Jim Laker
Encyclopedia
James "Jim" Charles Laker (9 February 1922 – 23 April 1986) was a cricket
er who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia. He played 46 Test matches between 1948 and 1959, taking 193 wickets with a bowling average
of 21.24; in all first-class matches he took 1,944 wickets at 18.41.
Born in Frizinghall
, Bradford
, Yorkshire
, he was known as an elegant off-spin
bowler. He consistently performed well against Australian cricket team
s, and formed a successful partnership with Tony Lock
, a left-arm orthodox spin
ner. He was also part of the Surrey
side that dominated the county championship
with seven consecutive titles from 1952 to 1958. He was selected as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1952.
. Before the outbreak of World War II
, he was called down to the Yorkshire
nets, where he impressed enough to earn approval as a batsman. War brought a temporary end to his cricketing plans, but reports began to emerge in about 1943 of an off-spinner in North Africa
of whom greybeards said, "You can hear the ball buzz as he lets it go."
After the war, Laker settled on the outskirts of London, and was recommended to Surrey. After Yorkshire granted permission, he was registered at the Oval
, meaning he never played for his native county.
On England's disastrous tour of Australia in 1958-9, Laker was one of the few England players to enhance his reputation, bowling well on unhelpful pitches.
Apart from his figures in 'Laker's match', the other bowling analysis for which he will be remembered is his 8 wickets for 2 runs in an innings in a Test Trial at Bradford in 1950, playing for England against 'The Rest'.
s in a Test match
innings
, ten for 53 in the Australians' second innings of the fourth Ashes
Test at Old Trafford
in 1956 (the only other bowler to take all 10 wickets is Anil Kumble
of India
in 1999). Having also taken nine for 37 in the first innings, Laker's match bowling figures were nineteen for 90: no other bowler has taken more than seventeen wickets in a first-class
match. Laker was married to an Austrian national who did not know much about cricket. On the day of his achievement when he arrived home, his wife asked him, "Jim, did you do something good today?" after she had taken hundreds of congratulatory telephone calls. Remarkably, Laker had also taken all ten wickets in an innings for Surrey against the same Australians earlier in the season, the first time a bowler had taken all ten against the Australians since Ted Barratt
did so in 1878.
After his departure from the Surrey team, Laker played some matches for Essex
from 1962 to 1965, but was not the force of old.
In later years Laker was a highly regarded cricket commentator for BBC
television
. His habit of dropping the final "g" when pronouncing words ending in "ing" attracted much affectionate mimicry. "Wry, dry, laconic, he thought about cricket with a deep intensity and a splendidly ironic point of view," wrote John Arlott
. Laker died in Putney
, London, and was cremated at Putney Vale Crematorium
. His ashes were scattered at The Oval Cricket Ground.
A residential street in the Fernhill area of Shipley is named Jim Laker Place, after him.
On 23 August 2009, Jim Laker, along with Jack Hobbs
and Len Hutton
, were inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia. He played 46 Test matches between 1948 and 1959, taking 193 wickets with a bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 21.24; in all first-class matches he took 1,944 wickets at 18.41.
Born in Frizinghall
Frizinghall
Frizinghall is a district in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire lying about two miles north of the city centre close to the town of Shipley, itself a part of the City of Bradford along with such other nearby towns as Keighley and Ilkley....
, Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, he was known as an elegant off-spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
bowler. He consistently performed well against Australian cricket team
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
s, and formed a successful partnership with Tony Lock
Tony Lock
Graham Anthony Richard Lock was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner. He played in forty nine Tests for England taking 174 wickets at 25.58 each.-Life and career:...
, a left-arm orthodox spin
Left-arm orthodox spin
Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch...
ner. He was also part of the Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
side that dominated the county championship
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
with seven consecutive titles from 1952 to 1958. He was selected as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1952.
Family and early career
Laker was brought up by his aunts in SaltaireSaltaire
Saltaire is a Victorian model village within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District, West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
. Before the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he was called down to the Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
nets, where he impressed enough to earn approval as a batsman. War brought a temporary end to his cricketing plans, but reports began to emerge in about 1943 of an off-spinner in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
of whom greybeards said, "You can hear the ball buzz as he lets it go."
After the war, Laker settled on the outskirts of London, and was recommended to Surrey. After Yorkshire granted permission, he was registered at the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, meaning he never played for his native county.
International career
Laker bowled with distinction in 1947, and caused the West Indies trouble in 1947/48, but was severely clobbered by Don Bradman's 1948 Australians.On England's disastrous tour of Australia in 1958-9, Laker was one of the few England players to enhance his reputation, bowling well on unhelpful pitches.
Apart from his figures in 'Laker's match', the other bowling analysis for which he will be remembered is his 8 wickets for 2 runs in an innings in a Test Trial at Bradford in 1950, playing for England against 'The Rest'.
Laker's match
Laker was the first individual to take all 10 wicketWicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
s in a Test match
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
innings
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
, ten for 53 in the Australians' second innings of the fourth Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
Test at Old Trafford
Old Trafford (cricket)
Old Trafford is a cricket ground situated on Talbot Road in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. It has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since its foundation in 1864, having been the ground of Manchester Cricket Club from 1857...
in 1956 (the only other bowler to take all 10 wickets is Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble is a former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian Test cricket team. He is a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-hand batsman. He is currently the leading wicket-taker for India in both Test and One Day International matches...
of India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
in 1999). Having also taken nine for 37 in the first innings, Laker's match bowling figures were nineteen for 90: no other bowler has taken more than seventeen wickets in a first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
match. Laker was married to an Austrian national who did not know much about cricket. On the day of his achievement when he arrived home, his wife asked him, "Jim, did you do something good today?" after she had taken hundreds of congratulatory telephone calls. Remarkably, Laker had also taken all ten wickets in an innings for Surrey against the same Australians earlier in the season, the first time a bowler had taken all ten against the Australians since Ted Barratt
Ted Barratt
Edward D'Oyley 'Ted' Barratt was an English cricketer who played mainly for Surrey in a first-class career that lasted from 1872 to 1886. A left-arm slow roundarm bowler with a remarkable capacity for drift, his most famous achievement was to take all ten wickets in an innings for the Players...
did so in 1878.
Post retirement
The publication in 1960 of his ghost-written autobiography, containing severe criticism of his Surrey and England captain Peter May, resulted in his losing honorary memberships of MCC and Surrey. Although these were both eventually restored, he never played for either Surrey or England again.After his departure from the Surrey team, Laker played some matches for Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
from 1962 to 1965, but was not the force of old.
In later years Laker was a highly regarded cricket commentator for BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. His habit of dropping the final "g" when pronouncing words ending in "ing" attracted much affectionate mimicry. "Wry, dry, laconic, he thought about cricket with a deep intensity and a splendidly ironic point of view," wrote John Arlott
John Arlott
Leslie Thomas John Arlott OBE was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's Test Match Special. He was also a poet, wine connoisseur and former police officer in Hampshire...
. Laker died in Putney
Putney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, London, and was cremated at Putney Vale Crematorium
Putney Vale Cemetery
Putney Vale Cemetery and Crematorium in London is surrounded by Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park, and is located within forty-seven acres of parkland. The cemetery was opened in 1891 and the crematorium in 1938...
. His ashes were scattered at The Oval Cricket Ground.
A residential street in the Fernhill area of Shipley is named Jim Laker Place, after him.
On 23 August 2009, Jim Laker, along with Jack Hobbs
Jack Hobbs
Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches from 1908 to 1930....
and Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
, were inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
External links
- Cricinfo Player Profile - Jim Laker
- Best Test match bowling figures, from Cricinfo
- Best Test innings bowling figures, from Cricinfo
- Most wickets in a first-class match, from CricketArchive