Age is just a number—Bradley O’Dell has proven this in style. At 65, when most people are enjoying retirement, he is still weaving magic with the ball on the cricket field. The Australian veteran has achieved the rare feat of taking all 10 wickets in a single innings.
On Saturday, March 1, during a fourth-tier competition in New South Wales, Australia, O’Dell played for Newcastle in a match for the Newcastle-Wallsend District Cricket Club. He bowled 13.4 overs, conceding just 20 runs, and took all 10 wickets.
Not only did he claim every wicket in the innings, but he also took a stunning hat-trick in the process. Among his 10 dismissals, five were caught, three were bowled, and two were LBW. Thanks to his incredible spell, Newcastle was bowled out for just 92 runs.
Speaking to ABC News about his unbelievable achievement, O’Dell said,
“I’ve never done anything like this before. I am absolutely thrilled. Everyone was hugging me and celebrating—it was an incredible moment.”
Cricket lovers in Newcastle were ecstatic about O’Dell’s feat. Local resident and match scorer Justin Moran said,
“We’ve never seen anything like this on this ground before. Everyone knew it was a historic moment. Even the opposition was stunned by O’Dell’s performance.”
In professional cricket, only three players have ever taken all 10 wickets in a Test innings. The first was England’s Jim Laker in 1956, when he dismissed all Australian batsmen. In 1999, India’s Anil Kumble repeated the feat against Pakistan, and in 2021, New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel took all 10 wickets against India.
