Sean Whitehead picks all 10 wickets in an innings of first class game in South Africa

Slow left-arm spin bowler from South Africa Sean Whitehead took a mind-boggling 10 wickets in an innings of a first-class game to help South Western Districts bundle Eastern Strom for just 65. The 24-year-old finished the match with scarcely believable figures of 15-100. Not only with the ball but Whitehead also managed to have an impact with the bat and contributed 66 and 49 runs in the two innings.

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His vital knocks allowed South Western Districts' side to recover from a wobbly start and set a target of 186 for Eastern Storm to chase down. The visitors though could not even make a match out of it as Whitehead took wickets in a cluster from one end as Eastern Storm was bowled out for 65.

The 24-year-old shot to limelight during the 2016 Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh. He picked up six wickets in six games at an average of 26.00. Slowly and steadily, his progress at the U-19 level started to reflect in the first-class matches. He has now taken 39 wickets in 13 first-class matches at an average of 25.64. Whitehead’s handy lower-order batting has seen him score 481 runs at a more than decent average of 37.00.

Whitehead’s 10 wickets against Eastern Storm though has catapulted him to another league. His jaw-dropping performance is the second-best in the history of South African domestic cricket after Bert Vogler’s 10 for 26 for Eastern Province in 1906. In the recent past, Mario Olivier managed to take 10 wickets against the Eagles in December 2007. Whitehead’s remarkable spell will be talked about for a long time in South African cricket. In a country where pace bowlers have majorly dominated, Whitehead's achievement will be cherished forever.