South African spinner Sean Whitehead claims 10 wickets in an innings of First-Class match

Left-arm spinner Sean Whitehead put up a bowling exhibition recently and took all 10 wickets in an innings of a First-Class match. Whitehead bowled the magical spell during the South Western Districts vs Eastern Storm match in South Africa’s ongoing First-Class tournament, 4-Day Franchise Series 2021-22.  It was the last innings of the game and the Eastern side was chasing 186.

While the target seemed pretty mediocre, Whitehead never allowed the Storm to even put up a fight. He brilliantly utilised the conditions at the Recreation Ground in Oudtshoorn and tormented all batters of the opposition team. It has to be noted that Whitehead also took a five-wicket haul in Eastern Storm’s first innings and contributed with scores of 66 and 49 in a low-scoring game.

Sean Whitehead took a total of 15 wickets in the game

While the all-rounder, who represented South Africa at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, had already done a lot in the first three innings of the game, he saved the best for the end part of the game. None of the Eastern Storm batters could show application against the spinner as wickets fell like a pack of cards. The 24-year-old eventually claimed a stunning 10-36 off 12.1 overs as Eastern Storm were bowled out for 65.

He shattered stumps of two batters, removed three via lbw, got four caught and also claimed a caught and bowled. His overall match figures read 15-100 after taking 5-64 in Eastern Storm’s first innings. Riding on his prowess, South Western Districts registered a thumping 120-run win.

Speaking of how the entire game panned out, South Western Districts slammed 242 after electing to bat first on the tricky wicket. In reply, the Easter Storm side put up a slightly better batting effort and mustered 250, earning an eight-run lead in the first innings.

The Southern team yet again failed to put up a substantial score and got bundled out for a paltry 193 in their second innings. While Eastern’s victory seemed inevitable with the target being just 186, Whitehead’s brilliant spell changed the course of the game. With South Africa’s national team not having many potent spin options, Whitehead might earn a call-up if he continues his stellar show.