Durham seamer Chris Rushworth set a new club record by taking 15 wickets for 95 runs in his team's rout of relegated Northamptonshire in the English County Championship on Wednesday. Rushworth, 28, claimed nine wickets for 52 runs in the first innings and six for 43 in the second at Chester-le-Street to beat the previous record held by Alan Walker, who took 14 for 177 against Essex in 1995.
"It's been an incredible day's cricket. Everything has happened so fast," said Rushworth, who had previously failed to record even a five-wicket haul this season. "There wasn't that much swing, but the pitch was offering some help so I just tried to hit the seam and get the ball in the right area. I was also helped by some good catches.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about a ten-for in the first innings, but I'll take nine." Had Rushworth taken one more wicket in Northamptonshire's first innings, he would have become only the third bowler to take a 10-wicket haul in the history of the County Championship.
Middlesex bowler Richard Johnson became the first player to achieve the feat against Derbyshire in 1994, while Rushworth's former Durham team-mate Ottis Gibson followed suit against Hampshire in 2007. Rushworth's staggering haul restricted Northamptonshire to 83 and 90 all out, enabling Durham to complete an innings and 219-run victory on the third day of the Division One fixture.
Northants batsman Rob Newton was Rushworth's most hapless victim, being dismissed for a second-ball duck twice in the space of only one hour and 18 minutes. There have been 79 instances of a bowler claiming the wickets of all 10 batsmen in first-class cricket. Social media was quickly abuzz with reaction to Rushworth's feat, with England bowler Chris Tremlett writing on Twitter: "Ridiculous scenes from Chris Rushworth at Durham. 20 overs... 15 wickets! Well bowled Sir." Former England spinner Phil Tufnell tweeted: "Well bowled Chris Rushworth, 9-52 v Northants! Must be livid with Ben Stokes taking the other (first-innings) wicket and ruining the party."
Comments
Comments are closed.