Taking all the wickets in an innings is an exemplary feat for any bowler. It is also a rare occasion and hardly happens in the game. However, recently, there was one such occurrence. South African spinner Sean Whitehead takes 10 wickets in an innings in an FC game and thus joined an elite list.
Sean Whitehead takes 10 wickets in an innings
Sean Whitehead is a left-arm spinner who represents the South Western Districts in South Africa’s domestic red-ball tournament. He is also a decent batter and represented his nation in the 2016 U19 World Cup.
In the first innings, he took a five-wicket haul against Eastern Storm, while in the second, he doubled the feat by collecting all the scalps. With this, he ended the game with figures of 15-100. While he gave away 64 runs in the first innings, he collected all ten wickets in the second innings at the cost of 36 runs. The 24-year-old did it in just 12.4 overs as the opposition was all-out for just 65. Three batsmen were bowled, two were caught LBW while five of them were caught out. It was a stunning performance that gave his side a 120-run victory.
Only 2 bowlers have achieved the feat in International cricket
Only two bowlers in international cricket have taken 10 wickets in an innings so far. While Jim Laker was the first cricketer to do that, Anil Kumble was the second. Anil did it in 1999 against Pakistan in Delhi. While the occurrence is rare in International fixtures, more than 70 players have done it in FC cricket. Sean Whitehead is the latest entrant to this list.
South Africa could also explore using Sean Whitehead in future tournaments. Keshav Maharaj is already there but since Sean can also bat, it could add balance to the playing XI for the Proteas. Also, when touring the subcontinent, he can be a good backup option.
