Shakib Al Hasan is the only cricketer to make a century and take ten wickets in a Test match in the twenty-first century.
In cricket, there are two types of all-rounders: those who can walk into the side as either a batsman or a bowler, and those who are a mix of both and make the team on the basis of both their abilities. Those who score a century and take 10 wickets in a match clearly fall into the first category. Only three times in the history of test cricket has this unusual feat been accomplished.
Here are some of the people who have accomplished this extraordinary feat:
1. Zimbabwe vs. Shakib Al Hasan, 2014
While Shakib Al Hasan's achievement is remarkable, and he is the only player to have done it in the contemporary era, it occurred in Bangladesh versus Zimbabwe.
In 2014, Bangladesh won the second of three Test series by 162 runs, with Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal both reaching century in the first innings before Al Hasan claimed five wickets in both.
While Zimbabwe put up a fight in the first innings, with centuries from Hamilton Masakadza and Regis Chakabva helping them reach 368, they collapsed to 151 all out in 51.1 overs after Bangladesh set a target of 314 to win.
2. India vs. Imran Khan, 1983
After evaluating the strength of the opposition, the impact of the player's feat must be factored in.
In the third Test in Faisalabad at the start of 1983, Pakistan defeated India by 10 wickets to take a 2-0 lead in the six-match Test series. In the first innings, Khan got six wickets to help India get dismissed for 372.
He subsequently became one of four centurions, scoring 117 runs as Pakistan piled on the runs in their first-innings reply, reaching 652 runs. In the second innings, he added five more wickets to his tally as India was knocked for 286, and Pakistan strolled to win with only a seven-run target.
Khan was a fantastic all-around player. The importance of his bowling in this match cannot be overstated, especially against a batting team that includes Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Gundappa Viswanath. Khan only managed to dismiss two of them (Gavaskar and Vengsarkar), but his overall performance puts him in second position in an innings with so many centurions.
3. India vs. Ian Botham, 1980
Nobody else who has accomplished the feat can claim that their contribution had a greater impact on their team's victory.
In 1980, England won the lone Test against India by ten wickets, thanks to Ian Botham's bowling and batting, which nearly single-handedly propelled them to victory. India scored 242 runs in their first innings, with Botham taking six wickets.
In the first innings, England only managed 296 runs, with Botham scoring 114 of them. No other batsman has ever reached the 50-run barrier, making his achievement all the more amazing.
England needed something special, and their all-around hero provided it. India were bowled out for 149 in the second innings, with Botham taking seven wickets. Graham Gooch and Geoffrey Boycott knuckled down as Botham received a well-deserved rest with a target of 96 to win.
Botham accomplished this feat while away from home, while the other two did not.