Ravichandran Ashwin achieved an incredible feat in the Test match against the West Indies scoring 113 runs India’s one and only innings and took 7 wickets for 83 runs in West Indies’ second at North Sound, Antigua. This is the second time Ashwin came up with a similar performance, the first one was also against West Indies back in 2011.
Over the years many cricketers have shown such incredible all-round performances. South African Jimmy Sinclair was the first cricketer to score a century and pick up a 5 wicket haul in the same Test match. This instance occurred during the second Test against England back in 1899 at Newlands, Cape Town. Sinclair took 6 wickets for 26 runs and also scored 106 runs in South Africa’s first innings.
Let us have a look at Cricketer’s who have scored a century and taken 5 wicket hauls in the same Test match more than once alongside with Ravichandran Ashwin:
5) Shakib Al Hasan (2 times)
Shakib Al Hasan is arguably the best cricketer Bangladesh has produced in their short and eventful history. In 2015, the southpaw scripted his name in the history books by becoming the first and only player to be ranked the No.1 ranked all-rounder as per the ICC rankings in all the three formats.
He is a veteran of 42 Test matches having scored 2,832 runs at an average of 39.76 which includes 3 tons. During the second Test of Pakistan’s tour to Bangladesh back in Mirpur, 2011 he scored a brilliant 144 in the first innings and followed it up with magical bowling figures of 6 for 82 runs.
When Zimbabwe toured Bangladesh in 2014, Shakib fired once again. In the second Test, he scored 137 runs in the first innings and picked up 5-wicket hauls in both the innings with figures of 5 for 80 and 5 for 44 in the first and second innings respectively. Unlike, the previous instance Bangladesh ended up on the winning side this time.
4) Mushtaq Mohammad (2 times)
Mushtaq Mohammad is a former Pakistani cricketer widely considered as one of the greatest all-rounders the country has ever produced who went on to become the Pakistani captain for nineteen Test matches.
Mushtaq was one of the five Mohammad brothers who settled in Pakistan migrating from Western India, four of them playing cricket for the Pakistan national Cricket team. Having played county Cricket for Northamptonshire, he was a very effective leg-spinner and captained the side to their first ever trophy.
The right-handed batsman scored 10 centuries in the 57 Test matches he played for Pakistan, which also includes a double against New Zealand in Dunedin. It was during that match that Mohammad also took a 5-wicket haul back in 1973. Four years later, he again showed what he is capable of scoring 121 runs complemented with bowling figures of 5 for 28 against West Indies in Port of Spain, 1977.
3) Gary Sobers (2 times)
Gary Sobers is undoubtedly the greatest all-rounder the world has ever seen, his statistics are enough to support the statement. He batted and bowled with equal domination. With an average of 57.78 runs per innings, he scored 26 centuries in the 93 Test matches he played, with a career best of 365 vs Pakistan at Kingston, Jamaica back in 1958.
It was the highest individual Test score for quite a while until Brian Lara broke the record in 1994 scoring 375 runs in an innings against England. The southpaw from Barbados produced some clinical performances for West Indies during his career span.
It was against India back in 1962 at Kingston, Jamaica he scored a 104-run century in the first innings and bowled figures of 5 for 63 runs in the second innings. In Leeds, 1966 the all-rounder from Barbados scored a magnificent 174 in the first innings and following it up with figures of 5 for 41 which helped West Indies to inflict an innings defeat on England.
2) Jacques Kallis (2 times)
The name which pops up in our minds after Gary Sobers as the greatest all-rounders to play cricket is Jacques Kallis. The right-handed batsman was a pillar in the South African team for many years. In 2013, he became the first cricketer to score 10,000 runs and pick up 250 wickets in both Tests and One-Day Internationals.
Playing 166 Test matches, he has 45 centuries to his name only behind Tendulkar’s record of 51 tons. The big-man from Cape Town had put up a great all round performance in 1999 against West Indies in his hometown. Kallis scored a 110-run knock in the first innings and followed up with a superb bowling performance in West Indies’ second innings to help South Africa extend their lead to 4-0 in the five-match series.
Bangladesh too could not withstand the brilliance of Kallis’ all-round dominance. Having scored 139-runs in South Africa’s one and only innings during the second Test at Potchefstroom, he demolished the Bangladeshi batting line-up by taking 5 wickets for 21 runs in just 4.3 overs.
1) Ian Botham (5 times)
Ian Botham was probably the best all-rounder England has ever produced and one of the greatest ever along with Gary Sobers and Jaques Kallis. With a healthy average of 33.54, he scored 14 centuries for England along with 383 wickets in 102 Tests.
The right-handed batsman has guided the Three Lions to achieve many memorable victories over the years and was the fastest to score 1,000 runs and take 100 wickets in Test matches as well as fastest to 2,000 runs and 200 wickets and to 3,000 runs and 300 wickets. There are as many as five occasions where Ian Botham has scored a century and taken a 5-wicket haul. While he achieved the record twice against New-Zealand back in 1978 and 1984 respectively. The rest of them came against Pakistan, India, and Australia.
The most memorable is the one against Australia during “Botham’s Ashes” in 1981. In the third Ashes Test, Botham took 6 wickets for 95 runs during Australia’s first innings, and also scored an unbeaten 149 to set the visitors a target of138. England eventually won the Test by 18 runs to level the series at 1-1 and Botham was declared the man of the match.
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