5 legends with the most textbook bowling actions in cricket history

#2 Off break (right-arm) - Jim Laker

Jim Laker's legacy extends far beyond his astonishing 19-wicket match haul

If ever there was a palpable case of a sportsman becoming the victim of his own moment of unprecedented success, then Jim Laker's name immediately springs to mind. Even though he has played 46 Tests and picked up 193 wickets at an outstanding average of 21.21 (not to mention his astounding County record), the iconic off-spinner will forever be remembered for his freakish performance in the 1956 Ashes Test at Manchester. On a surface specifically designed to attenuate his strengths and exacerbate the Australian lineup's weakness, he accounted for 19 out of a possible of 20 wickets across the two innings to lead England to victory by landslide margin.

But there was much more to his legacy than just that Test match. At the height of his powers, Laker was the world's leading spinner in an era where numerous other slow bowlers made merry on uncovered pitches. A major chunk of his opulence stemmed from a conventional bowling action. Showing no frills, he ambled from a substantially lesser number of paces and imparted significant drift on the ball. While his bowling action was slightly more front-on when compared to other spinners, the Yorkshire-born cricketer's immaculate release stymied the batsman's pre-meditated trigger movement. In recent times, only Graeme Swann has come close to matching the classical nature of Laker's style of bowling.

Relive Laker's jaw-dropping 19-wicket haul