Summary:
Frederick Spofforth became the first bowler to take 10 wickets in a Test match across both innings in 1877.
His exceptional performance led Australia to victory over England in the third-ever Test match.
Spofforth's feat remains a pivotal moment in the evolution of cricket history.
Firstly to clarify this means that the first bowler in the history of Test Cricket to have taken 10 or more Wickets across both the innings of a Test Match and not just in a single innings. This achievement was a rare feat when it happened in 1877 in the 3rd Test Match ever played in the history of Test Cricket. Taking 10 Wickets in a Test Match is one of the hardest things to do as it requires skills of the highest order in both innings of a Test Match. Muttiah Muralidharan has the record of taking the most 10 Wickets in a Test Match 22 times in his extraordinary career.
Let’s look at the First Bowler to take 10 Wickets in a Test Match
Frederick Spodforth creates Test Cricket history in 1877
It was the 3rd Test Match to have ever been played and this was a match in which Frederick Spodforth was determined to win the match for Australia against England. This was a test match that was dominated by Australia after England won the previous test match. England batted first in this Test match and the Aussie bowlers were all over them . Frederick Spodforth was the one who had the most Impact in this innings as he bowled 25 overs in this Innings out of which 9 overs were maidens. He gave away just 48 runs which is a little less than 2 runs per over. He took 6 wickets in this innings and due to his brilliance, England were all out for a paltry score of 113.
Australia were batting and they had Alexander Bannerman who was the best batter with 73 runs and the other batters were with him and they helped Australia reach a good total of 256 in the first innings which was a lead of 143. Thomas Emmett bowled a mammoth 59 overs in this innings and 31 of those overs were maidens. He gave away 68 runs at just 1.15 runs per over and he took 7 Wickets. This is one of the best ever spells by an English bowler in Test Cricket. Australia were all out for 256 after having played for 159 overs which is staggering. England needed to bat very well in the second innings if they had any chance of coming back in this Test Match.
However that was not what happened as Frederick Spodforth was once again the one who had other plans and he once again was the thorn for England. He bowled 35 overs in this innings and he bowled 16 maiden overs. He gave away 62 runs which was once Again less than 2 runs per over. He took 7 Wickets in the second innings and with this he had created history as he became the first ever bowler in the history of Test Cricket to have taken 10+ wickets in a Test Match. To have taken 13 out of the 20 wickets was a very special achievement. England were all out for 160 in the second innings. This helped him to have a successful career and Australia had a target of just 19 runs and they won the match by 10 Wickets.
FAQ
Q. Who was the first bowler to take 10 wickets in a Test match?
A. Frederick Spofforth achieved this historic feat in 1877 during the third Test match between Australia and England.
