During the fourth Test of the Ashes series in 1956, at Old Trafford, Manchester, England spinner Jim Laker made history by setting a record that stands to this day.
Laker ended the match with taking 19 wickets, the most in a First-class match, let alone a Test match. In 1999/00, Anil Kumble did repeat Laker’s feat of taking all 10 second-innings wickets, but even he could not emulate what Laker had done 43 years earlier.
Australia could not say that they had not been warned. They had received an early taste of what he was capable of earlier in the tour when they had played Surrey in a warm up-match. In 46 overs, he bowled 18 maidens and conceded 88 runs, taking 10 wickets in the process.
But, Test matches are different things entirely, and few thought he could repeat such a feat in the highly pressurised environment of a test match in front of a capacity crowd.
That was despite him taking 11-113 on a wet pitch at Lord’s during the Second Test.
Certainly, some thought there was little in the pitch for the bowlers. Don Bradman who was doing media work described it as flat and slow, with plenty of runs in it.
And that looked to be borne out when England batted first and made 459.
Australia began well in their reply. Laker and his spin partner Tony Lock, with whom he bowled in tandem for Surrey and England for most of the 1950s, making little headway.
Captain Peter May then got them to switch ends. Laker came on from the Stretford End, and the match was transformed.
Like a house of cards, once one wicket fell the rest collapsed. From 48 without loss, Australia imploded to 84. Lock took the wicket of Jimmy Burke, but the others all went to Laker, who finished with 9-37.
Australia followed on, but rain meant only 45 minutes play were possible in the day, time enough for Laker to get his first wicket in the second innings. On Monday, with cold wind and rain, play was limited to just one hour, time for Laker to get his second.
But Tuesday, the sun shone and the pitch began to turn. Australia slumped from 114/2 to 205, with their batters just unable to cope with his grip and bounce. Richie Benaud later said that they had thought long and hard how to deal with the threat posed by the off-spinner but failed to find any effective answers.
When Laker finally had Len Maddocks leg before, he had completed a second innings clean sweep of 10-53. And he had set a record that may never be broken.