England's Devon Malcolm takes 9 wickets for 57 runs against South Africa at the Oval in 1994

[LagerLagerShouting]

I was at the ground that day and the wickets don't do justice to the venom and ferocity of Devon's bowling. Also DeFreitas was keeping it so tight at the other end that the South African batsmen had no where to go. It's a shame Devon needed to be fired up to be dangerous.

[ianwilson2007]

do you reckon Cronje had put a bet on Malcolm getting 9 wickets? Most of the caught behind/slips look like the South Africans are giving catching practice.

[MrCains820]

@ianwilson2007 Nah! They were just shitting their pants. Malcolm was express pace that day.

[rocketnick10]

I met Devon yesterday and he hasn't changed a bit...a great bowler!!

[bolivianex]

On his day he was a top bowler and his batting was amusing what a character, shame the man management skills were sadly lacking in those days, we had some talented players whose talents were never fully realised.

[TemazepamParty]

I was in the crowd that day and he bowled terrifyingly fast...It was one of those days where absolutely everything went in the right place, and it was obvious from the very first ball of the innings - which knocked a piece of visor off Gary Kirsten's helmet before he could move - that he was fired up and ready to unleash some fury...

A perhaps forgotten post script of that day was that England were 107-1 at the close off about 12 overs, as Gooch, Atherton, and Hick went ballistic...

Great day!

[1965taggy]

still remember it like it was yesterday. Devon top man!!

[JoeM001]

I remember this as if it were yesterday...the best bowling performance I have been priviliged to see, this was Devon's day, and always will be...one of crickets greatest days

[chiefmungomartin]

Thanks for uploading this. I met Devon in KFC on Tottenham Court Road once, he's a total gent.

[TheSageofWestRiding]

Shame he never replicated this performance. Apparently on the following winter tour, the coach Mr Illingworth completely mis-managed him and he lost his confidence to play at the top level. Thank god our coaching and management set-up these days has been transformed beyond recognition and is probably the best in world cricket.

[no1knowledge]

@TheSageofWestRiding

The current coaching staff is very scientific ,with remarkable bowling machines and high tech aids to study every part of the Game. Illy was a great captain but not such a good manager. Devon was always all heart but had a very inconsistant action that made it hard for him to be consistant. Englands bowlers are now vastly improved since those days, with many fine pace bowlers available to play for England, we could do with some more spin bowlers though to back Swanny up.

[MrEddyfreak]

you guys are history

[balkans01]

"I think Devon means business"....

[dd201011]

this video would be even better if there was some shots of the bouncers he received at the end of the england innings that fired him up . . . still one of the greatest spells of bowling

[HitMeQuick]

Textbook from Cronje there. If the textbook is called "How to win big in betting"

[beebethanyy]

Well my best mate is friends with his daughter so...get mee!!

[Cloress1]

What an absolute Gem. After the South Africans derided him when he batted and gave him a short ball or two. He turned around and told them he'd be after them all... THAT is how a bowler plays cricket. As a batsman that scares me hehe, its how the West Indies killed everyone in the 80s. Pure, unadulterated quick bowling on a beautiful line. Wonderful.

[JFK2684]

England should try to bring some players like Devon Malcolm, instead of some south asian players.... i hardly see black players in england team...... england was so stupid, they had picked Monte Panesar ahead of Graem Swann, look at swann now, he's winning games single handedly for england....

[jcrawley1]

After he yorks Hansie, he points to the pavilion. Does annyone know if he got into trouble for that? I know Simon Jones got docked half his match fee for doing so much less blatantly than that to Hayden at Edgbaston in 2005.

[wilki31]

"You guys are history"! A great line, and he was right, they were!

[kidlewis]

1 for 3? jesus didn't realise it was that.

[longbendy81]

Robin Smith finally breaking ranks in this months Wisden Cricket Monthly "Illingworth and Fletcher(K) were terrible managers, terrible man managers and terrible coaches"

Considering the talent they had in Smith, Malcolm, Tufnell, Ramprakash, Lewis, Hick.

Rather than mould a team around the players skills, they tried to mould the players skills around their idea of a team.

The 90's for English cricket fans was a complete wasteland. Illingworth and Keith Fletcher were largely responsible.

[nik1969100]

Devon had a quiet word with De Viliers as he walked off and said to him "You're history"

[ihamoitc2005]

Faster than Akhtar or Lee. They never rushed top batsmen for time the way Devon Malcolm did on this day. It was clear that these guys didn't even see half the deliveries.

[longbendy81]

Ah look at those face - Crawley, Malcolm, Rhodes, Hick

They are part of Raymond Illingworth's legacy.

Destroying the confidence and team spirit of a whole generation of English cricketers.

Ramprakash also played in this series, as did Tufnell and Lewis.

What a waste.

[Camelsarse]

@longbendy81 Illingworths treatment of Robin Smith was appauling. If he'd have played today in a team where the coach isn't a tyrant he'd have been rememered as a true great.

English cricket in the 90's for the most part was shocking. But i remember this day and my dad turning to me and saying......"He'll never bowl like that again!"

[harsh290785]

Devon now stays in a posh village near Northampton

[stonersid]

having played cricket as a fast medium bowler, i can honestly say that ive never bowled a bouncer to a number 11, firstly no need secondly you might annoy him...good bowling south africa :O)

[tinytuco]

Well done big Devon, if i remember rightly didnt he get hit on the head by Allan Donald before he went out to bowl.. bad move... And you see that pussy Donlad shit himslef with that last delivery? fuckin wimp

[firmtackle]

It was Fanie De Villiers who hit him on the bonce

[Brendanvio]

'You guys are history'

And then this.......

[amitavinashsingh]

He was the victim of the Shane Warne hat-trick during the Boxing Day Test at the MCG in 1994.

[boroinczech]

I can well believe that - he was an horrendous batsman!

[BAYLORIC]

this was one of england most dangerous fast bowlers yes he was wreckless at times but when you wind him up this is what he can do.. a favourite moment!

[dublin95d]

hey im in the crowd that day, top right hand of second crowd shot when cronje gets bowled. white top, serious pose.  man he bowled quick that day.

[footyfan05]

one good spell in his career, they way you prats carry on,you would think hes in the same leauge as ambrose,akram,mcgrath.

[EnigmaticMayur]

one of the greatest spells of fast bowling ever !

[Durbs75]

Agreed, what a performance what a day. This was arguably the best single day of test cricket by England in the whole of the 1990s.

What irks me though it that we license fee payers funded the production of this broadcast at the time and are presumably funding the preservation of the resultant archive material. And yet, we are not permitted access to it. It would be great to see more than a two minute highlight clip (though thanks for posting) and in full broadcast qualitiy. Sort it out BBC!

[RememberToday4ever]

I totally agree with you. The BBC should give the license fee payers free access to this great sporting achievement.

This happened 15 years ago, WOW. I remember watching this and celebrating in the garden. It was a very hot summer that year.

[Cloress1]

@Durbs75 well its a close call for the best day. Gooch's 333 with Smith and Lamb also getting tonnes (3 favourite players) was pretty astonishing. But yes, especially as far as bowling is concerned, probably the best fast bowling innings of all time. The only figures close are all spinners, Laker and Kumble.

[Sanath340]

through the bowling action devon's arms look huge.

[treevor921]

Great to see Cronje fail.

Evil biggotted cheat

[magicwandfour]

i was at the oval that day and after malcolm bowled cronje(it still remains the fastest ball i have ever seen bowled)myself and 4 of my mates all stuck in a pound and i went to the ladbrooks betting shop on the ground and tried to place a fiver bet on devon taking all ten wickets.the bookie declined to take the bet.

i think devon took the first 7 wkts and were we cursing that bookie.then darren gough(i think) took 1 so we saved ourselves a £1.great fun.boy was he quick that day-a matchwinner.

[raff23]

cronje played the shot after the ball hit the stumps lol, either poor judgement or far too quick for him.

[JJ62]

Best bowling performance I've seen in person from an English cricketer - the opening 3 balls to Kirsten were the most hostile I've ever seen, Kirsten was in knots with the first two and the third just put him out of his misery!

[thecupv1]

poor batting though

[BelphOwl]

Wow, I'd forgotten just how good a bowler Devon was!

[eggymixes]

"Glorius devon saves Atherton's bacon"...even remember the paper headline now..awesome day, awesome bowling

[jumbybird]

WOW!!!

[tinytuco]

its a shame devons career never eally took off, i loved watching him bowl, in his pomp he was lethal

[theeviltwaz]

StuartMB68 - that was the Lords test match where Jonty got hit on the temple. It was a shame Devon didn't progress on from this -

Raymond Illingworth took and destroyed the good work that had been done in 5 minutes when we toured South Africa in the winter of that year. Devon was left out of the Pretoria, Port Elizabeth and Durban games, so was very short of match practice, and thus, couldn't really get his radar right.

[sansaims]

illingworth destroyed english cricket in the 90s

[treevor921]

Illy was the worst thing to happen to English cricket in 50 years. Think if Hick , Ramprakash, Lewis, Malcom even Lewis (and god forbid Tufnell) had been handled by a decent manager early in their career, rather than a rude bombastic Sgt Major who insisted everyone play like a clone.

Illy, great captain, bloody awful manager/coach

[FernardoTorres9]

So true!

[12345OUFC12345]

whos llly??

[lcsat93]

devon malcolms my hero- just think hes a fantastic bowler

[StuartMB68]

Wasn't this the same test match that Johnty Rhodes was hit on the side of the head by a Devon Malcom bouncer?

[lcsat93]

im suprised devon malcolm didnt have a better bowling average then what he had for test cricket, he looked like such an impressive bowler.

[homercostanza]

I just love the way Malcolm kept his word and finished off the South Africans.

[BornNonconformist]

Yup apparently one of the South African pacers had the temerity to bowl a deadly bouncer at poor old Devon. He reportedly responded with "You guys are history" :-). Well he was as good as his word ha ha

[themmmarvels]

i think devon means business

[auto98]

this is weird lol - i was looking for this 2 months ago but couldn't find it anywhere :)

cheers RememberToday4ever

[greggriff1980]

love gowers comment as dev runs in for the first wicket

"i think devon means business"

he might have a point there

[jjirl]

Legend

Proof you should never wind up a good fast bowler, he destroyed them!

[RememberToday4ever]

"It remains - and will continue to be - one of the greatest moments in English cricket history"