Ask Bearders #151
As announced here a while back, Test Match Special statistician will now be taking the crease at the TMS Blog.
From now on the TMS Blog will be the place to both challenge Bearders' with your most cricketing questions and read just what minutae of the game has been keeping some people up at night.
If you would like to leave a question for Bearders, please do so at the end of this blog.
Colin JM Walker:
Can you please advise if anyone else has scored two successive double centuries as Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara has just achieved this in the Test series against Bangladesh? Has anyone ever scored three double centuries in successive Tests?
Kumar Sangakkara’s feat of scoring 200 and 222 not out in Sri Lanka’s innings victories, at Colombo and Kandy respectively, in July is the fifth instance of a batsman reaching the 200-mark in consecutive Test innings. Walter Hammond recorded the first (251 and 200 v Australia in 1928-29) and third (227 and 336 not out v New Zealand in 1932-33), Donald Bradman, the second (254 and 334 v England in 1930), and Vinod Kambli, the fourth (224 v England and 227 v Zimbabwe in 1992-93).
No batsman has scored three Test match double hundreds in succession.
David, UK:
What is the highest innings total in Twenty20 cricket?
In English county Twenty20 matches the record is 250, for three wickets, by Somerset against Gloucestershire at Taunton on 27 June 2006.
The highest total in 16 international 20-overs games is 221, for five wickets, by Australia against England at Sydney on 9 January 2007.
Stephen Shuttleworth, England:
I know of one Test match when England had two players with an X in their surname. Can you find it and any others?
There have been five England players with an X in their surnames (dates of Test careers in brackets): Alex COXON (1948), Ted DEXTER (1958-68), Neville KNOX (1907), Martyn MOXON (1986-88) and Roger PRIDEAUX (1968-1968-69).
From those dates it can be deduced that only in 1968 did two such careers coincide, the sole joint appearance by the X-Factor being by Dexter and Prideaux against Australia at Headingley.
Danny Bartram:
Is it true Bob Willis never took 10 wickets in a Test match?
Yes, his best match figures in 90 Tests were 9-92 v New Zealand at Leeds in 1983 – the last of the four occasions when he took nine wickets in a match for England. Surprisingly his career-best 8-43, against Australia at Headingley in 1981, followed a first innings analysis of 0-72.
Paul Hawkins, Dubai:
Having been brought up in Torquay, I know that Devon can claim at least three Test cricketers: Chris Read and Roger Tolchard of England and the latter’s nephew, Roger Twose, who emigrated to and played for New Zealand. David Shepherd, the ex-England umpire and Gloucestershire batsman, hails from Bideford in North Devon. Are there any other Test cricketers originally from Devon?
Five England Test cricketers have been born in Devon. They are (place and date of birth in brackets): Ted Arnold (Exmouth, 7 Nov 1876), John Childs (Lipson, Plymouth, 15 Aug 1951), Len Coldwell (Newton Abbot, 10 Jan 1933), Chris Read (Paignton, 10 Aug 1978), and Roger Tolchard (Torquay, 15 Jun 1946).
Roger Twose (Torquay, 17 Apr 1968) is the only Devon-born cricketer to represent an overseas team at Test level.
Marcus Cambray, UK:
In you identified Kevin Pietersen's 158 as the highest score to have been scored three times by the same batsman. I know Martin Crowe scored 188 twice in Tests. What is the highest score to be scored twice by the same batsman?
The highest score to be registered twice by one batsman in Test cricket is 203 not out by Shoaib Mohammed of Pakistan. He scored the first half of his unique double against India at Lahore in December 1989 and repeated the feat against New Zealand at Karachi ten months later. Incidentally, Shoaib and Hanif Mohammed are the only son and father to score double hundreds in Tests.
Paul Holloway, England:
The amount of extras in the Old Trafford Test got me thinking. On how many, if any, occasions has the extras column been the top scorer in a side’s innings in a Test match?
Extras have been the highest contributor to a Test match innings on 13 occasions, the most recent being in England’s first innings against West Indies at Kingston, Jamaica, in March 2004. England’s total (339), the number of extras (60) and the highest individual score (58) are each the highest tallies when extras have top scored.
Rod Humphries, New Zealand:
Did Geoffrey Boycott ever play at the St. Lawrence ground, Canterbury? I ask because in his book he lists (naturally) all his playing stats but no mention of this lovely venue.
Like Peter May, Sir Geoffrey did not play in a first-class match at Canterbury, but he did appear in Championship matches on six other Kent grounds: Dartford, Folkestone, Gillingham, Gravesend, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells. However, he did play in nine limited-overs games at Canterbury.
Patrick Finn, Brazil:
What is the greatest number of runs scored by a batsman in a single over in a Test match?
The record is 28 by Brian Lara (202), who hit 4-6-6-4-4-4 off the left-arm spin of Robin Petersen (13-2-76-0) when West Indies played South Africa at Johannesburg in December 2003.
Raoul Weatherell, Cairo, Egypt:
Were any Test players born in Egypt?
Just one, Raoul, but he did play for two countries. Athanasios John Traicos, born at Zagazig in Egypt on 17 May 1947, played three Tests for South Africa in 1969-70 before appearing in four more for Zimbabwe in 1992-93.
Harold Blow:
I am sorry; this is not a comment but a request. I have your Wisden Book of Test Cricket, volumes 1 and 2 but have never found a volume 3. Is there one and, if so, where can I purchase it? If not, will there ever be one?
The fifth edition, published in 2000, is the only one to be divided into three volumes. It has been out of print for several years but copies are still available from second-hand booksellers. Although Headline Books declined to produce a sixth edition, discussions are currently in hand with another major publisher and hopefully work on a sixth (three volume) edition will soon be in progress.
Gary, England:
I was at a Test match a few years ago at Lord's, against Pakistan, where 19 wickets fell in one day. What is the Test match record for most wickets in one day?
The record is 27 and it was established at Lord’s on a mud pitch on 17 July 1888. In just over three hours of actual playing time, England, replying to Australia’s 116, collapsed from 18-3 to 53 all out, dismissed Australia for 60 but were then themselves bowled out for 62.
What is the fastest recorded speed of a delivery in international cricket? I'm sure during the ashes i saw brett lee bowl one delivery at 96 mph which is the fastest i've seen but i would imagine there have been even faster than that.
Complain about this postTo carry on your who was born where questions started by our Devon friend, any Test Cricketers ever come from Norfolk? It's hardly a hot bed for the sport, but I reckon us strong farming types can give the ball some fearful tap!!!
Complain about this postWhat's the highest (into the air) a cricket ball has ever been hit during a professional game?
Honestly, I am curious about that.
Complain about this postAfter Ottis Gibson's recent 10 wickets in an innings I remembererd that Zaheer Kahn had 9 wickets in an innings last year, and then had a catch dropped which would have given him his ten-wickets for the innings. Do you know of any other situations such as this?
Complain about this postDidn't Shoaib Akhtar bowl a 101mph delivery against Nick Knight which went for four?
Complain about this postComparing the average for a first innings against the second, is there a significant difference for any of the top English batsmen? What factors could help explain a disparity?
Complain about this postThere have been plenty of fathers and sons both to play test cricket - viz above - but how many Australian pairings?
Complain about this postMark Paxton: I know that the fastest recorded delivery in international cricket was bowled by Shoaib Akhtar against England (Nick Knight facing) during the 2003 World Cup. It was recorded at 100.23mph but the ICC never officially recognised the feat. He also did it a few months earlier in an ODI against New Zealand but for some reason all the fuss was made about the one during the World Cup. Maybe Bearders can shed some light on this. I imagine it's something to do with speed guns being uniformed.
Complain about this postHas any batsman ever scored a century in both innings in his first Test Match. I know that Paul Gibb of Yorkshire nearly did it scoring 93 and 106 against South Africa in 1938
Complain about this postIn the recent County Championship match at the Riverside (Durham v Hampshire) Michael Brown watched 19 wickets fall at the other end whilst batting for Hants.
Complain about this postIs this a record in first class cricket or has anyone carried their bat in both innings of the same match?
In the recent test match at Trent Bridge between England and India, Ryan Sidebottom took his test batting average to 26.50, greater than his highest score of 26*. Are there any other instances of a Test player having a greater batting average than highest score?
Complain about this postwhat is the highest score by a Indian batsmen in a English domestic match ?????????
Complain about this postWhat is the instance of highest scores by both openers where these have been same e.g. both getting 107, in an individual Test & First Class Inning & ODIs?
Complain about this postThe idea of Geoffrey Boycott playing limited-overs cricket has caused me no-end of amusement! What is his record in this form of the game?
Complain about this postIn reference to the consecutive double-hundreds, didn't Graeme Smith do it in England a few years ago?
Complain about this postI believe that Michael Vaughan has won more tests as an England Captain than anyone else but where does he rank in the tables of cricket captain's worldwide and how does his win percentage match up against the others?
Complain about this postIn all forms of cricket, if a bastman is out for Zero, the strike rate comes up as 0.0, so does this in effect lower the batsmans career strike rate or does a run have to be scored?
Complain about this postIt looks like Bearders got one wrong. That was the 6th instance a double hundred was scored in two consecutive tests by the same player.
The 6th instance was by Graeme Smith for South Africa on their 2003 tour of England where he scored 277 in the 1st innings at Edgbaston in the 1st test and 259 in the 1st innings in the 2nd test at Lords.
Complain about this posthi how many international matches can you play for one international side and still be able to play for another team>
Complain about this postIf so are there any examples of this?
What's the highest total test innings score with no batsman getting a century? india was 481 but must be more than that
Complain about this postI play my club cricket for Chesterfield CC at Queen's Park, Derbyshire's second home. I just wondered if you had spent any time their watching first-class cricket and if so, do you have any particular memories or the place?
Complain about this postFollowing a debate on ´óÏó´«Ã½ London and it's listeners (me included) during the current Middlesex v Glamorgan game, it was established that both the Middlesex side of 1980-81 and the Surrey team of 2002 fielded 11 test players in a county championship game, is this unique to these two counties?
Complain about this postin second test sachin tendulkar was given lbw while actually he was not out. my question is how many times sachin was given out while he was actually not out ?
Complain about this postFor David Backhouse:
Yasir Hameed scored 170 at Karachi against Bangladesh in 2003 and 105 in the second innings.
LG Rowe acheived 214 against NZ at Kingston in 1972 and 100* in the second innings.
Complain about this postIn Ask Breaders #151 you discuss a Test Cricketer from Eygpt, Athanasios John Traicos, who played for South Africa in 1967-1970 and then for Zimbabwe in 1992-1993. This prompted me to wonder, how old was Athanasios John Traicos when he played for Zimbabwe and who is the oldest player ever to play test cricket? It also made me wonder what is the longest spell of absence anyone has had between playing test matches, as in this case Mr Traicos seems to have waited 22 years to make his next test appearence!? Surely that is a record? Also how many cricketers have played test cricket for two teams, like this remarkable individual?
Complain about this postEngland's recent poor batting record from their tail made question when the last time an England test player picked only for his bowling (i.e. not Ashley Giles, who is/was seen as able to get runs) managed to scrape/graft/smash their way to a magical half century. For that matter when did a genuine bowler last get a century for England? That must be some time ago now...
Complain about this postHas there ever been an instance of a player bowling and keeping wicket in the same match? If so, was it in the same innings?
Complain about this postIs nelson really unlucky?
Complain about this postHi Bill,
Complain about this postAfter seeing the O'Brien brothers playing for Ireland in the World Cup I was wondering which family holds the record for providing the most players for a test match?
Kind Regards
Tom Murphy
Craig, Bearders was not wrong, it is clear that the question meant scoring double centuries in successive innings, not test matches, and Graeme Smith didn't do this as he didn't score a double century in his second innings of the first test match in question.
Complain about this postIn reply to Adam's question about a player bowling and keeping wicket at the same test - I remember MS Dhoni bowling for one over in the 2nd test between India & Pakistan on 2006 - Obviously he kept wicket for the other 115.4 overs. By the way he conceded 13 runs in that over (No wonder Dravid "dumped" him immediately after that over)
Complain about this postWE HEAR ABOUT THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PLAYERS IN THE GAME BUT WHAT ABOUT THE ONES THAT DON'T MAKE IT? WHO HAS THE WORST RECORD IN INTERNATIONAL CRICKET BOTH BATTING AND BOWLING?
Complain about this postThe recent 'Jellygate' affair in the test between England and India got me wondering, if the ball hit a jelly bean (or any other object such as a drinks bottle cap) that was on the wicket, and then the ball carried on to hit the batsmen's stumps, is he out? I assume there would be penalty runs involved but does the ball become dead the moment it hits an object?
Complain about this postThe late and mighty Bill Edrich, who played for England from 1938 to 1953 was born in Norfolk around 1916, I think.
Complain about this postSpeaking of 203 not out by Shoaib Mohammad, his father Hanif had the same score against New Zealand in 1965. How's that for coincidences?
Complain about this postHi Bearders
Please can you help me solve an argument with friends. Who is the best captain in the world in the last 10 years. My friends think Vaughan but I rate him as a non playing captain who hasn't led from the front much. I rate Steven Waugh miles ahead and then theres Stephen Fleming, Mark Taylor and Ricky Ponting. Could you please kindly rank these captains from best to least best and include Michael Vaughan in your list.
My other question is who is the best England Captain in the past 30 years or so. Is it Gooch, Vaughan or Mike Bearley?
Please kindly reply as I would really appreciate it.
Thanks for your help.
Mohammad Faisal
Complain about this postDavid Backhouse: There has been at least one and probably more. West Indian Royce Fredricks scored a double century and a century on debut. I'm pretty certain that there would be a few others that have hit a century in each innings on debut, but Fredricks is certainly the only person to bag a double and a century.
Complain about this postWho are the oldest surviving Test players from all the Test playing nations?
Complain about this postIn response to the wicket keeper/bowler question, I think I can remember Mark Boucher bowling for South Africa and also taking a wicket! If my memory is correct, are there any more occasions when a wicket keeper has taken a Test wicket?
Complain about this postI would like to know what is the highest test match score made without boundries. I have some cloudy memory about Graham Thorpe scoring a century with just one 4. I was wondering if that had been bettered?
Complain about this postWhat is the most signals an umpire could give off one delivery?
Complain about this postPerhaps a no-ball that produced leg byes, with the batsmen running one short. Fieldsman throws and hits the stumps, third umpire is called, not out, and meanwhile the ball has gone for 4 overthrows?
With our rivals approaching the winning target with 2 wickets left, their leading batsman in his nineties picked one of my top-spinners off the splice looping it high and straight back towards me in the short mid-off region. The non-striker, in an obvious attempt to thwart me from catching the ball, ran across the pitch and barged into me. The ball somehow remained in my palm as I fell and the entire fielding side appealed.
Who should have been given out and why?
The (ch)ump said it was the non-striker.
Complain about this postI'm afraid that Bearders is wrong in listing the Don's double centuries at Lords and Headingley (254 and 334) in 1930 as consecutive innings. In the Second Innings of the Lords test Bradman scored just one run before being caught by Chapman (for the second time in the match) off Tate.
Complain about this postAlthough it is just a hypothetical situation and one that is highly unlikely to happen on the cricket field, can you please confirm whether a batsman will be declared stumped if his shoe lace was inside the line but his foot was out when the bails are removed by the wicket keeper?
Complain about this postRe Richard Kirk;-
"Sir" Geoff Boycott in ODI in 36 matches scored 1082 runs at average of 36.06, stike rate of 53.56 with 9 50's and 1 hundred against Australia in Sydney 1979/80.
In List A games he scored 10095 runs in 313 games at an average of 39.12, with 8 hundreds and 75 50's, highest score of 146 for Yorkshire v Surrey at Lords in the Gillete Cup Final of 1965, which was the highest one day score at Lords. One of his 6's in this match was almost caught by his Yorkshire team mates on the players balcony.
He also faced the first ball ever bowled in a ODI an was the first wicket to fall.
Complain about this postWhen last was a century scored before lunch on the opening day of a test.
Complain about this postRe Tom Robertson
There's one instance of father and son playing for Australia, EJ Gregory (1 test 1976/77) and SE Gregory (58 tests 1890/1912)
VY Richardson (19 tests 1924-25/1935-36) was Grandfather to GS Chappell (87 tests 1970/71-1983/84) IM Chappell (75 tests 1964/65-1979/80) and TM Chappell (3 tests 1981)
Also WH Cooper (2 tests 1881/82 - 1884/85) was Great Grandfather to AP Sheehan (31 tests 1967/68-1973/74)
Complain about this postDuring the recent Trent Bridge Test Match much was made of the advantage gained by India from winning the toss. Statistically what is the percentage of teams in Test history that have won the toss and gone on to win the match?
Complain about this postAlways an interesting read Bearders.
Question - which player has been run out most times in Test cricket?
Complain about this postRe Joey:-
Queen's Park, Chesterfield Ground Records
Highest Team Total For - 552, v Essex, 2, 4-5 June 1928
Complain about this postHighest Team Total Against - 662, (Yorkshire), 18-20 August 1898
Lowest Team Total For - 30, v Nottinghamshire, 23-25 August 1913 (Derbyshire still won this game)
Lowest Team Total Against - 29, (Middlesex), 17-19 July 1957
Highest Individual Innings - 343*, PA Perrin (Essex), 18-20 July 1904 (Including 272 in boundaries)
Highest Partnership - 554, JT Brown (300) and J Tunnicliffe (243) (Yorkshire), 18-20 August 1898 (Record 1st wicket partnership which stood for 34 years before being beaten by P Holmes (224*) and H Sutcliffe (313). This partnership ranks at number 6 on the all time list of highest partnerships across the world)
Best Bowling Figures in an Innings - 10-66, JKR Graveney (Gloucestershire), 3-5 August 1949
Best Bowling Figures in a Match - 14-48, AG Slater, v Somerset, 21-23 June 1930
Most Wicket-Keeping Dismissals in an Innings - 7 (Four times)
Most Wicket-Keeping Dismissals in a Match - 11 (Twice)
Most Fielder Catches in an Innings - 5 (Four times)
Most Fielder Catches in a Match - 6 (Five times)
Further to Huw Morris's question about the highest test innings total without an individual century, what is the highest aggregate score for a test where neither side has produced a centurion?
Complain about this postlots of replies replies
Tom Robertson-7-
see my reply number 131 in the original blog ( /blogs/tms/2007/07/the_bearded_wonders_new_home.shtml ), but basically most (if not all) families playing Tests are here
Tom Martin & Mohammad Faisal-16/36-
Ponting is the "winningest" test captain ever (77%), englands is Brearley (58%) in terms of %
The best in the world at the moment is Vaughan (57%) (for games won it would be waugh and vaughan)
see
Peter Steep-38-
a complete list of oldest living test players is here
but for each country is
Tindill NZ 96
Gordon SA 95
Brown Aus 95
Kentish WI 90
McIntyre Eng 89
Ibrahim India 88
Aslam Pak 87
Yezbee-42-
from law 37 if the obstruction of the fielder was to stop a catch then the STRIKER should be given out whichever batsman obstructs the field, so in your case the STRIKER should be out (esp. as you actually held the catch so the obstruction is not taken into account)
see point 3 of law 37
Chris Hancock-48-
toss winning captains
if you are the home capt and win the toss you have a 40% winning chance, this falls to 26% for visting capts (draws are the results in 34 and 37% for each capt)
see
Complain about this postWhat is the highest number of brand new cricket balls ever used in a 5 day Test match? I have asked you this question before but have never had a reply....have I stumped you o' bearded one?
Complain about this postAdam:
The instance of bowling and keeping wicket in the same match has happened plenty of times, I think. Possibly the most famous occasion involved sometime Warwickshire wicketkeeper AC Smith, who took off his pads to bowl and promptly took a hat-trick.
(Less famously, I both bowled and kept wicket in an invitation game last Sunday...it's common!)
As a wicketkeeper (principally!) and one who drops catches, I was wondering if there's a record of the world's most expensive dropped catch. I believe Chris Scott of Durham dropped Brian Lara on 28*, costing a mere 473 runs; has there been one more expensive?!
Complain about this postMatthew W
I'm afraid you are also wrong. The question refers to successive matches and not successive innings in the same match.
Bearders mentioned that the two innings by Sangakkara were in Colombo and Kandy. When have you ever heard of a single test match played in two different locations?
I'm right, you and Bearders are wrong.
Complain about this postLooking at Murali's bowling stats I was staggered to see that in First Class, but non Test, matches he has taken 554 wickets at 15.02 with a S.R. of 39.30. Are there any other great 20th Century bowlers who can match this?
In my brief search I found that not even the usual suspects of Barnes & Rhodes could match him!
Complain about this postNo Craig, you are wrong. Sangakkara made 200 not out in SL's only innings of the First Test v Bangladesh in Colombo, before making 222 not out in their only innings of the Second Test in Kandy. Two successive innings, but two different matches.
Graeme Smith had an innings between his two double hundreds against England in 2003.
Complain about this postCraig, Sangakkara was only required to bat once in each test so did in fact score doubles in consecutive innings. Wouldn't have thought this was too tricky to work out.
nalin ranasinghe, Bradman did score doubles in consecutive innings but you're right it wasn't on the occasions sited. He actually did it 4 years later, scoring 304 in his only innings at Leeds, then 244 in his first innings at the Oval
Complain about this postI know that Jim Laker took 19 wickets for 90 runs in a test match against Australia in A test match. I would like to know what is the second best test match analysis.
Complain about this postin a third umpire run out situation - is a batsman out if after completing a run his bat bounces in the air at the moment the stumps are broken- several times when commentators have been describing close run outs - they says ' did his bat lift off the ground when the stumps were broken' - implying that he could still be given out .
Complain about this postWho has the greatest conversion rate of 50s into 100s?
Also which Englishmen have scored the most double centuries?
Thanks for your help guys!
Complain about this postDidn't Ricky Ponting score double hundreds in succession against India in 2003-2004?
Complain about this postIn test cricket, which number delivery of a standard six ball over has claimed most wickets? Is the answer the same in one-day cricket also?
Complain about this postIf a batsman is bowled off a no-ball, and the ball then reaches the boundary, is this a dead ball or 4, and if the latter is it runs, byes or leg-byes if the ball has not touched any part of the batsman or bat. If so how is the 5 runs denoted in the scorebook. This occurred in a recent game, and 3 different players gave the umpire 3 different opinions! Many thanks
Complain about this postI noticed that Tatenda Taibu has first class bowling figures of 8-43. Is this a record for a wicketkeeper?
Complain about this postHi Bill, I found out today that England didn't impose follow-on against the Aussies in the Brisbane test (Sir Don's debut match) during the 1928-29 Ashes series, eventhough they had a 399 run lead. Is that because the follow-on rule didn't exist then? If the rule did exist, how many times has this-- not imposing follow-on with a ~400 lead--been done?
Complain about this postreply to ashley james-59
these are the top 10 figures for test bowling
19-90 JC Laker England v Australia
17-159 SF Barnes England v South Africa
16-136 ND Hirwani India v West Indies
16-137 RAL Massie Australia v England
16-220 M Muralitharan Sri Lanka v England
15-28 J Briggs England v South Africa
15-45 GA Lohmann England v South Africa
15-99 C Blythe England v South Africa
15-104 H Verity England v Australia
15-123 RJ Hadlee New Zealand v Australia
reply to Prashant-62
ponting did indeed score 2 doubles against india in 2003/4, in consecutive tests, but unfortunately had a duck between them
in the 2nd test he scored 242 and 0, followed by 237 and 31 out out in the 3rd test, so he nearly did it, but not quite
Complain about this postAre then any scores less than 300 that have never been recorded by an individual in a test innnings?
Complain about this postin reply to mark-61
Bradman has the highest 50-100 conversion rate, 69%, for all batsmen scoring over 2000 test runs
the only others above 50% are Headley (67%), Ponsford (54%), Ames (53%), Vaughan (53%), Walcott (52%), Atapattu (52%) and Azharuddin (51%)
England double centuries (long list, *indicates still playing)
Hammond, W R
Hutton, L
Gooch,
Gower, D I
Compton,
Amiss,
Paynter, E
Murdoch, W L
May, P B H
Sandham, A
Thorpe, G P
Trescothick, M E*
Collingwood, P D*
Key, R W T*
Barrington, K F
Botham, I T
Boycott, G
Dexter, E R
Edrich, J H
Edrich, W J
Fletcher, K W R
Foster, R E
Fowler, G
Gatting, M W
Graveney, T W
Hardstaff (Jnr), J
Hendren, E H
Hobbs, J B
Lloyd, D
Hussain, N
Pietersen, K P *
all this and much, much more can be found
happy hunting!
Complain about this postIf the ball hits a mound of sand (which is a fielding aid) and slows down, even stops, is there a penalty similar to 5 runs for when the bal lhits a helmet which is placed on the field?(usually behind the keeper).
Complain about this postWhen was the alst time Glamorgan won a cricket game?
Complain about this postRE: no 64 Mike Hornsby. The correct answer to that rather unusual occurence is that it would be denoted in the scorebook as 5 no-balls. It would not matter if it were byes or leg byes because when it is a no ball and either of those happens they are recorded as no-balls and go against the bowler's analysis. If the batsman had got an inside edge onto the stumps and it had gone for 4 then it would be a no-ball plus 4 to the batsman.
Complain about this postSouth African paceman Charl Willoughby has played in two test matches to date without having faced a single ball as a batsman. Who holds the record for most tests played without a bat?
Complain about this postWe have restarted a cricket club in County Clare after many years absence. Lots of our native players come from a hurling background and can hit the ball well on both sides. I know that if a bowler wishes to change his action he has to inform the umpire, but can a batsman change his stance from right- to left-handed as the bowler runs-up? If so what does this mean for the restriction on the number of fielders behind square on the leg-side?
Complain about this postIn the recent England v India test match a Trent Bridge, Sree Santh appeared to bowl a deliberate no-ball, with his front foot several feet beyond the popping crease. It seems likely that the motivation was to intimidate the batsmen. My question is: if the umpire deemed this indeed to be the case, could he take any sanctions against the offending bowler? For example could he ban him from bowling in the remainder of the match or innings? If so why wasn't something done in this instance?
Complain about this postReply to 68- Chris Hayward;
Quite a lot of scores under 300 haven't been made yet. The lowest score that has not yet been recorded in Test cricket is 229. 238 and 245 are the only other scores below 250 not yet made. For a full list of scores above 250 that haven't been made,
Reply to 27, Adam
As many people have pointed out, the designated wicketkeeper has had a bowl on several occasions in Test cricket- while someone else deputised behind the stumps, and occasionally taken wickets (the most being 4 in the very first instance, Alfred Lyttleton in 1884). A full list of all instances is here
Complain about this postReply to 66 Anand Nilekar,
400 run leads are few and far between. Although I don't know how many times a follow on has not been enforced with a 400-run lead, but the record appears to be England not enforcing the follow-on in a timeless Test against the West Indies in Sabina Park in 1930. England were 563 ahead and opted to bat again, eventually setting the West Indies 836 to win. The match was drawn after 7 days with the West Indies at 408 for 5.
Complain about this postDarren Wiseman (2) - both Edriches (Bill and John) were born in Norfolk, and probably a few others. Incidentally, so was I, although my chances of playing Test cricket are slightly lower than of finding Elvis, Lord Lucan and the Loch Ness Monster on holiday together on Bouvet Island.
Rich (3) - I don't think the actual height is ever recorded, although there was one instance in the 19th century sometime of Australia's George Bonnor hitting a ball so high that he and his partner had turned for the third run by the time it was caught, which must be a contender. Alternatively, take the longest hit on record (of course, this is also disputed - there's an unsubstantiated record of 175 yards, and a recent survey of the biggest hits people could remember came up with Mark Waugh hitting Daniel Vettori out of the WACA), estimate the initial velocity and air resistance, and work out the highest point it must have reached to travel that far.
Dominic (4) - there is at least one instance in a Test: against Zimbabwe at Kandy in 2002, Muttiah Muralitharan had taken the first nine wickets to fall, then had a catch dropped before Chaminda Vaas took the tenth. Murali had only conceded 51 runs so if the catch had been taken he would have bettered Jim Laker's record of 10/53. I think there was also once a County Championship match (can't remember the details) in which a bowler took the first nine wickets but was deprived of the tenth by a declaration.
Anon (5) - Shoaib bowled a ball at 100mph (according the the speed gun, which might not necessarily have been accurate), which Knight defended; no run was scored.
Robert Carr (10) - I think there have been several instances of a batsman carrying his bat in both innings of a FC match, although I haven't any of Bearders's books on hand to confirm this! The Test record is 18, by Gordon Greenidge (opened the batting and was last out in both innings).
David (11) - lots of instances, all that's required is for a batsman to score at least one run in his first Test innings, remain not out and then score at least one more in his second. A notable occurrence in first-class cricket was by Australia's number 11, Bill Johnston, who averaged 102 in a season due to only being out once in 17 innings.
Samraj Kundi (12) - depends how you define Indian. KS Duleepsinhji, who was born in India but played Tests for England, scored 333 for Sussex vs Northants at Hove in 1930. Not sure what the highest by an Indian Test player is.
Kenneth Perry (17) - the total number of balls faced would increase and the total number of runs scored remain the same, so the strike rate would decrease.
Adam (19) - which country a player may represent is not restricted by any appearances for another country (although I think there might be a minimum time span between the last appearance for one country and the first for the other); he only has to qualify either by birth or residence. There have been numerous instances of players representing two countries in Tests, the most recent being John Traicos (South Africa and Zimbabwe), whom Bill mentioned in his previous column, and Kepler Wessels, who was born in South Africa, qualified to play for Australia as his home country was still banned from international cricket at the time, then returned to represent South Africa upon their readmission.
Huw Morris (20) - I seem to recall the answer is 524, can't remember the details though!
Vilas Sapre (23) - this is impossible to tell as very often it can't be determined objectively whether a batsman "should" have been out or not, particularly bearing in mind, for example, that the creator of Hawkeye openly admits that it is not infallible.
Chris Smith (25) - Traicos was 46 when he last represented Zimbabwe, which makes him the oldest Test player in recent years, but the oldest ever was Wilfred Rhodes, who played his final Test at the age of 53. I think Traicos does hold the record for the longest gap between appearances, and he's one of a dozen or so players to have played for two countries in Tests.
Tom Murphy (29) - four Mohammad brothers (Hanif, Mushtaq, Wazir and Sadiq) played for Pakistan, but no more than three of them in the same match. Three Chappells (Ian, Greg and Trevor) played for Australia and three Hadlees (Richard, Dayle and Barry) for New Zealand.
James Tribble (32) - I'm guessing here, but I think Chris Martin may have the worst batting average (2.26) of anyone who played a reasonable number of Tests. Ian Salisbury (76.95) has the highest bowling average of anyone with 20 or more wickets, although there are a few players who only took one wicket and ended up averaging over 200.
Henry Ashman (33) - there have been a couple of instances of the ball hitting a bird in its flight, at which point it becomes dead (as, usually, does the bird). Not sure what applies to objects on the ground.
Mark Webb (40) - you're right, Graham Thorpe made a century against Pakistan which included one boundary. No-one's ever made a Test century with no boundaries, although it's been done in first-class cricket.
Curly (41) - the run out appeal is superfluous, since there is no signal for "not out", but if you had that occurrence and then some penalty runs it would probably be a record.
Yezbee (42) - the striker should have been out caught, since that takes precedence over all other forms of dismissal except bowled. If the catch had not been held, it would have been the striker who was out obstructed the field.
Minkesh (44) - assuming the shoelace was grounded behind the crease, that would count as part of the batsman's person as defined by the Laws, so he would not be out.
Brett (46) - in 1976-77, by Majid Khan for Pakistan vs New Zealand, the fourth such instance in Tests.
Spinningwizard (60) - yes, the batsman would be out, as in one recent instance against New Zealand when Muttiah Muralitharan completed a run and left his crease to congratulate his partner Kumar Sangakkara on his century, whereupon Brendon McCullum ran him out.
Anand Nilekar (66) - as Ryan says the record is 563, and the only other instance of over 400 came in the first Ashes Test last winter (445).
Alan Golden (70) - the sand shouldn't have been there in the first place!
Crying Glam fan (71) - we beat Somerset in the Twenty20 Cup on 26th June; our last win in the Championship (and only one this season) was against Nottinghamshire in early June. Never mind, at least we're not doing quite as badly as the Northamptonshire side of the 1930s who went four years without winning a match, and I still remember when we won the Championship in 1997... the good old days...
Andy Newton (75) - there isn't a law relating specifically to deliberate no-balls, but the bowler could be taken off for deliberately bowling beamers.
Complain about this postin response to no. 27, I think I can remember a South Africa match not to long ago, (2003?) where all 11 players in the team bowled, and Mark Boucher the regular WK may have even taken a wicket. I seem to recall that was caught behind (I may be completely wrong) so to further the question, has a player ever been involved at either end (i.e. both bowled and caught) of a caught behind dismissal in the same match?
Also, in a match I kept wicket in a few weeks ago, the non-striker kept backing up to steal a single, so I kept without gloves (to a spinner, not a quick!) in order to try to run him out. Is there any rule that prevents me from doing this and has it happened before?
Complain about this postReply to Chris (79)'s extension of the wicketkeeper bowling question.
In the very first instance of a wicketkeeper bowling, in the 1884 Test at the Oval, Alfred Lyttleton caught Australian batsman Henry Scott off the bowling of Barnes and later, when bowling, had William Midwinter caught behind by WG Grace who was deputising behind the stumps. He took four wickets in the innings, still a record for a wicketkeeper.
I don't know of any other instances, since, looking at the scoreboard, I am unable to tell who the deputising wicketkeeper was.
As for your second question, you are perfectly within your rights to do what you did.
Law 40.1 permits the wicketkeeper to wear gloves, but does not insist that he does so. the second sentence says "If he does so(wear protective equipment)..." clearly implying that it is your option.
Complain about this postRe: Consecutive Double Hundreds in Tests
Mr. Frindall, your list omitted Ricky Ponting and Graeme Smith, who alos scored consecutive double hundreds in Test cricket. Regards, Vijay.
Complain about this postQuestion 17 was : "In all forms of cricket, if a bastman is out for Zero, the strike rate comes up as 0.0, so does this in effect lower the batsmans career strike rate or does a run have to be scored?"
Don't forget the career strike rate is based on (career runs) divided by (career balls received). (This is often multiplied by 100 to express as runs per hundred balls).
It isnt an average of the strike rates for each innings.
So if a batsman's innings is a 10 ball duck, then his strike rate for that particular innings will indeed be 0.00. (It makes no difference if he is 0 not out after 10 balls.)
However, in either case, it will not have a particularly drastic affect on his career strike rate. It'd be no "worse" than a spell of 10 runless deliveries on the way to a century.
Complain about this postI notice that in both the Lord's and Trent Bridge Tests 10 different counties were represented in the England side with only Pietersen and Tremlett duplicating the same county (Hampshire). If Broad had been selected in preference to Tremlett then the England XI would have been comprised of players registered with 11 different counties. When was the last occasion this actually happened?
Complain about this postHas there ever been a Test Match in which there was at least one century in each of the 4 innings of the match?
It very nearly happened in 2004, England v W Indies at Lords. Chanderpaul was stranded on 97 not out when the 10th wicket fell in the 4th innings. England had had centuries from Strauss, Key (a double) and Vaughan in their first knock, and another from Vaughan in their second. Whereas Chanderpaul's first effort had been 128 not out.
If the feat has never been achieved, then does this match come closest?
Complain about this postReply to 84, Paddy Q
Yes, a century in all four innings has certainly happened. In fact on two occasions a batsman on each team has made twin hundreds in the same test.
The first occasion was Dennis Compton and Arthur Morris, who each made twin centuries at the Adelaide Oval in 1947.
Sri Lanka's Asantha Gurusinha and New Zealand's Andrew Jones replicated the feat at Seddon Park in 1991.
Both matches were drawn.
Complain about this postYou mentioned about Shoaib Mohammad's 203* as the answer to another question. His father Hanif has also recorded a 203* in Tests.
What is the next best score (assuming that this is the highest) made by a father and a son ?
Complain about this postGlancing through my Playfair annual and Test cricket records Don Bradman's statistics are still untouchable but how good was the Australian team as whole during his playing days? How many tests did they win when he was playing?
Complain about this postBill
I have played Cricket for many years now, and often on a Saturday afternoon we take it in turns to score/umpire whilst our side is batting.
But one rule I have never got is the wide/no ball rule.
When a ball is wide (say down the leg side) and it goes over the boundary, how many runs are awarded to the batting team? Four or five? Then how do you say it? Four wides or five wides? Is there a rule which says if the batsman is playing a shot but cant reach it, then they get five?
The same for a no ball, if the batsman missed the no ball and it goes past the keeper for four. Is it four no balls, five no balls, or is it a no ball and four byes?
Hope it gets cleared up Bill!
Jack Byrne, Stockport
Complain about this postIn a one-day game, say the team batting first was 200 all out, what would be the result if the last man for the team batting second was stumped off a wide with the score at 199/9?
Complain about this postWhat's the highest score by an individual batsman on the losing side of a Test match?
I recall Collingwood (v Australia) and Hayden (v India) getting double-centuries on the losing side.
Complain about this postDoes the Duckworh Lewis system using a static data or a 'rolling' data of recent matches ? If I remember, even with D/L there have been couple of instances when 'ridiculous' targets were set. Was there an attempt to remove such anomalies ?
Complain about this postHave you ever seen anything remotely like these comments about Phil Tufnell and John embury?
I was most alarmed indeed. The first cricket match I ever saw Was England versus New Zealand.. Last test at the oval england collapsed. Daniel Vetori..
Isn't life all about leg spin? thats my question Bearders? PURE leg spin.. I am aware that this question is more qualitative than your usual question.. But I thought I had to ask? Who else could explain the Massive popularity of Phil Tufnell and the new Demi God .. Monty. My own effort at a social psychological deconstruction of this is on my www site.
Please Explain.. is Monty the best spinner since Derek Underwood.. ?
Thank you sir
Complain about this postin reply to 81
and to anyone else who thinks either ponting or smith (graham of SA) scored back to back double tons THEY DIDN'T
ponting scored 200+ then 0 and in the NEXT game he scored another double ton BUT with the duck between them (see my post number 67)
smith was almost the same but with 85 between the two doubles in the 1st and 2nd tests in england in 2003
his scores went
1st Test
277 bwl Giles ct Anderson
85 bwl Giles
2ndTest
259 bwl Anderson
DidNotBat
They both achieved 200s in consecutive MATCHES but the original question asked for consecutive INNINGS (maybe over 2 matches but with no scores in between the 200s) and they both had scores below 200 between the relevant innings
Complain about this postHave you ever seen anything remotely like these comments about Phil Tufnell and John embury?
I was most alarmed indeed. The first cricket match I ever saw Was England versus New Zealand.. Last test at the oval england collapsed. Daniel Vetori..
Isn't life all about leg spin? thats my question Bearders? PURE leg spin.. I am aware that this question is more qualitative than your usual question.. But I thought I had to ask? Who else could explain the Massive popularity of Phil Tufnell and the new Demi God .. Monty. My own effort at a social psychological deconstruction of this is on my www site.
Please Explain.. is Monty the best spinner since Derek Underwood.. ?
Thank you sir
Complain about this postWhy are National Anthems not played before test matches?
Complain about this postDo you have a guide to scoring a game.
We have a number of young lads - and some not so young - who could help out and do the job but lack of knowledge is preventing them.
Picking it up from an experienced scorer is the best way but a bit of a confidence help with a quick guide would help.
thanks for any advice you can give
Complain about this postRegarding Matthew (89)'s question, the wide would mean the score advances to 200-9 then the wicket - 200 All Out
Complain about this postThe match would be tied.
I am a huge fan of Freddie Flintoff, but he does bowl the most amount of no balls I think I have ever seen. Is he the biggest conceder of no balls in test history? If not, then who is, and where is Freddie on the all time list of shame? Could you tell me what his current test bowling average is, and what it would theoretically be if he had never bowled a single no ball?
Complain about this postReply to No. 90 Pranev Sharma
There have been, as you pointed out, several double hundreds in a losing cause, Brian Lara being the only batsman to do it more than once, having done it three times- a sad comment on the strength of the West Indies during his tenure.
But the top score in a losing case is Ricky Ponting's 242 in Adelaide against India in 2003.
Complain about this postAnswer to post 88:
If a bowler bowls a ball which goes for four wides, then the umpire signals "wide" and then signals a four. It goes down as five wides in the scorebook and is debited against the bowler, but the batsman gets no addition to his score, the runs are all recorded as extras.
Complain about this postIf a batsman faced a ball that was called wide and then ran, say, another two runs, that is entered as three wides (one for the wide itself plus the two runs completed).
Similarly, with a no-ball. If a no-ball is bowled and then goes for four without the batsman touching the ball, then the umpire signals "no-ball" and then signals a four. It would be entered as five no balls in the extras column and be debited against the bowler but the batsman gets no addition to his score, the runs are all recorded as extras.
If a batsman faced a ball that was called no-ball, made no contact with it, and then ran, say, another two runs, that is entered as three no-balls (one for the no-ball itself plus the two runs completed), even though the umpire would signal no-ball and then signal 'bye' (or 'leg bye' if the ball deflected off the pad).
Somwehat confusing, I know, as is the fact that in such circumstances, as far as I know, it would only count as one no-ball bowled by the bowler (in the part of the scorebook where you tot up the number of wides and no-balls a bowler has bowled) even though it would be counted as three runs (or whatever total) in his analysis and in the extras column.
Dear old cricket eh?
Have England ever had a side before where the top 7 in the order all average over 40 in test cricket?
Complain about this postIn the current Glos vs Essex match (09/08/07), Steve Kirby and Jon Lewis have finished with 5/41 each.
Complain about this postIf Kirby had bowled one more over and it had been a maiden, they would have had identical figures, has this eve happened in first class cricket, where only two bowlers have been used and taken five wickets each?
Hertfordshire recently set Northumberland 452 in 80 overs in the recent Minor County Championship
Northumberland got them off the last ball of the game - 452 for 7 off 80 overs. Has there ever been a greater run chase in under a days play?
Complain about this postIn the early 1950's a sought after achievement was a test hundred before lunch (I recall Godfrey Evans reaching 96 and the Indians delaying a final over to deny him this).
Complain about this postWhen was the last time this was achieved, by anyone ?
Karthik's dismissal in the supposedly nervous nineties makes me wonder if people really do get out more often in the nineties than, say, the 80s or between 101-110. A friend has done some analysis and says it is not so, although I detected a small uptick in dismissals just after 100, which could make sense. Another way you might quantify nervousness is if batsmen take longer to move from 91 to 100 than they do from 81 to 90 or 101 to 110. Any thoughts?
Complain about this postReply to 104
Straight off cricinfo: The last time anyone scored 100 runs before lunch was Brian Lara against Pakistan in Multan last year, on his way to 216. The session was a lengthened one, however. Lara is the only batsman to have scored 100 runs before lunch twice (not necessarily 0-100 scores), both times in 150 minute sessions
For a full list of batsman scoring 100 runs before lunch, see
Complain about this postReply to 87 David Stanley
The Australian team won 30 (58%), Drew 10(19%) and lost just 12 (23%) matches while Bradman was playing his 52 Tests. Australia's average win % is 47%, so overall they were definitely a strong team indeed, no doubt adequately helped by the man in question
Complain about this postI reckon that David Gower is the only cricketer to have played 100 Tests without a duck in either innings.
My pals dispute this as nonsense.
Please adjudicate and and detail who does hold hold the longest unbroken scoring sequence from the start of (or within) a Test career ?
Complain about this postAs a schoolboy in the early 1960s, I read a cricket book which, amongst other things, included details of the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s scoring method of the time; reports of test series (including, I think England v India); and an armchair cricket game, based on a 10x10 grid and using a set of ordinary playing cards. Does anyone know the title etc of the book?
Complain about this postHas an international team ever had to score just ONE RUN in their second innings to win a Test match...???
Complain about this postIs Bill aware India are heading for a world record high score without a batsman scoring a hundred? The test match record is 524 whilst the first class record is 605!
Complain about this postIndian opener Jaffer made a first ball and third ball duck in the two innings of the 1st test v Bangladesh in May 2007. Has any batsmen lasted 'less long' in two innings of a test, especially making a pair?
Complain about this postWhat's the highest innings score by a test side without a century being scored by any of the batsmen?
As I watch India pile on 600.
Complain about this postWhen was the last time that every English bowler took a wicket in an innings? also what is the highest number of over bowled by an English pace bowler in an innings
Complain about this postOn how many occasions, and in what circumstances, have test batsmen been "timed out"
Complain about this postBruce Burton wrote: On how many occasions, and in what circumstances, have test batsmen been "timed out"
Complain about this postNobody has been timed out in test cricket.
Can you please tell me on which date, and where, did Fred Trueman take his 200th. Test wicket?
Complain about this postIn India's first innings at the Oval, Tendulkar scored 62 runs after being dropped by Prior, Laxman scored a further 10 runs, and there were 33 byes. Therefore, Prior would need to score 105 with the bat before he is in credit to the team.
Do you have a figure for Prior's 'net' batting average this season, ie runs scored minus runs and byes conceded?
Complain about this postIs it against the rules of cricket for a bowler to change his form of delivery mid way through an over? For example could a spin bowler if he so wishes bowl a few balls of spin in an over then decide, if he is capable, run down and bowl a fast seam bowler delivery?? In other words can a spin bowler only ever bowl spinand not any other form of delivery??
Thanks
Complain about this postWhat is the highest score ever scored in a test match by a nightwatchman?I love listening to the question's and your answers.The discussions down the pub are very interesting!
Complain about this postIf India were to enforce the follow-on do they(India) forfeit their second innings
Complain about this postkumble now above mcgrath in all time wicket takers
Complain about this postdid Tendulkar bowl out Kevin Pietersen because he had two short legs?
Complain about this postHi Bill,
sorry not a comment, but a question or 2!!
As a wicket keeper batsman (!?) I was batting in a Saturday league game at the wkend when I was facing a slow left arm around the wicket bowler. after he released the ball he ran 5-10 yards to his left to cover Mid off! The ball was so loopy he managed to get there most balls, before I played my shot, I wondered if there was anything in the rule book to stop this, or if it was perfectly legal??
Also, we joked that our mid wicket fielder should wear my gloves when fielding, is there anything in the rules that says the keeper must wear gloves, or as long as only one fielder wears them can he stand anywhere with them on??
Thanks,
Complain about this postBill.
Complain about this postAs of current in the third and final England v India Test Match at The Oval (9.-13.8.), and with 29 wickets down PLUS the two current batsmen in play ( of whom I also hope will still be there for a long time to come), only four of those who have batted have failed to score a single boundary. Does this make for a new record of it´s kind, and have so many boundaries otherwise ever been hit in any other Test Match?
Hi Bill
I wonder if you could point me in the direction of any books written on the effect of World War One on the game of cricket
Any help would be gratefully accepted.
Many thanks
Des Gallagher
Complain about this postI noticed that in the current match of the Netherlands against Bermuda, we had a player out stumped & bowled! How does such a dismissal actually take place and why wouldn't this be a run-out? Did this feat ever occur in a test match or ODI?
Complain about this postCan you tell me the highest number of test 99's scored by any one batsman
and is there any instance of two or more 99's being scored in the same test innings
Complain about this postThere is one ball remaining in the match and the batting side need five to win. The batter hits the ball hard towards an unprotected area of the boundary and the two very fleet-footed batsmen start running. The ball slows down as it approaches the boundary and the nearest fielder has quite some way to run before reaching it. By the time he does, the batsmen have run four and have set off for the fifth, and winning, run. The fielder, realising he cannot get the ball back in time to prevent them completing the run, deliberately propels it over the boundary before the run is completed. Thus only four runs are scored and the batting side are deprived of their win. Does the batting side have any redress against the fielder's unfair action? I don't think so, but I could be wrong ...
Complain about this postAfter 28 test match innings, Monty Panesar has scored 124 runs at an average of 7.29. This got me thinking about who was England's worst ever batsman. I came up with Devon Malcolm who averaged just a shade over 6 after 58 innings. Is there anyone else who had a lower batting average than Devon after at least, say 50 innings?
Complain about this postAs I was unable to watch the final day at the Oval on TV I settled down to watch "Botham's Ashes" on DVD.
I was surprised to note that there were 6 bearded players in the Match at Headingly, of these 5 were playing for England - Botham, Gatting, Gooch, Old and Willey.
Have England ever had more than 5 bearded players in the same Test Match?
Has any other Test playing country?
Andrew Bauer
Complain about this postDubai, U.A.E.
in reply to 128 David Eddleston
here is a complete list of 99 and out scored in Tests
a very quick look shows at least Atherton, Richie Richardson and Ganguly have managed this feat twice
in reply to 130 John Crookes
Tufnell (59 inns) averaged 5.10
a full list of all players with more than 30 matches and low averages is here
in reply to 129 David W
surely the batting team score 8 (4 runs and 4 overthrows) thus winning the game..from law 19 part 6
"if the boundary results either from an overthrow or from the WILFUL ACT of a fielder the runs scored shall be
(i) the penalty for a No ball or a Wide, if applicable,
AND
(ii) the allowance for the boundary
AND
(iii) the runs completed by the batsmen, together with the run in progress if they have crossed at the instant of the throw or act."
Complain about this postAnswer to 128 & 129
Ian Blackwell of Somerset deliberately kicked the ball over the boundary in a championship fixture this season (I forget who against), as he thought the batsman would run five.
Complain about this postIn the event he was penalised by having five penalty runs awarded against his side (under law 42: fair and unfair play) - and the runs the batsman had already run were also allowed to stand.
Two questions really, which player has played Test Matches on the most different grounds and which has played under the most different Captains? I would hazard a guess at Steve Waugh and Inzamam-ul-Haq respectively.
Complain about this postBill,
In the third Test between England and India, there were 29 innings in double figures and 18 fifty partnerships. Is this an overall record for a Test?
Paul Varley, Swansea, UK
Complain about this postWhile watching the partnership between Ganguly and Dravid at the Oval a few days ago, I got thinking about what is the highest ever partnership where one batsman has scored all the runs or where one batsman has scored zero and the runs have come from the other end or from extras. The Dravid-Ganguly partnership had Ganguly and extras scoring over 95% of the runs.
Complain about this postIs Chris Tremlett the grandson of the old Somerset opener Maurice ?
Complain about this postIn reply to comments regrading John Tracois, a multiple record holder - this maybe another - I watched Brian Davison scoring 39 off a John Tracois over in a friendly between Leicestershire and Zimbabwe in 1983(-ish) - is this some sort of record, I have never seen it mentioned in records - I presume it is because the match was not considered as first class.
Complain about this postThis is one that has confused me for years. It is commonly accepted that the record for the number of consecutive Test centuries is 6 by Don Bradman from the 3rd Test against England in 1936/37 until the 4th Test against England in the 1938 series. But I don't think that's right.
Bradman missed the last match of the 1938 series through injury, so the 4th Test was his last before WWII interrupted Test Cricket. In his first Test after the war, Bradman scored 187 against England in 1948 series, and then scored 234 in the 2nd Test of that series. Therefore, shouldn't the record for consecutive Test centuries by 8 and not 6?
Complain about this postIn response to Mike Bullman. Yes, Chris Tremlett is indeed the grandson of Maurice. Maurice played 3 Tests with little succuss and 389 First Class matches with Somerset and Central Districts. Maurice scored 16 centuires in his 16,000 odd runs at an average a little over 25, and took 351 wickets at 30.
Chris Tremlett is also to the son of Tim Tremlett, who palyed 207 First Class matches with Somerset, averaging 21 with the bat (1 century) and 24 with the ball in taking 450 wickets. Tim Tremlett never played a Test, which is a shame, because I'd say it would be unique for a son, father and grandfather all to have played Test cricket.
Complain about this postAnd another one. I last played competative cricket for a competition involving State NSW Government Departments in 1991. It was a fairly big competition in which about 10 Gov't Departments provided three teams each, and we played each weekend at the historic Moore Park grounds in the shadows of the SCG - great days. We played with 8 ball overs, and I was wondering if this was the last reasonably well organised competition to use 8 ball overs.
Complain about this postJohn Crookes, I don't know about English cricketers, but the mighty Glenn McGrath began his 50th Test with a batting average of 5.9. He had a brilliant game with the bat in that match, finishing with a batting average of 6.13, scoring 14 runs without being dismissed. Sadly, McGrath ruined his record breaking run with a surge towards the end of his career, including a half century, at ended with an average of about 7.5.
I'd say Courtney Walsh is probably right up there with the worst average. I'd say the winner is probably one of the earlier bowlers in the days of uncovered pitches, but I doubt they would have played as many as 50 Tests.
Complain about this postBearders is not wrong. He states that there are five instances of double-centuries in consecutive test match INNINGS. Graeme Smith scored (a mere) 85 in the second innings of that first test at Birmingham before scoring the second double hundred in the second test.
Complain about this postI response to Dave Upton's question from 11 August 2007 about highest scores by a Test Nighwatchman, I beleive that this record is held by Australia's Jason Gillespie who scored 201 not out coming in at number three in the order against Bangladesh within the last year. I don't think he had ever previously scored a First Class ton (indeed not in ANY grade of cricket). It also appears that this match will be Gillespie's final Test appearance.
Complain about this postOn 17 August 2007 Stuart said that it was a shame that England bowler Chris Tremlett's father Tim never played a Test to complete a unique family treble with grandfather Maurice also appearing for England. However, had this occured it wouldn't be unigue. Former England Fast Bowler Dean Headley's father Ron played for West Indies in the early Seventies, while his grandfather George was one of the finest batsmen of his day whilst playing for West Indies in the Thirties.
Complain about this postre 129
they will score 9 if the batsman have crossed on their 5th run
8 if they have not crossed
14 if they have crossed on their 5th run and the umpire decides to envoke 5 penalty runs for unsportsmanlike behavior under law 42
13 as above but the batsman have not crossed
and 4 if the umpire is not an ACU&S or ECBOA member and not done their exams!!!
Complain about this postwhen was the last time an england x1 were all english born players.
Complain about this postReplies to 110, 112, 119, 121, 124, 130, 139
(110) - Ray Chamberlain
I can recall at least one incident off the top of my head. In the first Test of the 1932-33 Bodyline series, England needed only one run to win in their series. The run was scored by Sutcliffe, off the very first ball.
(112) Andy Mason
There are 11 known cases of a batsman having made a 'king pair', i.e. being out first ball in both innings.
William Attewell for England v Australia at Sydney in 1891-92
Bert Vogler for South Africa v Australia at Sydney in 1910-11
Tommy Ward for South Africa v Australia at Old Trafford in 1912
Colin Wesley for South Africa v England at Trent Bridge in 1960
Bhagwat Chandrasekhar for India v Australia at Melbourne in 1977-78
Gary Troup for New Zealand v India at Wellington in 1980-81
Dave Richardson for South Africa v Pakistan at Johannesburg in 1994-95),
Adam Huckle for Zimbabwe v Pakistan at Harare in 1997-98),
Ajit Agarkar for India v Australia at Melbourne in 1999-2000
Adam Gilchrist for Australia v India at Kolkata in 2000-01
Javed Omar for Bangladesh v India at Dhaka in 2007
(Article in 2004 for the first ten can be found at this link
(119) H. Thandi UK
There is nothing in the laws that prevents a bowler from changing the type of ball (i.e offspin, legspin, seam-up) during the over.
(121) Andrew Morrison
No. The side enforcing the follow on gets to bat their second innings last, i.e the fourth innings of the match
(124) Onslo Colley
First, the bowler is within his rights to move to mid-off before you can play the shot
Secondly, however, Law 40.1 states that "the wicketkeeper is the ONLY member of the fielding side permitted to wear gloves...if by his actions and positioning it is apparent to the umpires that he will not be able to discharge his duties as a wicket-keeper, he shall forfeit this right and also the right to be recognised as a wicket-keeper"
(130) John Crookes
Chris Martin of New Zealand has the lowest test average (minimum 30 innings) of 2.29 in 44 innings.
Meeting your qualification of 50 innings, Indian legspinner Bhagwat Chandrashekhar had an average of 4.07 after 80 innings.
For England , Phil Tufnell is the lowest, with an average of 5.1 off 59 innings. A full list of averages below 10 is here
(139) Stuart
The scorecard for the match you mentioned (last of the 1938 series) has Bradman in the playing XI and listed as absent hurt, with Australia fielding only 9 batsmen, and hence being all out after 8 wickets had fallen. (Fingleton was the other batsman listed as "absent hurt". I would think it should be 8 as well, since he didn't bat at all, but since it's "absent hurt" and not "did not bat" in the scorecard this is the only explanation I can think of for the record being listed as 6 instead of 8.
Complain about this postThanks to the answers to my questions, guys!
Complain about this post
Complain about this postIn your long years in the TMS box you would have had occasions when your score card differed from that of the official scorers. What do you do in such cases? How are these differences finally tallied? Has cricket scoring also advanced into the computer age?
with controversy over sledging and threatening behaviour during the recent test matches, what would the umpires do if a fielder is deemed to deliberately barge into a batsman, causing him to be run out - and has it ever occured in a test match .
Complain about this postHi Brien,
I believe this would come under 41(5) of the Laws of Cricket (Deliberate distraction or obstruction of the batsman). In the case you've cited, the umpire should signal dead ball and award five runs to the batting team. I stand to be corrected, however.
Complain about this postDear Bearders
After discussing Dravid's winning streak at the toss Vs England this summer I was hoping our luck will change in the next ODI.
What is the longest run of correct calls a team has enjoyed at the coin toss. Also has any captain been exceptionally lucky in his career by calling correctly more than probability would suggest possible.
Sam
Complain about this postCan I please ask why we have two England cricket teams !! ie... A Test Team and A One day side ??
Complain about this postAbout keepers bowling, Mark Boucher has a bowling average of 6.00 and has taken one wicket. So I would like to ask which wicket keeper has the lowest bowling average. And are there any keepers who have taken over 10 wickets (Tests & ODIs) and who are they.
Complain about this postDear Bill,
This season, Glamorgan have four players in their squad (Tom Maynard, Simon Jones, and David and Adam Harrison) who have all followed their fathers into the Glamorgan team. Is this a record for any county at one particular time? Another recent father/son combination for Glamorgan was, of course, Alan and Gary Butcher.
Complain about this postReplies
151 brien walker
Stuart in (152) is correct - the ball is dead and the batsman not out and five penalty runs awarded. I only want to add that the umpire would also award the run in progress whether or not the batsmen had crossed as well as all runs completed. i.e. if a batsman was obstructed just after he turned for the second run, the batting side would be awarded two (one completed, plus one started) plus five penalty runs for a total of seven.
153 Sam
Sam, I can't answer your question exactly as to which team has been the luckiest, but there have been eleven incidents of a single captain calling all five tosses in a five-match series correctly. The list is here
Gary Sobers appears twice on this list. He (27 toss wins from 39 tests) and Australian captain Arthur Hassett (18 toss wins from 24 tests) were probably the luckiest captains around. The statistical probability of a captain calling at least as many tosses correctly as these two did in their careers is a little over 1%.
155 Jimmy Chen
I don't know if it's a record, but West Indian batsman Clyde Walcott has kept wickets at Test level and has also taken 11 wickets while bowling, (none of these were taken while he was the designated wicketkeeper) at an average of 37. This is the only instance I could find of a Test-level wicketkeeper having ten wickets while bowling. Anyone know of any more?
The most wickets taken while being a designated wicketkeeper for the match is by English keeper Arthur Littleton who took 4 wickets at an average of 4.75 the only time he bowled in his Test career. This is the very first time a wicketkeeper bowled and is still by far the best bowling performance in a match by a keeper. I can't find any instances of a superior career bowling average for a keeper either.
Complain about this postMany thanks for an interesting column, Bill. My question is this: do you know which Test player has the biggest difference between their best Test score and their second-best Test score? Might Jason Gillespie may hold this record? Or possibly someone in Ancient Cricket History who just made a few Test hundreds, one of whch was a very big one?
Complain about this posti think there needs to be an admin/guardian of this blog to point out that the next one (152) has in fact started and that posts should go there
or maybe just a post with the new link?
it did in fact start 2 weeks ago!
/blogs/tms/2007/08/ask_bearders_152.shtml
i must say i only found it 'cos i went to the links section of the bearded wonders home page and clicked on the "stump the bearded wonder" link
maybe there is edition 153 out there but i haven't found it yet
Complain about this postReply- 154 Stephen
Stephen, Jason Gillespie's highest score was 201* and his second highest score was 54, so that the difference is 146. It's a pretty large gap but there are several batsmen with more - mostly batsmen with big triples.
Of the post-war era, Matthew Hayden stands highest on this list and second-highest overall with 177 runs between his 380 and his second-highest score of 203.
Top of the list is RE (Tip) Foster with his famous debut score of 287. His second highest score in his 8 matches was 51, for a massive gap of 236.
Complain about this postEngland lost only two wickets batting first in the first ODI v India. What is the fewest wickets lost by a team batting first in ODIs, and what are the highest/lowest scores achieved by teams only losing 2 wickets?
Complain about this postre: my post no. 160
Apologies for all the typos.
Complain about this postSteven's question was No. 158 not no. 154 and the difference between Gillespie's highest and second highest (201-54) is 147, not 146.
I've just had the pleasure of seeing Yorkshire score over 500 in a day's play at Scarborough in the LV County Championship. When was this last achieved and what's the highest ever in a day?
Complain about this postTony, this is an incomplete answer, as I'm not 100% sure of the details. The Australian team which toured England in 1948, captained by Don Bradman, scored something like 720 runs or thereabouts in a first class match against and English County Team. I' m not sure which team, although Yorkshire or Essex rings a bell. Bradman scored a ton, among others. I don't know if this has been subsequently beaten.
Complain about this postReply - 164 Stuart
Hi Stuart, you are correct - it was Bradman's Invincibles who scored 721 all out in a day against Essex. The record does indeed still stand.
Complain about this postIn reply to 128 - David Eddleston. I don't know about more than one player in the same match scoring 99's, but there is an example of the same player. Zimbawean wicketkeeper Wayne James scored 99 in the first innings, and 99 not out in the second innings of the same First Class cricket match.
Complain about this postBill cCn you tell me if my memory is playing tricks. I think I recall India opening a test match in England in the 60's with two spinners. Am I correct?
Complain about this postHi Bill, I remember once David Boon scored a hundred but his average actually went down. Is this possible? I’ve never heard of it since…
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128 david eddleston
As Porto Ian (Post no. 132) pointed out, several batsman have been dismissed for 99 twice in tests. The record is jointly held by the following:
Mike Atherton (Eng)
Greg Blewett (Aus)
Sourav Ganguly (Ind)
Salim Malik (Pak)
Richie Richardson (WI)
Michael Smith (Eng)
John Wright (NZ)
99 not out has been scored 5 times. Geoff Boycott has scored 99 and 99* (once each).
To answer the second part of your question, the record for the most 99s in one innings and one match occurred during the Eng vs Pak 3rd Test at the National Stadium in Karachi in 1972-73. Three 99s were scored, two of them in Pakistan's first innings, by Majid Khan & Mushtaq Mohammed. The third was by Denis Amiss.
161 Tony Pope
The fewest wickets lost by a team batting first in ODIs is two. The highest score achieved is India's 376/2 vs New Zealand in Hyderabad in 1999.
168 Paul
What you're suggesting can certainly happen.
If a batsman's average is over 100 before the start of the innings (not unheard of at the very start of a career), then being dismissed for 100 - or anything below his current average -would then certainly reduce the average.
However, this couldn't happened to David Boon in a Test as his career Test average never touched 50. It did happen to Vinod Kambli, whose average dropped from 136 to 133.80 in his sixth innings, a 125 against Sri Lanka at Colombo in 1993.
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