In the patient, strategic battle of Test cricket, it is often the bowlers who create the most electrifying and game-changing moments. A single, breathtaking spell of bowling can demolish an entire batting lineup, turn a match on its head, and etch a player’s name into the history books forever.
The “best bowling figures” refer to the most wickets taken for the fewest runs conceded in a single innings. It is the ultimate measure of a bowler’s dominance and skill on a given day. This list counts down the 20 greatest bowling performances in a single Test innings, celebrating the artists who achieved near-perfection with the ball in hand.
Let’s explore these monumental feats of bowling brilliance in detail.
Top 20 Best Bowling Figures In Test Cricket
20. Richard Hadlee (New Zealand)
This was the day Sir Richard Hadlee, New Zealand’s greatest cricketer, single-handedly brought Australia to its knees. On a bouncy Brisbane pitch, Hadlee gave a masterclass in controlled swing and seam bowling.
He claimed the first wicket of the match, Kepler Wessels, and from there, he was relentless. He dismantled the top order, including Allan Border and Greg Ritchie, and returned to clean up the tail.
His rhythm was perfect, every delivery asked a question, and the Australian batsmen had no answers. This phenomenal spell set the tone for the match and the series, leading New Zealand to a famous innings victory.
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 9 for 52 | Australia | The Gabba, Brisbane | 1985 |
19. Abdul Qadir (Pakistan)
The magician Abdul Qadir was at his theatrical best in this unforgettable performance. On a dusty Lahore pitch, he unleashed his full repertoire of tricks: the leg-break, the googly, the flipper, and the top-spinner.
The English batsmen were utterly mesmerized and confused. Qadir bowled with a long, captivating run-up and an action that was pure performance art.
Wickets fell in clusters as he tempted batsmen with flight and beat them with vicious spin. It was a spell that defined his career and cemented his status as one of the greatest wrist-spinners of all time.
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 9 for 56 | England | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | 1987 |
18. Devon Malcolm (England)
This was not just bowling; it was lightning in a bottle. After being hit on the helmet by a bouncer in England’s first innings, a furious Devon Malcolm returned to the field and reportedly told the nearby South African fielders, “You guys are history.”
What followed was one of the most hostile and breathtaking spells of fast bowling ever seen. With pure, unadulterated pace, he terrorized the South African batsmen.
The ball was a blur, wickets tumbled one after another, and the crowd at The Oval was in a frenzy. He didn’t just take wickets; he dismantled a world-class batting lineup with raw, intimidating speed.
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 9 for 57 | South Africa | The Oval, London | 1994 |
17. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)
In a one-off Test, Muttiah Muralitharan delivered a performance that announced Sri Lanka as a true force in world cricket. After England posted a big first-innings score, Murali bowled a marathon 54.2 overs, virtually unchanged, to keep his team in the game.
His unique, rubber-wristed action and prodigious turn had the English batsmen in knots.
He claimed key wickets at crucial times, showcasing not just his skill but also his incredible stamina and determination. It was a spell that defied logic and single-handedly gave his team a chance of victory.
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 9 for 65 | England | The Oval, London | 1998 |
16. Jasubhai Patel (India)
Jasubhai Patel was an off-spinner whose career was largely unremarkable, except for one glorious day in Kanpur. On a pitch that offered just enough help, he found his rhythm against a powerful Australian side led by Richie Benaud. After a modest start, Patel suddenly became unplayable.
His deliveries started to spit and turn, and the Australian middle order collapsed in a heap. He took five wickets in the post-lunch session alone. It was a dream spell where everything clicked for a hardworking cricketer, leading India to its first-ever Test victory against Australia.
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 9 for 69 | Australia | Green Park, Kanpur | 1959 |
15. Subhash Gupte (India)
Before the era of Shane Warne, Subhash Gupte was considered by many, including the great Sir Garfield Sobers, to be the finest leg-spinner in the world. This performance showed why. Against a West Indies lineup packed with legendary batsmen, Gupte was magnificent.
He bowled with immaculate control, and his googly was a deadly weapon. He tantalized the batsmen with flight, drawing them forward before beating them with sharp turn. He was agonizingly denied all ten wickets only when his teammate dropped a simple catch.
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 9 for 102 | West Indies | Green Park, Kanpur | 1958 |
14. Hugh Tayfield (South Africa)
Hugh Tayfield was a master of accuracy and attrition. An off-spinner known for bowling on a sixpence, he ground down the opposition with relentless pressure. In this famous performance, he bowled an incredible 37 overs.
He didn’t rely on mystery but on subtle changes of pace and flight, combined with an unwavering, pinpoint line and length.
The English batsmen were forced into errors by his sheer consistency. His celebration, kissing the badge on his cap after each wicket, became an iconic image of South African cricket.
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 9 for 113 | England | Old Wanderers, Johannesburg | 1957 |
13. Sarfraz Nawaz (Pakistan)
This spell is legendary for creating one of the most dramatic collapses in cricket history. Australia were cruising to victory at 305 for 3, chasing 382. Then, Sarfraz Nawaz, a pioneer of reverse swing, produced magic.
With the old ball starting to hoop around corners, he became unplayable. In a scarcely believable period, he took an astonishing 7 wickets for just 1 run in 33 deliveries.
The Australian batsmen had never seen anything like it and were utterly bewildered. It was a match-winning performance that introduced a new art to the world of fast bowling.
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 9 for 86 | Australia | MCG, Melbourne | 1979 |
12. Jack Noreiga (West Indies)
On his home ground, the off-spinner Jack Noreiga produced a spell that would be remembered for decades. Against an Indian team that featured the great Sunil Gavaskar, Noreiga bowled with great heart and skill.
He extracted significant turn from the pitch and broke crucial partnerships. He was on the verge of becoming the first bowler ever to take all ten wickets in a Test innings, but a missed stumping and a dropped catch at slip denied him a perfect ten.
Nevertheless, it remains one of the finest displays of spin bowling from the Caribbean.
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 9 for 95 | India | Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain | 1971 |
11. Sydney Barnes (England)
Many cricket historians consider Sydney Barnes to be the greatest bowler who ever lived, and this spell demonstrates why. Bowling at a brisk fast-medium pace, Barnes had the ability to swing the new ball and cut the old ball both ways on any surface.
On the matting wickets used in South Africa at the time, he was lethal. He delivered the ball from a great height, getting bounce and movement that batsmen simply couldn’t handle. This nine-wicket haul was just one of many destructive spells in a career of complete dominance.
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 9 for 103 | South Africa | Old Wanderers, Johannesburg | 1913 |
10. George Lohmann (England)
For more than half a century, these were the best figures ever recorded in Test cricket. George Lohmann was a bowler of supreme accuracy and subtle skill.
Bowling at a medium pace, he wasn’t express, but he could move the ball both ways off the pitch and vary his pace cleverly. In this match, he was simply unhittable.
The South African batsmen were caught in a trance, unable to score and unable to survive. To take nine wickets for just 28 runs is a mark of almost perfect control and execution.
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 9 for 28 | South Africa | Old Wanderers, Johannesburg | 1896 |
9. Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka)
Rangana Herath carried the burden of Sri Lanka’s spin attack for years after Muralitharan’s retirement, and this was his masterpiece. In the second innings of a crucial match against Pakistan, the stocky left-armer was simply magnificent.
He bowled with great intelligence, setting batsmen up with his subtle drift and sharp turn. He broke the back of the Pakistani run chase, taking all the key wickets, including those of Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq. It was a performance of skill, stamina, and heart, securing a famous series win for his country.
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 9 for 127 | Pakistan | SSC, Colombo | 2014 |
8. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)
This was Muralitharan at his absolute peak, on his home ground, against a team that was completely outmatched. It was his second appearance on this list, and this time he was even more devastating.
The Zimbabwean batsmen were like rabbits in headlights. Every ball seemed to turn a mile. The doosra, his mystery ball that spun away from the right-hander, was unreadable. Wickets fell with alarming regularity.
It was a spell of complete and utter dominance that showcased the genius of cricket’s greatest-ever wicket-taker.
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 9 for 51 | Zimbabwe | Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy | 2002 |
7. Arthur Mailey (Australia)
Arthur “Chuck” Mailey was a character of the game, a leg-spinner who was also a talented writer and cartoonist. He believed in giving the ball a rip, even if it meant conceding a few runs.
In this Ashes Test, his aggressive approach paid off spectacularly. He tossed the ball up, inviting the English batsmen to drive, and then beat them with dip and spin.
After claiming his ninth wicket, he was famously disappointed that the last man was run out, cheekily complaining that his teammate had “dropped his catch.”
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 9 for 121 | England | MCG, Melbourne | 1921 |
6. Keshav Maharaj (South Africa)
This was a heroic performance in a losing cause. On a spinning pitch in Colombo where the home side’s spinners were wreaking havoc, South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj fought a lone battle.
The left-arm orthodox spinner showed immense skill and control to claim nine of the ten Sri Lankan wickets to fall. He was the first South African to take nine wickets in an innings since the country’s readmission to Test cricket. It was a display of classic finger-spin bowling that earned him respect around the world.
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 9 for 129 | Sri Lanka | SSC, Colombo | 2018 |
5. Jim Laker (England)
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 9 for 37 | Australia | Old Trafford, Manchester | 1956 |
While Jim Laker’s 10-wicket haul is number one, his performance in the first innings of that same match is good enough for fifth place on the all-time list. On a pitch that was taking turn, Laker was unplayable from the start.
His off-breaks, delivered with a textbook action, gripped and spun past the bats of the Australian lineup. To take nine wickets in any innings is a legendary feat; to do it as a warm-up for an even greater performance is simply mind-boggling.
4. Anil Kumble (India)
This was a performance for the ages, played out against the backdrop of the fierce India-Pakistan rivalry. Chasing 420 to win, Pakistan got off to a flying start. But after lunch, Anil Kumble, India’s greatest match-winner, began to weave his magic.
He wasn’t a big spinner of the ball, but his pace, bounce, and unerring accuracy were deadly. One by one, the Pakistani batsmen succumbed. As his wicket count grew, the entire stadium was buzzing with anticipation.
When he trapped Wasim Akram LBW for his tenth wicket, the Feroz Shah Kotla erupted in a celebration that is still remembered as one of cricket’s most emotional moments.
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 10 for 74 | Pakistan | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi | 1999 |
3. Ajaz Patel (New Zealand)
This was a fairy tale. Ajaz Patel, a left-arm spinner for New Zealand, returned to Mumbai, the city of his birth, and achieved the impossible.
On Day 1, he kept the Indian batsmen in check. On Day 2, he was simply unplayable. He bowled with superb flight, drift, and turn, deceiving the Indian batsmen one by one.
The final wicket, Mohammed Siraj, skied a catch, and Ajaz entered cricket’s most exclusive club. Despite his team going on to lose the match, his “Perfect 10” was a personal triumph that resonated with cricket fans everywhere.
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 10 for 119 | India | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 2021 |
2. George Lohmann (England)
(This entry represents a different performance from his #10 spot)
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 10 for 53 (Match figures 15/45) | South Africa | St George’s Park, Gqeberha | 1896 |
This historical performance from George Lohmann represents another instance of his complete dominance in that era, showcasing why he was considered one of the all-time greats. To take 10 wickets for such few runs is a testament to his supreme control over line, length, and movement. Note: Historical records can vary; this is often cited in all first-class records.
1. Jim Laker (England)
| Figures | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| 10 for 53 | Australia | Old Trafford, Manchester | 1956 |
This is the pinnacle. The undisputed “Mount Everest” of bowling performances. In the match that is now simply known as “Laker’s Match,” the England off-spinner was on another planet.
After taking 9 for 37 in the first innings, he came on to bowl in the second on a dusty, turning pitch. The Australian batsmen, some of the best in the world, had no clue. They were trapped in his web of perfectly flighted off-breaks.
The tension grew with each wicket. When he finally claimed the tenth, he had achieved something no man had done before and set a record for match figures (19 for 90) that will almost certainly never be broken.
