Name	Figures	For	Against	Season	Rating
1	RGD Willis	8-43	Eng	Aust	1981	226.1

Despite Ian Botham's flourish with the bat (No. 2 in the Headingley Top Ten), Australia needed only 130 to win and take a 2-0 lead in the series. Cue the Bob Willis Comeback Show. With his place in the team under threat, Bob Willis produced what Dennis Lillee called the greatest ever spell of fast bowling under pressure. Making the ball kick and buck at high speed, he won the match by 18 runs to change the direction of this incredible series.

2

D Gough

6-42

Eng

SA

1998

199.5

Another matchwinning bowling performance that supported a major innings. Even after Mark Butcher's hundred (No. 10 at Headingley), South Africa needed only 219 to win. Darren Gough and Angus Fraser reduced them to 27 for 5. Gough's pace and hostility brought him his 100th Test wicket and England's narrow victory gave them the series 2-1.

3

MD Marshall

7-53

WI

Eng

1984

188.3

Malcolm Marshall had England's batsmen on toast in this series. Even with his broken left hand in plaster, he bowled them out for 159 to give West Indies a winning 3-0 lead. The greatest fast bowler of his generation took 24 cheap wickets in the series, in which England were "blackwashed" 5-0.

4

CC Griffith

6-36

WI

Eng

1963

182.0

Big Charlie thoroughly dismayed England with his pace and controversial bowling action. A steady stream of bouncers and yorkers caused problems even for batsmen of the calibre of Ted Dexter, Ken Barrington and Brian Close. All out for 173, England lost by 221 and fell behind in a series they lost 3-1.

5

PJ Loader

6-36

Eng

WI

1957

181.9

Strange that another fast bowler with a debatable action should have achieved exactly the same figures in an England v West Indies Test - and find himself just one place behind Griffith. Peter Loader became the only England bowler to take a Test hat-trick in a home Test between 1899 and 1995. West Indies were all out for 142 (and 132 in the second innings) as England took a winning 2-0 lead.

6

LR Gibbs

6-39

WI

Eng

1966

181.2

Following on 260 behind, England were in trouble as soon as Lance Gibbs came on to bowl his brisk offspin. Wisden referred to his "skilful variation of flight rather than prodigious spin", which bowled West Indies to a winning 3-0 lead in the series.

7

Imran Khan

7-40

Pak

Eng

1987

180.3

The Pakistan captain had taken three wickets to help dismiss England for only 136 in the first innings. They did better in the second - but so did he. According to Wisden, he bowling "immaculately" to take his 300th Test wicket and lift the Man of the Match award. Pakistan's innings win was eventually enough to win the series 1-0.

8

BL Cairns

7-74

NZ

Eng

1983

179.7

If Chris Cairns is a class allrounder, his old man wasn't bad either. A genuinely big hitter in the lower order, Lance was in the team mainly for his bowling. Here he took full advantage of conditions that helped the seamers, dismissing high-class batsmen like David Gower, Allan Lamb, Ian Botham and Derek Randall. His three wickets in the second innings helped New Zealand to win a Test in England for the first time.

9

NA Foster

8-107

Eng

Pak

1987

177.9

Tall and whippy, Neil Foster had his share of injuries - but also his moments in Test cricket. He bowled 46 overs to achieve his best first-class figures, and it was hardly his fault that his lionhearted performance was upstaged by Imran (No. 7 on this list).

10

CG Macartney

7-58

Aust

Eng

1909

177.1

Australians don't figure prominently on the list. In fact, their only appearance is by a player better known for his batting. Charlie Macartney scored seven Test centuries, including one before lunch - but his slow left-arm bowling brought him 45 inexpensive wickets. Five of his victims at Headingley were bowled, including such great batsmen as Jack Hobbs and Archie MacLaren. Australia's win put them 2-1 ahead on the way to retaining the Ashes.

The Headingley Top Ten - batting
Wisden 100 - the full list

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