Wednesday, 6th May 2026
Khabor Wala Desk
Published: 6th May 2026, 11:25 AM
In the long and storied history of cricket, securing all ten wickets in a single innings remains the ultimate individual achievement for a bowler. While such occurrences are rare in the professional game, certain instances from the annals of amateur and first-class cricket stand out for their sheer statistical impossibility. Most notably, the feat of claiming ten wickets without conceding a single run, and the distinct rarity of bowling out every member of the opposing side, represent the pinnacle of bowling dominance.
On 6 May 1922, exactly 104 years ago today, Jennings Tunne etched his name into sporting folklore. Playing in a Yorkshire district tournament for Cliffe against Eastrington, Tunne produced what is arguably the most efficient bowling performance ever recorded. He claimed all ten wickets for zero runs, remarkably dismissing every single batsman by bowling them. His final analysis read: 5 overs, 5 maidens, 0 runs, and 10 wickets.
Tunne’s record remained unparalleled for 72 years until 1994, when Alex Kelly, a 17-year-old playing in a youth tournament in Durham, repeated the feat. While Kelly also finished with ten wickets for no runs, Tunne remains distinguished by the fact that all ten of his victims were clean-bowled.
In the international arena, the “Perfect Ten” has occurred only three times in Test cricket history. These figures serve as the benchmark for professional excellence:
Jim Laker (England): 10 for 53 vs Australia at Old Trafford, 1956.
Anil Kumble (India): 10 for 74 vs Pakistan at Delhi, 1999.
Ajaz Patel (New Zealand): 10 for 119 vs India at Mumbai, 2021.
In first-class cricket, the record for the most economical ten-wicket haul belongs to the Yorkshire left-arm spinner Hedley Verity. During a County Championship match against Nottinghamshire in 1932, Verity dismantled the opposition by taking 10 wickets for just 10 runs.
The following table highlights extraordinary bowling performances where the bowler took all ten wickets with exceptional economy or specific dismissal methods.
| Bowler | Year | Level/Match | Figures | Notable Fact |
| John Wisden | 1850 | First-class (North vs South) | 10 wickets | All 10 batsmen were bowled |
| Jennings Tunne | 1922 | District (Cliffe vs Eastrington) | 10-0-0-5 | All 10 bowled for zero runs |
| Hedley Verity | 1932 | First-class (Yorkshire vs Notts) | 10 for 10 | Most economical FC 10-fer |
| Jim Laker | 1956 | Test Match (England vs Australia) | 10 for 53 | First Test player to achieve feat |
| Alex Kelly | 1994 | Youth Cricket (Durham) | 10 for 0 | Reproduced Tunne’s 0-run feat |
| D. Morton | 1998 | Club Cricket (Brisbane) | 10 for 0 | For Bayside Muddis vs Ranatungas |
Before he became the founder of the “Cricketers’ Almanack,” John Wisden was a formidable cricketer. In 1850, playing at Lord’s for North against South, Wisden achieved the rare feat of bowling out all ten batsmen in the second innings. Although the exact number of runs conceded was not preserved in the historical scorecard, the method of dismissal—all ten clean-bowled—remains a matter of record. The South side was dismissed for 76 runs, and despite North being bowled out for 131 themselves, Wisden’s side secured victory by an innings and 19 runs in a match that lasted only one day.
To date, there are approximately 25 recorded instances outside of major cricket where a bowler has taken all ten wickets for zero runs. The most recent notable addition to this list is D. Morton, who playing for Bayside Muddis in Brisbane during the 1998-99 season, achieved the feat against a team named the Ranatungas. These records, while often occurring outside the international spotlight, highlight the extraordinary possibilities within the sport.
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