10

Number 10 is a first 2 digit number and it has got very significant meaning in various walk of life. Generally when someone wants to give some marks for some achievement  , it is said that I give you 6 out of 10, and the perfect  score being 10 out of 10. Now if a a woman is having perfect figure then she also get 1o numbers, there was a Hollywood movie 10 starring Bo Derek on this theme. The significant of 10 for cricket bowler is altogether different, and it means taking all the 10 wickets in the inning, when opposite team is batting. This has happened only twice in Test Cricket history, the first bowler to take 1o wickets in an inning was Englishman Jim Laker, who recorded this feat in 1956 against Australia at Old Trafford (England) and the second one is a Indian Bowler and he is

ANIL KUMBLE

Anil recorded this feat in a test against Pakistan in Feb 1999, on the last day of the test match  in the second inning, being played at Feroze Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. Even Jim Laker took 10 wickets in 2nd innings only, but he narrowly missed the record in 1st inning also, he took 9 wickets. His match record of 19 wickets in a match still stands even after 63 years.

Now I am going into brief details of the match:

India batted first and scored 252 runs only and the major contributors were S Ramesh 60 runs, VVS Laxman 35, Rahul  Dravid 33 and Mohd Azharuddin (Capt) 67 runs, from Pakistan Spin Bowler Saqlin Mustaq took 5 wickets for 94 runs.

Pakistan in their 1st inning could score only 172 runs with contribution from Shahid Afridi 32 runs and Saleem Malik 31 runs. From Indian side Kumble took 5 wickets for 75 runs and Harbhajan Singh 3 for 30.

With the lead of 80 runs India went into bat for 2nd innings and they scored 339 runs with S Ramesh scoring 96 runs, Ganguly 62, Srinath 49. Again from Pakistan Saqlin Mushtaq took 5 wickets for 122 runs and Akram took 3 for 43.

On the last day of the match Pakistan started their batting to save the match as the target of  420 runs to win the match was too much for one day in test match, and India had to take 10 wickets to win the match. Shahid Afridi and Saeed Anwar started the proceedings for Pakistan and they negotiated initial overs of pace and spin very well and 45 mins after the lunch break their took the score pass 100 without losing any wicket. Then at 101  runs Kumble tempted Shahid Afridi to cut the ball but in the process he gave the catch to wicket keeper Nayan Mongia, Afridi scored 41 runs. Immediately in the next ball he bowled  Kumble took the wicket of Ijaz Ahmed, the bowl hit the pad and he was declared  out LBW without scoring any runs. Next batsman to come on the crease was Inzamam Ul Haq, and he also did not stay  for a long and at the score of 115 Kumble bowled him, when he had scored only 6 runs. Next batsman to come was  Mohd Yousuf and Kumble also trapped him LBW, with the ball hitting Yousuf’s pad right in front of middle stamp and Pakistan lost their 4th wicket at 115 runs.

Now  Indian team and public could scent  victory as Pakistan’s top 4 batsman were back in Pavilion. Next to come on crease was Pakistan’s Wicket Keeper/Batsman Moin Khan. When the score was 127, Kumble got Moin Khan caught in slip by Sourav Ganguly,  till that time Moin score was just 3 runs. Ganguly really took a spectacular catch by diving to his right from his position at 1st slip. Now Pakistan’s half the side was back in Pavilion but they still had class batsman Saeed Anwar at crease  and Salim Malik  and Wasim Akram (Capt) to follow. With  the score at  128, Kumble bowled a classic delivery which Saeed Anwar could not tackle and Laxman at Forward Sh0rt Leg took a good catch. With Pakistan  side 6 wickets down, and last recognised batsmen Salim Malik and Wasim Akram at crease, match was turning India’s way, and full team was charged up.

But  Wasim Akram and Salim Malik resisted the Indian bowling attack and scored 58 runs for 7th wicket partnership , it was again Kumble who bowled a  turning ball  to  Salim Malik, and he could not read the ball properly and was cleaned bowled, so at 186 Pakistan were 7 down and it was certain that India will win the match, but question in every one’s mind was whether Kumble will be able to take remaining three wickets. The atmosphere was so charged up in Feroze Shah Kotla  stadium in Delhi, and every one cheering for Kumble. So when the score was 198, Kumble bowled to Mushtaq Ahmad, he had come into bat at the fall of Salim Malik’s wicket, again Kumble bowled a turning ball and Mushtaq could not read the the ball and ended up giving catch to Rahul Dravid.  In the next ball Kumble got Saqlin Mushtaq  out by LBW and now Pakistan were 198 for 9 wickets. Now Kumble had already taken 9 wickets and everyone present in the stadium, watching the match on TV or listening commentary on Radio was praying that Kumble should take 10th wicket also.  Saqlin wicket fell at the last ball of Kumble’s over, and other Indian bowlers were in dilemma, and Azhar gave the bowl to Srinath to bowl the next over, when Srinath came to bowl he  was also in dilemma, what to do. Generally when ever bowler bowls the ball he wants to take the wicket of batsman, but in this situation he never wanted to take the wicket, he started bowling the ball outside the off stump or little more wider and conceded few runs also, so that no wicket should fall, and wish was granted.

So Kumble again came to bowl his next over, as he had taken wickets on 5th and 6th ball of his last over, therefore when he bowled the first ball of this over he was on hat trick. Waism Akram tackled this ball and denied the hat trick and 10th wicket to Kumble. But on the 3rd ball  of the over, history was created when Wasim played the ball and Laxman at forward short leg took the catch, and stadium bursted to all round applause and mayhem.  Full Indian team ran towards Kumble , hugged him, patted him, and lifted on their shoulders and brought him back to Pavilion.

I consider my self very fortunate to watch  Kumble’s feat live on TV that day, and it’s memories are still fresh in my mind. What a match, at the end of 4th day the match was heading for a draw and Kumble’s performance gave victory to his team. Kumble’s bowling figure in this inning was  26.3 overs, 9 maiden overs, conceded 74 runs and took 10 wickets ie 26.3-9-74-10.

What a match, what a performance.

What you say my friends.

Waiting for your feed backs/comments/views.

Anil Malik

Mumbai, India

20th Nov 2018.