Jim Laker leaves the field after taking 19 for 90 at Old Trafford in 1956.
Personal information
Full name
James Charles Laker
Born
(1922-02-09)9 February 1922 Shipley, Yorkshire
Died
23 April 1986(1986-04-23) (aged 64) Wimbledon, London
Batting
Right-handed
Bowling
Right arm off break
International information
National side
England
Test debut (cap 328)
21 January 1948 v West Indies
Last Test
18 February 1959 v Australia
Domestic team information
Years
Team
1946–1959
Surrey
1951/52
Auckland
1962–1964
Essex
Career statistics
Competition
Test
First-class
Matches
46
450
Runs scored
676
7,304
Batting average
14.08
16.60
100s/50s
0/2
2/18
Top score
63
113
Balls bowled
12,027
101,370
Wickets
193
1,944
Bowling average
21.24
18.41
5 wickets in innings
9
127
10 wickets in match
3
32
Best bowling
10/53
10/53
Catches/stumpings
12/–
270/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 28 April 2018
James Charles Laker (9 February 1922 – 23 April 1986) was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club from 1946 to 1959 and represented England in 46 Test matches. He was born in Shipley, West Riding of Yorkshire, and died in Wimbledon, London.
A right-arm off break bowler, Laker is generally regarded as one of the greatest spin bowlers in cricket history. In 1956, he achieved a still-unequalled world record when he took nineteen (of a maximum twenty) wickets in a Test match at Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester, enabling England to defeat Australia in what has become known as "Laker's Match". At club level, he formed a formidable spin partnership with Tony Lock, who was a left-arm orthodox spinner, and they played a key part in the success of the Surrey team through the 1950s including seven consecutive County Championship titles from 1952 to 1958. Laker batted right-handed as a useful tail-ender who scored two first-class centuries. He was considered a good fielder, especially in the gully position.
For his achievements in 1951, Laker was selected by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (Wisden) as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in its 1952 edition. He was selected as the New Zealand Cricket Almanack Player of the Year in 1952 after playing for Auckland in the 1951–52 season. In 1956, his Surrey benefit season realised £11,086 (£294,369 in 2021 terms) and, at the end of that year, he was voted "BBC Sports Personality of the Year", the first cricketer to win the award. He later worked for BBC Sport as a cricket commentator in its outside broadcast transmissions.
pp. 210–212. Hill, Alan (1998). JimLaker: A Biography. London: Andre Deutsch Ltd. ISBN 978-02-33050-43-0. Laker, Jim (1960). Over To Me. London: Frederick...
first 10-wicket haul in a single innings was achieved by England bowler JimLaker who achieved bowling figures of 19 wickets for 90 runs—a bowling record...
the third bowler in Test cricket to take all ten wickets in an innings. JimLaker and Anil Kumble were the others to do so. However, New Zealand still met...
records in test and first class cricket. He was the second bowler since JimLaker to take the wickets of all ten opposition batsman in a single test match...
Smith was rated highly in West Indies. He idolised JimLaker, for which reason he was nicknamed "Jim" for a time. In his third first-class match, he hit...
in a Surrey county team that was dominated by famous spinners such as JimLaker and Tony Lock, and concentrated on his batting. The pair were called up...
third season following his death. Hirsch continues to reprise the role of Jim in 3 Below, Wizards and Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans. In 2019, Hirsch...
Smurf in the live-action Smurfs films (2011–2013) and lead role James "Jim" Lake Jr. on the Netflix animated series Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia (2016–2018)...
the leg spinner's googly turns the opposite way from his stock ball. JimLaker and Graeme Swann of England Nathan Lyon of Australia. Tim May of Australia...
England. Tattersall had an unusual style, quite different from the orthodox JimLaker, who kept him out of a Test place for most of his career. Tattersall held...
Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2008. "JimLaker". Cricinfo. ESPN. Archived from the original on 3 August 2010. Retrieved...
faced a formidable lineup of bowlers in Fred Trueman, Alec Bedser and JimLaker. Manjrekar was part of the squad during India's tour of the Caribbean...
question. JimLaker, writing in 1960, said he had never met a more placid or pleasant character than Statham, whom he called an inspiration. Laker was struck...
Jim Chapman Lake (also known as Cooper Lake) is a 19,305-acre (78.12 km2) impoundment operated by the Army Corps of Engineers and is located 75 miles...
left Saltaire, they signed the young JimLaker, then a sixteen year old schoolboy who lived in nearby Baildon. Laker played for Saltaire through the 1938...
Test cricket's finest spin bowlers. Sir Garry Sobers, EAS Prasanna and JimLaker pronounced him the best leg spinner they had seen. Gupte flighted and...
notable as the birthplace of famous cricketer (and later commentator) JimLaker. Frizinghall is served by a railway station on the Airedale line which...
Test cricket, the best bowling analysis for a single innings is 10/53 by JimLaker. The best bowling analysis in an ODI is 8/19 by Chaminda Vaas. The best...
Global Information