Top 5 Ashes performers of all-time

Jim Laker

Jim Laker

England off-break bowler Jim Laker came into his own during the 1956 Ashes series, picking up 46 wickets in a five-match tourney – a record which remains unbroken to this day.

Having been clobbered for runs during the 1948 series by Bradman’s Invincibles, he restored some parity in the 1953 series, becoming one of the few English bowlers to perform well on pitches that were unsuitable to his style of bowling.

Laker formed a potent combination with left-arm spinner Tony Lock, and together they decimated the Australian batting in the final game of the 1953 series, sharing nine second-innings wickets between them. The highlight of his Ashes career was the fourth game of the 1956 series, where he grabbed 19 out of 20 wickets to fall – his 10/53 being the first instance of a bowler picking up all ten wickets in a Test match (it has since been replicated by former India leg spinner Anil Kumble). For this performance alone, Jim makes it to the list of the all-time greatest Ashes performers.