Most Wickets in Test Debut Match by a Cricketer.
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It is every bowler’s dream to take as many wickets as possible in a match and help their team towards victory. The Test format of cricket is the oldest and most conventional one, which has created a magnificent history throughout its course. Test cricket matches are the toughest ones where the perseverance of all players is tested to its extreme level. Due to this format being more relaxed in terms of overs, batsmen take their time to hit every delivery with utmost care and judgement. Thus catching them off guard and claiming wickets is a bit difficult in this format of the game. However, some players have proved their worth in front of the entire cricket world with their phenomenal bowling and have made plenty of records in Test cricket. In this article, we will take a look at the top 10 players who took the most wickets in debut Test match of their career.
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Top 10 Bowlers to Take Most Wickets in a Debut Test Match.
1. Narendra Hirwani - 16/136
Former Indian cricketer Narendra Hirwani is the number one player who took the most wickets in the debut Test match of their career in all of cricket. His bowling style was right-arm legbreak and he started his international career with team India in a Test match against West Indies at the MA Chidambaram Stadium back on January 11th 1988.
This match came to be known as a “perfect debut” due to the exceptional performance of Narendra Hirwani, who was playing at this stage for the first time. But instead of being nervous or tensed, Hirwani showed one of his career’s best performances in the two innings that he played. He claimed 8 wickets for just 61 in the first innings, followed by another 8 wickets for 75 in the second innings. With a grand 16/138 score, Hirwani shocked the entire world of cricket with his performance. He still remains in the number one spot for taking the highest wickets in debut Test match.
2. Bob Massie - 16/137
Long before Hirwani, it was Australian right-arm fast-medium bowler Bob Massie, who had previously sealed his name as the highest wicket taker in debut Test series. His cricket career with team Australia had been very abrupt, with a total of 6 Test and 3 ODI matches played. He made his debut against their Ashes nemesis, Team England, in a Test match at Lord’s on June 22nd 1972.
And in this grand stage of the finest cricket rivalry, Bob Massie outshined all the players from both sides. Massie single-handedly took care of 8 wickets for 84 from the English side, finishing his outstanding first innings play. And in the second innings, he came back stronger and was responsible for taking 8 English wickets for 53. This 16/137 score, had been at the top of the list of most wickets in the debut Test series for a long time until it was overtaken by Hirwani, many years later.
3. Fred Martin - 12/102
English cricketer Fred Martin was a very popular First-Class player in the country. He represented his country for a very short time but has sealed his name with his marvellous left-arm medium bowling. Martin played 2 Test matches for Team England but his debut match was the highlight of his career. His Test debut match with his national squad was against Australia at the Kennington Oval, back on August 11th 1890.
He came to the pitch and performed with all his might and claimed 6 wickets for 50 in the very first innings. In the second innings, he matched his previous record and claimed 6 wickets for 52 that time. His score of 12/102, as a courtesy of this match, has put him on the third spot in this list as the player with the most wickets on debut in Test format. He still remains at the top of the list of English players to have taken the most wickets in debut Test match.
4. Jason Krejza - 12/358
Former Australian right-arm off-break bowler, Jason Krejza, currently is at the fourth spot on the list with one of the most wickets in debut test match. His debut Test match was played against India at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium on November 6th, 2008.
In this match, he took 12 wickets for 358, which has made him the second Australian bowler on this list with the most wickets in debut test match. He ended his first-innings bowling with 8 wickets for 215, followed by 4 wickets for 143 in the second innings. This has been one of the best Test debut bowling performances in the past two decades. Even though his international career was cut short, his debut game against India will forever be one of the best bowling performances in cricket.
5. Clarrie Grimmet - 11/82
Clarrie Grimmet was a fast bowler for team Australia back in the early 1900s. His bowling style was right-arm legbreak and his first international cricket debut was in a Test match against England on February 27th, 1925, at the Sydney Cricket Ground. It was the fifth Test match of the 1925 Ashes series and Australia had a lead of 3-1 already.
In the first innings, Grimmet claimed 5 wickets for just 45 runs with his precise deliveries, helping his side to get the upper hand. And in the second innings, Grimmet surpassed his previous statistics and took 6 wickets for just 37. This made his overall wicket haul 11 for 82, which is one of the best records in the history of Test cricket of all time. He went on to play thirty-six more games, claiming a total of 216 wickets with his career BBM being 14/199.
6. Charles Marriott - 11/96
Charles Marriott was an English first-class cricketer, who bowled right-arm legbreak. He played against West Indies in his debut Test match at the Kennington Oval back on August 12, 1933. It was the third game in the tour and Marriott claimed the wickets of 5 West Indies players for 37, just in the first innings.
The story of Marriott’s bowling took a better turn in the second innings, where he managed to drop 6 wickets for 59 runs. He ended the game with 11 wickets for just 96, which makes him the second-top English bowler with the most wickets on Test debut. Even though he never got his well-deserved second chance in the squad, his phenomenal debut statistics will always be a milestone for many aspiring bowlers.
7. Alfred Hall - 11/112
South African left-arm fast-medium bowler Alfred Hall, also known as Alf Hall, currently holds the seventh spot in the list of most wickets in debut Test cricket that has ever been taken. Alf Hall made his Test debut against England in Cape Town back in 1923.
He started off on a strong foot and took away 4 wickets for 49 in the first innings with his bowling. In the second innings, Alf was responsible for most of the English wickets, by claiming 7 wickets for 63. This amazing performance in his debut Test game in which he took a total of 11 wickets for 112, has been one of his career’s biggest highlights. His 11/122 is the highest wicket in debut Test match tally that has ever been taken by a South African player.
8. Mohammad Zahid - 11/130
The first bowler from Pakistan on this list of most wickets taken in a debut Test match is Mohammad Zahid. Zahid was a right-arm fast-medium bowler for his team, known for his brilliant bowling deliveries on the pitch. He was a natural talent, who played his first Test match against New Zealand at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on November 28th 1996. In this very match, Zahid stunned the opposition batsmen with his impeccable bowling ability.
He started on a firm note and took 4 wickets for 64 in the first innings, a statistic which was surpassed by his second innings performance of 7 wickets for mere 66 runs. His contribution in the game helped Pakistan win the match by an innings and 13 runs. With his 11/130, Zahid remains at the top as the player to take the most wickets in debut Test match from Pakistan.
9. Alec Bedser - 11/145
Former English cricketer and right-arm fast-medium bowler, Sir Alec Bedser, is the ninth player in this list of most wickets in debut Test series of all time. He played against team India in his debut Test match at Lord’s back on June 22nd 1946. Bedser swiftly picked off 7 wickets by conceding just 49 runs in the first innings.
This performance was followed by his second innings bowling, where he managed to claim 4 more wickets for 96 runs. With this, Alec Bedser ended his debut Test game with a score of 11/145. This had been one of the best bowling performances coming from an English player in a debut match of that time.
10. Praveen Jayawickrama - 11/178
Sri Lankan left-arm orthodox bowler, Praveen Jayawickrama is the tenth player on the list of most wickets in Test debut. Jayawickrama played his first Test match against Bangladesh at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on April 29th 2021.
In this match, he claimed 6 wickets for 92 runs off the 32 overs that he bowled in the first innings. While picking 5 more wickets for 86 runs in the second one, which made his total for the match 11/178. He is the only active player on this list with his record being the most recent one.
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