lies sixth in The Wisden 100.

M Muralitharan

9-65

Sri Lanka

England

1998

223.7

Not for the first time, Sri Lanka were offended to be granted only a single Test in England - and they felt that Muttiah Muralitharan's performance proved a point. Getting extraordinary turn with that loose-jointed action of his, he took seven wickets in the first innings before running through England in the second. Murali's 9 for 65 is at No. 11 in The Wisden 100 and made him only the fifth bowler to take 16 wickets in a Test, which England lost despite amassing 445 in the first innings of the match.

PM Hornibrook

7-92

Australia

England

1930

211.7

Percy Hornibrook was a tall slow-medium bowler who took only 17 wickets for Australia, at a cost of 39.05 - but who had one big moment at the highest level. Needing just a draw to retain the Ashes, England made 405 in their first innings, only for Hornibrook to bowl them to an innings defeat in the second - this after coming on as third change. There haven't been many farewells more glorious than this: he didn't play Test cricket again.

Fazal Mahmood

6-46

Pakistan

England

1954

206.4

A low-scoring match to say the least - the highest of the four innings was 164. Pakistan's first great Test bowler had something to do with that. Getting movement off the pitch at brisk medium pace, Fazal bowled Pakistan to their first Test win in England and a share of the series. For his figures in the first innings, which were almost as good, go to No. 9 on the list.

MA Holding

8-92

West Indies

England

1976

206.1

The Oval pitch was such a featherbed that West Indies declared at 687 for 8. Thanks to an extraordinary display of pace bowling by Michael Holding, England's reply of 435 wasn't enough. Bowling so straight that he hit the stumps six times and had two other batsmen lbw, Holding forced England to follow on - and their second innings was a different story. As with Fazal above, see below.

DL Underwood

7-50

England

Australia

1968

203.2

The Oval crowd helped here. With the outfield waterlogged and time running out, spectators helped to mop up the grass with buckets and towels. On a drying pitch, Derek Underwood's not-so-slow left-arm spin was as Deadly as his nickname. Australia were dismissed for 125 with five minutes to go, giving England a share of the series. The picture of the last Australian batsman, John Inverarity, surrounded by ten close catchers is still an unforgettable image.

GAR Lock

6-20

England

Australia

1957

191.8

Surrey spin twins Jim Laker and Tony Lock were often unplayable on their home ground. Here Laker 's offspin took five wickets but was overshadowed by Lock's bristling slow left-arm, which also brought him figures of 5 for 28 in the first innings. West Indies, all out for 89 and 86, lost the match by an innings and 237 runs, and the series 3-0.

MA Holding

6-57

West Indies

England

1976

190.2

Part two of The Holding Show. England's second-innings total of 203 was exactly the same as Dennis Amiss's score in the first. Holding clean-bowled the England captain Tony Greig for the second time in the match and became the only man to take 14 wickets in a Test for West Indies, who won by 231 runs to take the series 3-0.

Fazal Mahmood

6-53

Pakistan

England

1954

189.9

Part one of the Fazal Exhibition. Conceding less than two runs an over, he bowled England out for 130, still their lowest total against Pakistan. And it could have been worse. As Wisden reported, Fazal's figures would have been better but for dropped catches.

FR Spofforth

7-44

Australia

England

1882

188.5

England were set only 85 to win, but Fred Spofforth believed "This thing can be done" - and that was ominous. The Demon had already taken 7 for 46 in the first innings. Now, in gathering tension, he made this one of the great Tests by bowling 28 overs, 15 of them maidens, chipping away at the opposition until they were all out for 77. England's traumatic defeat by seven runs led to a mock obituary in The Times and the creation of The Ashes.

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