The three cricketers to have scored 100+ runs and taken 10+ wickets in a Test match

All-rounders are like gold dust in any format of the game of cricket but particularly in Test cricket. Test cricket is the most testing and demanding format of the game and having an all-rounder capable of contributing in equal measure with both bat and ball is immensely valuable.While there are many who consider themselves to be batsmen and can chip in with the ball and vice-versa, a true all-rounder is one who is equally skilful in both departments and can get into the side either as a batter or as a bowler alone. Only a miniscule amount of players in the 137-year history of Test cricket can claim to belong to that exclusive category, reflecting how priceless such cricketers are.Scoring a hundred runs and picking up a 10-wicket haul in the same Test is a truly sparkling achievement. While scoring a hundred runs or having a 10-wicket haul is hard enough by itself, to manage to do both in the same Test is absolutely remarkable. To give you an idea of the difficulty, there are only 3 cricketers to have done so and Sir Gary Sobers and Jacques Kallis, the twogreatest all-rounders of all-time, arent among those.Here are the three cricketers to have scored a hundred runs and taken a 10-wicket haul in the same Test match:

#1 Alan Davidson

While Davidson was primarily a left-arm quick bowler, he also made telling contributions with the bat for Australia in the 1950s and 60s. He made his Test debut for Australia against the old enemies in 1953 and showed a lot of promise, although it did take him 3-4 years to establish himself as a top-class international cricketer.

His best performance in his decade-long Test career came against a good West Indian side, consisting of the likes of Sobers, Rohan Kanhai, Wes Hall, Sir Frank Worrell, in a game that is remembered till date. The Test match I’m referring to is, of course, the famous tied Test match between Australia and West Indies in Brisbane in 1960/61.

With the great fast bowler Ray Lindwall having played his last Test a few months earlier, the onus was on Davidson to make the breakthroughs with the ball. And the champion cricketer that he was, he felt egged on by the responsibility on his shoulders and delivered bowling figures of 5/135 in the 1st innings and 6/87 in the 2nd.

The left-armer’s Test batting average of 24.59 indicates that he could hold his own with the bat, and the tied Test was one such occasion. Despite playing a starring role with the ball, it were his performances with the bat that went on to give the Test match iconic status.

In Australia’s 2nd innings, they were 5/57 in their run chase of 233 for victory when the New South Welshman walked out to bat. They looked like they had no hope of securing victory, but he coupled with his captain Richie Benaud, who came in at 6/92, had other ideas.

He scored a tremendous 80 off 194 balls before tragically being dismissed off a run-out, with Australia needing 7 more runs for victory. What happened after that is history, with Australia being bowled out for 232 giving us the 1st tied Test match ever.

He had also made a crucial 44 in the 1st innings, giving him a total of 124 runs and 11 wickets in the match, and he became the 1st cricketer to score a minimum of 100 runs and take 10 wickets in a Test.

#2 Ian Botham

The Golden Jubilee Test between England and India played at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, in 1980 saw England absolutely demolish the hosts, as they completed a 10-wicket win with a day to spare. We often talk about cricket being a team game, but on that occasion, Ian Botham single-handedly won England the match with a stunning all-round display to which the Indians had no answer to.

The 22-yard strip was uncharacteristically full of grass and provided a lot of help to the seamers. Botham took full advantage of India’s generosity and ran havoc with figures of 6/58 in the 1st innings. India, despite the Englishman’s brilliance, did reasonably well to post a competitive total of 242 on a surface difficult to make runs on.

On a pitch almost as green as the rest of the outfield, the Indian seamers too had the armoury to trouble the English and so they did, with England tottering at 5/57 when Botham and Bob Taylor, the England wicket-keeper, came together in the middle. The 24-year old, then, displayed his magic with the bat as he smashed a breathtaking 114 off just 144 balls, leaving the Indians completely demoralized.

As if taking a 5-wicket haul and scoring a 100 in the 1st innings weren’t enough for the maverick all-rounder, he then had figures of 28-7-48-7 in the 2nd innings resulting in a memorable victory for the visitors.

#3 Imran Khan

There was a healthy competition between Imran Khan, Ian Botham, Kapil Dev and Richard Hadlee for the tag of the best all-rounder of the 1980s. Given the competitive spirit of the former Pakistan captain, I’m sure that he would have been determined to match Botham’s achievement of a 100 and 10 wickets in the same game.

He didn’t take long as in 1983, just 3 years after the English all-rounder’s unique feat, Imran Khan scored a 100 and took 11 wickets against India in Faisalabad himself.

The cricketer, who has since turned, politician toiled hard in the 1st innings on a pretty flat surface to take 6/98 in the 1st innings. When it was Pakistan’s turn to reply to India’s total of 372 in the 1st innings, Imran cashed in by making a quick-fire 117 off 121 balls which took Pakistan’s total to a colossal 652.

The Indians were trailing Pakistan by 280 runs going into the 2nd innings and needed a big effort from their batsmen. Sunil Gavaskar, the Indian captain, not one to give in easily, put in a resolute performance scoring 127*, but he didn’t get support from the other end, as Imran ran through the rest of the batting line-up with a match-winning spell of 5/82 from 30 odd overs.