India left-arm spinner Manav Suthar etched his name into first-class cricket history on Wednesday, delivering a remarkable spell for Warwickshire in their Division One County Championship fixture against Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. Suthar finished the match having taken wickets across both innings without a single run being scored off his bowling, a feat achieved by only one other bowler in the entire history of first-class cricket.
The record he now shares belongs to England’s Tom Hayward, who produced an identical outcome for Leicestershire when they faced Surrey at The Oval back in 1895, claiming three wickets across just six deliveries. That Suthar has matched something that stood untouched for 130 years speaks to how extraordinary the achievement is.
Suthar’s contribution in the first innings was brief but decisive. With Warwickshire’s seamers doing most of the work, he was called upon late and needed only three deliveries to bowl out Glamorgan’s No. 11 Mir Hamza. The second innings told a fuller story. Suthar entered the attack during the 24th over, opened with a maiden, and then in his very next over bowled both Chris Cooke and Jamie McIlroy in the space of four deliveries. Every wicket he claimed across the match was a bowled dismissal, adding a further layer of precision to the performance.
How has Suthar performed across formats this season?
The Cardiff performance is the latest chapter in what has been a breakthrough season for the 26-year-old. Suthar announced himself at Test level with a memorable debut against Afghanistan, where he claimed seven wickets in the match, including a six-wicket haul. He then carried that momentum into a two-Test series against Sri Lanka, taking 16 wickets as India secured a 1-0 series win.
His county numbers have kept pace with his international form. Suthar has taken 21 wickets across eight innings for Warwickshire this season, a tally that already includes a five-wicket haul against Somerset. The consistency he has shown across both formats reflects a bowler operating at the peak of his powers.
What does Warwickshire’s title push look like heading into the final matches?
Warwickshire sit at No. 2 of Division One with 184 points from 12 matches, placing them in a commanding position as the competition moves into its closing rounds. Suthar is expected to play in their remaining two fixtures, against Essex and Leicestershire, as the club looks to convert their lead into a title.
His record-equalling spell against Glamorgan has only reinforced how central he has become to Warwickshire’s bowling plans. With 21 wickets already to his name and a place in the first-class record books now secured, Suthar heads into those final two matches as one of the most influential spinners in Division One this season.
