8604 days. Or 23 years, six months and 19 days.
That’s how long it was since Australian spinners last took all ten of the opposition’s wickets in a single innings, when Warne and Tim May ran rampant at Edgbaston. It took them just under 100 overs to dismantle England, notching up a very respectable 10/171 between them.
O’Keefe and Lyon made the work of the greatest Australian spinner (and another very handy one, just quietly) look like child’s play. It took them a touch under 30 overs and a scarcely believable 88 runs to claim all ten of India’s scalps.
It’s something I didn’t think I’d ever see, on multiple levels. While I was alive for the 1993 effort, I wasn’t old enough at the time to have memories of it that last until today.
Watching it now provides a great spectacle of bowling, but doesn’t quite lend itself the context that one gets from being a cricket fan in the months preceding. It was a Test that sealed an away Ashes win and gave Warne his first 5-fer outside of Australia.
Having said that, I can’t imagine it’d compare to the shock of what we saw in Pune yesterday. I love watching spin bowling – the guile, subtlety (and occasional lack thereof) and overall craft is a joy when the pitch is accepting it. With the proliferation of quality Australian seamers the days of spinners being able to take all of the wickets seemed like a distant memory.
It’s certainly not something I’d expect to happen without a truly great spinner à la Warne, or without a third spinner chipping in. This was only the ninth time in Australian cricket history that the spinners had taken all the wickets for Australia and it came at the hands of two journeymen – one in the Test arena, one in the first class – often maligned for their perceived lack of ability.
Outside of the victory it’s worth taking a moment to appreciate this as a fantastic day for spin bowling in Australia. The pitch was a minefield but the Australian cricket team could play on multiple decades worth of dustbowl pitches and not have the spinners prosper as much at they did in Pune.
It was by far the quickest (and lowest average) instance of a very rare occasion for Australian cricket – one that saw a 13 year first class career of great figures come to a crescendo and another notch in the record books for our incumbent offie.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
agreed
Brian
Guest
No before the series began I was thinking I can't remember a series where Australia were such outsiders.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
I'm struggling to think of more unexpected wins by an Aussie team given no hope since I've been watching ( 74/75). The wins against the brutal WIs in Sydney 84/85 and 88/89 come to mind. Can't think of an away win to match it though. Fair enough re Edgbaston but the Aussies were favourites. Maybe the SL match in 1992?
Dylan Toune
Roar Guru
That's a great story! I'd never heard that before. Makes sense as to why Warne/May bowled such a large amount of overs (outside of them taking wickets, of course).
qwetzen
Guest
"While I was alive for the 1993 effort...." I was there for all of that Test and there's a cute little backstory. The Edgbaston groundsman had had a brittle relationship with the committee and was looking elsewhere for employment. He got a job in Sth Africa and as a parting shot at the Warks committee produced a grassless turner for the Test. The groundsman left the ground before the Test had finished.