4. Jim Lakers 19 Wicket Match
At Old Trafford in 1956 in the 4th Ashes test, Jim Laker became the first man to take all 10 wickets in a test match, a feat made even more remarkable by the fact that he had already taken 9 in the first innings to take a remarkable 19 wickets in the match. On returning home that night Lakers wife asked him "Jim, did you do something good today? after receiving hundreds of congratulatory phone calls. Amazingly Laker had taken a 10 wicket innings against the Australians earlier that summer whilst playing for Surrey in a tour match against the touring nation, but Laker will always be remembered for his amazing 19-wicket haul.
Why It Was Amazing Laker remains one of only two bowlers (alongside Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble) to achieve the maximum haul of wickets in a test match innings, so to take 9 in the other innings just defies description, and remains one of the most amazing feats of all time.
Could It Happen Again? No, bearing in mind that a ten-wicket match haul is an amazing achievement, its going to be a long time before anyone takes 19/20 wickets in a match, and the fact that no other bowler has taken more than seventeen wickets in a first-class match, well be waiting a long time before anyone achieves a feat of the same calibre as Lakers in the test arena.