Lara celebrates in Bridgetown

England were again on the receiving end as Tayfield took nine for 113 to earn the home side a remarkable victory on the 1956/7 tour.

To mark the launch of their new website, Wisden have devised a new system to rate players' performances over the years, using a combination of, among other things, statistics, the setting, the context of the innings, the pitch and the opposition.

Brian Lara and Graham Gooch complete the top three innings, while Anil Kumble and Jim Laker make it an all-spin 1-2-3 in bowling.

Lara manages three entries in the top 14 to Bradman's two, while the most recent entrant is VVS Laxman's stunning 281 to inspire India to upset Australia earlier this year.

Bradman's 270 not only won Australia that game but also changed the course of the series.

When Bradman, suffering from flu, struggled to the crease, Australia were 95 for five in their second innings and already 2-0 down in the series.

Gooch defied the West Indies for seven hours

Just to increase the difficulty rating he was batting on a damp and difficult surface.

He produced his highest score in Australia against England to lead his side to victory by 365 runs and set them on course to become the only side to overturn a 2-0 Ashes deficit.

Lara comes second with his unbeaten 153 against Australia in Bridgetown in 1998/9. The West Indies captain steered his side to a nerve jangling one-wicket win as they successfully chased 308.

Gooch's 154 not out against the West Indies at Headingley in 1991 was another Herculean captain's performance.

For seven hours he blunted the tourists' pace quartet, Ambrose, Marshall, Walsh and Patterson, to carry his bat - the next highest score was 27 - and set England on course for a famous victory.

Tayfield was greeted with even greater acclaim after his nine wickets had grabbed victory for South Africa over England at Johannesburg.

Laker destoryed Australia at Old Trafford

Tayfield was chaired from the field after England, needing 232, collapsed from 147 for two and lost by 17 runs.

Kumble and Laker each managed the extraordinary feat of taking all 10 wickets in an innings in a Test.

Laker misses out on the top spot as he was helped by the conditions at Old Trafford in 1956.

Five of the top eight are English, including Devon Malcolm for his nine for 57 against South Africa seven years ago.