Gudakesh Motie scripts history after record breaking haul in second Test

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The West Indies hammered Zimbabwe in the second Test match in Bulawayo to take the series, thanks to a record-breaking performance from left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie. The 27-year-old scalped a staggering 13 wickets in the match, to propel his side to a comfortable victory against the hosts. His bowling figures are the best by a Windies spinner in the longest format of the game.

Gudakesh Motie, playing just his third red-ball game for his national side, ran through the Zimbabwe middle-order with a spectacular bowling spell of 7/37 in the first innings, bundling out the hosts for a paltry 115. Motie’s career-best bowling figures in an innings was followed by another rollicking spell of spin bowling in the second innings after the Windies posted 292 runs in their reply.

The Guyanese wasted no time in the second innings, tormenting the home side from the get-go and returning with 6/62 to take his side to victory in the series decider. His 13/99 in the match is the most by a Windies spinner, breaking Sonny Ramadhin’s record of 11 wickets in a match, which stood for more than seven decades.

In just his third Test, Gudakesh Motie has broken a record that has stood for 73 years.

No West Indies spinner has ever claimed better match figures than Motie’s 13-99.#ZIMvWI pic.twitter.com/5DN4XJK8ON

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) February 14, 2023

The prodigious spinner took six wickets in the first Test match, which fizzled out in a draw, taking his tally to 19 wickets in the two-match series. He was named the player of the series, ahead of opening batter Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who had scored a double century in the Test series opener.

“I am feeling really good, practised a lot for this series and it paid off. Very happy, these tracks are similar to the pitches in my country, so I was just concentrating on doing the basics,” Motie said in the post-match presentation ceremony after propelling his side to a series victory.

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