Plus: signing off with a double-century, post-war run machines, and the most expensive four-man bowling attacks
Steven Lynch10-Nov-2015In the Sharjah Test England fielded five bowlers who bowl with the hand opposite the one they bat with. Is this unique for a Test? asked Gerry Cotter from England
The England side for the third Test against Pakistan in Sharjah did include four men – James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali – who bat left-handed but bowl with their right, plus Samit Patel, a right-hand batsman but a slow left-arm bowler. I couldn’t think of any bigger numbers – but Travis Basevi, ESPNcricinfo’s database ace, unearthed a couple. As England’s first Test against India at Trent Bridge in 2014 meandered to a draw, Alastair Cook and Gary Ballance both had a trundle – and they each bowl right-handed but bat left. They joined Ali, Anderson, Broad and Stokes to make up the half-dozen. There was an earlier instance too. In the first Test against New Zealand in Moratuwa in 1992-93, Sri Lanka had six players who bowled with one hand but batted with the other: Don Anurasiri, Asanka Gurusinha, Dulip Liyanage, Arjuna Ranatunga, Hashan Tillakaratne and Jayananda Warnaweera. There are ten further cases of five (the first two by England in Pakistan in 1961-62), including two other recent instances by England: at Sydney in 2014-15 (Anderson, Broad, Stokes, Scott Borthwick and Boyd Rankin) and the Lord’s Ashes Test of 2015 (Ali, Anderson, Broad, Stokes and a solitary over from Adam Lyth). The figures only take into account matches in which the players concerned actually bowled.In the second ODI in Sri Lanka there were four run-outs in six balls at the end of West Indies’ innings. Was this a record? asked Raj Padmanathan from the United States
West Indies’ collapse at the end of their innings against Sri Lanka in Colombo last week was pretty sensational – four wickets fell to run-outs in the space of six deliveries. But there has been at least one spell of madcap running that beat this: during the 2011 World Cup one team lost four wickets to run-outs from three legal balls! This collapse came at the end of Netherlands’ innings against Ireland in their group game in Kolkata. With three balls left Netherlands were 304 for 6, but Atse Buurman was run out off the next delivery, a wide from Kevin O’Brien (305 for 7). The next ball was legal, but Pieter Seelaar was run out by a direct hit from John Mooney (305 for 8). Next ball, Adeel Raja was run out without facing (305 for 9), then Mudassar Bukhari slogged the last delivery away but was run out going for a second run (306 all out). The recent West Indian instance was actually the 58th instance of four run-outs in an innings in an ODI. There have also been ten cases of five, the first one being the most famous – by West Indies, with Viv Richards to the fore, against Australia during the first World Cup final at Lord’s in 1975. The next instance of five was not until 1987-88. For the full list, click here.Ravi Rampaul removed Kusal Perera for 99 in the second ODI in Sri Lanka. I think he had already dismissed someone else for 99 – does he hold the record? asked Naveen Raj from India
Sri Lanka’s Kusal Perera, caught by Carlos Brathwaite of West Indies during the recent match in Colombo, was actually the third batsman Ravi Rampaul had dismissed for 99 in ODIs. He also had Virat Kohli caught for 99 in Visakhapatnam in November 2013, then in March 2014 caught and bowled Jos Buttler for 99 at North Sound in Antigua. The only other bowler to inflict two 99s in ODIs is a rather unlikely name: Virender Sehwag trapped Matthew Hayden lbw in Bangalore in March 2001, and in August the same year Sanath Jayasuriya had made 99 when he was caught off Sehwag in the Coca-Cola Cup final in Colombo. Sehwag himself reached 99 against Sri Lanka in Dambulla in August 2010 – but he wasn’t out, and instead was stranded on 99 when the winning run came via a Suraj Randiv no-ball.Andy Sandham (right) scored 325 in the 1930 Timeless Test but was never picked for England again•Hulton ArchiveIs it true that Tom Graveney scored more first-class runs than anyone else after the Second World War? asked Kevin Wilson from England
Tom Graveney, who sadly died last week at the age of 88, scored 47,793 runs at an average of 44.91 in first-class cricket, after making his debut in 1948. That was the post-war record until 1986, but Geoff Boycott passed it that season – his last in first-class cricket – finishing with 48,426 runs at 56.83. Boycott lies eighth and Graveney ninth on the overall list of first-class runscorers; in tenth place is Graham Gooch, with 44,846 at 49.01. For the full list, click here.I noticed that when India scored 516 in Mohali in March 2005, Pakistan used only four bowlers. Is this a record? asked Vijay Bhatia from India
That Indian innings in Mohali in 2004-05, in which Danish Kaneria took 6 for 150 from 53.4 overs, was actually the second highest in Test history to be made against a four-man attack. In 1980-81, in Adelaide, Australia scored 528 against India – and Sunil Gavaskar used only four bowlers, with spinners Dilip Doshi and Shivlal Yadav sharing seven wickets in more than 90 overs. Sri Lanka also used only four bowlers as Pakistan made 500 for 7 declared in Lahore in 1981-82. For the full list, click here.Shoaib Malik made a double-century in what was eventually his final Test series. Did anyone reach 200 in their very last Test and then retire? asked Mike Rossman from England
Five players have scored double-centuries in what turned out to be their final Test match, although only one of them was known to be bowing out at the time. Seymour Nurse, the West Indian, hammered 258 in the third Test, in Christchurch, in 1968-69, having announced his retirement before the team arrived in New Zealand – and not even Garry Sobers could change his mind about carrying on. In 1934, Bill Ponsford made 266 in the final Ashes Test at The Oval – he shared a huge partnership of 451 with Don Bradman, who scored 244 – and, soon after his 34th birthday, announced his retirement, not long after the team arrived back in Australia. Andy Sandham made 325 – Test cricket’s first triple-century – against West Indies in Kingston in 1929-30, but that wasn’t a full-strength England side, and even a triple couldn’t win him a place in the 1930 Ashes series. Nearly 40, Sandham was never chosen again. In July 2002, Aravinda de Silva made 206 in Sri Lanka’s first Test against Bangladesh in Colombo, was rested from the second… and never played again. Finally Jason Gillespie famously went in as nightwatchman for Australia against Bangladesh in Chittagong in April 2006 – and settled in for nine and a half hours, extending his maiden century to 201 not out. But his bowling was on the wane, and Gillespie never played for Australia again.Send in your questions using our feedback form.
