Heath Streak has worked with and shaped Zimbabwe’s current crop of bowlers and the side will need him if they have to get the best of their bowlers

Firdose Moonda in Harare19-Apr-2013Heath Streak is no longer Zimbabwe’s bowling coach. Not officially, at least.After their attack flirted with handing over the advantage on the second evening, Streak, whose contract was not renewed for financial reasons, got on the phone. “I had chat with Brendan Taylor and some of the guys last night and just spoke to them about what had happened,” he said. “They were quite excited after getting a decent total, I think, and that showed in the bowling. They really just needed to bowl fuller and straighter.”Kyle Jarvis, Keegan Meth and Shingi Masakadza all became international cricketers under Streak’s watch. “They came with a lot of skill already and I worked on the specifics with them,” he said. For Jarvis, he concentrated on lengths, for Meth, on swing and Masakadza, consistency. Maybe all they needed was a reminder of those things from the person who taught it to them.They approached the third morning with a clear idea of what to do – dry up runs, frustrate the batsmen into making mistakes, wait for an opening and then push through. While the plan was working, and they carved up the Bangladesh line-up, Streak was talking to ESPNcricinfo. He grew more pleased by the minute and explained the reasons for the trio’s success, which was largely just a case of hard work paying off.Jarvis has been Zimbabwe’s stand-out bowler since their Test comeback. Then, he was raw and talented, now he is more polished. In the words of his captain Brendan Taylor, he is “the one player that has shown excellence” since his debut.Some of that improvement is down to the work he has put in the nets, and some of it to experience. Jarvis has played in all Zimbabwe’s six Tests since August 2011 and has experience from New Zealand’s first-class competition. He has a better understanding of his own game and his role as leader of the attack. He still goes wrong, as he did yesterday, when he persisted in pitching it up and so, offered too many driveable deliveries.This morning, he rectified that. His lengths were better, he forced the batsmen to play and he built pressure. He gave away one run in six overs through stifling lines, he aimed at the body and made clever use of the short ball.His wickets came after Meth and Masakadza had done the damage but he grabbed hold of the tail in an almost Dale Steyn-esque fashion. He served up the short ball to dislodge Nasir Hossain, a yorker to remove Enamul Haque Jr and another full ball for Rubel Hossain.Jarvis’ skill came because of what Streak said was a “better plan” from the whole attack. “Kyle has been doing a lot of work in terms of angles, depth of the crease and variations. It was nice to see that put into practice,” he said.It was equally rewarding for Streak to see Meth and Masakadza do the same. Neither of them were seen as automatic picks – Ed Rainsford led the first-class wicket-taking charge and Tendai Chatara performed well enough in West Indies to justify keeping his place – but their inclusion proved to be well thought out.Meth was chosen mostly because he had been swinging the ball well in the lead-up and was in good rhythm. Streak explained that the reason for choosing Masakadza over Chatara was about stamina. “Shingi has always been a wicket-taker but, on occasion, he has been expensive so we worked on that. The concern with Chatara may have been about his later spells, because he tends to tire.”With the ability to extract extra bounce through his height, Masakadza’s immediate threat is obvious. Streak hopes with his athletic build and batting promise, he could establish himself in the Zimbabwean Test side going forward.
The same could apply to Meth, who quickly adjusted from bowling too wide outside the offstump, to being more attacking. Combined with the movement he was getting, it looked likely Meth would break-through against batsmen who were increasingly unsure against the moving ball.When he did, it was in the midst of a marathon spell of 13 overs and when he was replaced, he looked as though he could keep going. Meth’s strength, both physical and mental, has always stood out for Streak and today it was on display for all to see. “I used to try and get more pace out of Keegan and use his body more because he has broad shoulders,” Streak said.Meth’s does not fully extend his arms when delivering the ball though, but it is deliberate. “He was worried about losing his swing and I can understand that because he has the extraordinary skill to move the ball both ways. He always felt he needed an opportunity and he hasn’t had that many to play for Zimbabwe. He felt that when he got one, he would do well,” Streak said.Meth made enough of an impression to show he deserved his chance by creating so many opportunities in the field. Twice, he got Mohammed Ashraful to top-edge to gully as he failed to adjust to the short ball in time to get his shot away; both times, the fielder was too deep to take the catch.Zimbabwe need a bowling coach for spotting things like that and to get the best out of their personnel. “Small things I guess, but I noticed when I was watching this morning,” Streak said. “If I’d been there, I would have had a word about it. I don’t mean to talk myself up but I’ve got the experience of coaching, captaining at different levels, international and county, and I feel like I can impart something.”Had the group Streak nurtured not produced such results, he may sound like nothing more than self-promoter but watching them suggests he made some difference. He has not been able to do that since March 31, when his contract expired and was not renewed.ZC have offered Streak a consultancy role but they cannot guarantee him a set number of working days or specific pay, which has forced him to stay out of the preparations for this series. Finances permitting at his franchise in Bulawayo, the Tuskers, he will continue to coach there. If not, he will be lost to Zimbabwean cricket and will be forced to find opportunities elsewhere.When that happens, he will probably not be available to answer questions on the phone. That will leave more than just the trio playing in this match without their mentor.
Brian Vitori and Tendai Chatara, who are in the squad, have also been groomed by Streak, as has the uncapped Michael Chinouya. Streak does not claim to have discovered them, just that he was part of the drive to tap into and develop Zimbabwe’s seam bowling resources.What they gained because of Streak’s efforts was seven quicks to choose from for this series, had Chris Mpofu not been injured. A few years ago, that would have been nothing but a dream. Without a bowling coach, the thought of having many more may dissipate into exactly that.

Fans might have wondered what would have been had the incorrect short-run call that went against Pakistan been amended in the tied ODI, but the right protocol seems to have been followed

Sidharth Monga20-Jul-2013In the 1987 World Cup, in a league match between India and Australia in Madras, Dean Jones hit Maninder Singh for what looked like a six over mid-off. Ravi Shastri, the fielder closest to the rope, though, signalled four to umpire Dickie Bird, who took his word. According to Jones, the hit had cleared the boundary by at least a metre, and their manager protested with the umpires during the innings break, who in turn consulted with the opposition captain Kapil Dev. Kapil allowed them to reverse the call; India’s target was adjusted to 271, and they managed 269 in the end.After Pakistan’s tie with West Indies, which involved an erroneous short-run penalty against Pakistan, the common refrain among fans was, if they could correct a decision back when Chennai was Madras, why not do it today when you have so many replays from so many different angles? The clamour had a point, in that a short run or a boundary call are special cases. They don’t affect the subsequent deliveries unlike an erroneous judgement on a no-ball or a wide. The same batsman remains on strike, and the same number of deliveries are required to be bowled in the over irrespective of the decision. Nor are short runs a subjective call, unlike wides.However, there is so much going against such a retrospective correction that the right protocol seems to have been followed although the decision made by the umpire was wrong. Law 27.9 states: “An umpire may alter his decision provided that such alteration is made promptly. This apart, an umpire’s decision, once made, is final.” Moreover, the India-Australia precedent from 1987 doesn’t stand any more. “There is no longer a provision for the TV umpire to change scores relating to boundaries retrospectively, and this principle applies to all runs scored off a ball,” an ICC representative told ESPNcricinfo.You can see the ICC’s logic. The most important aspect of any umpiring decision or a correction thereof, at least on paper, has to be fairness and consistency. Which by extension means the correction of a wrong short-run call should imply both to the times when a short run was missed and to an erroneous short run called in, say, the 49th over of a tight chase while bearing in mind that the play doesn’t stop for short-run calls and that the replays are provided in an ad-hoc manner by the host broadcaster and might take a few balls by which time the fielding captain would well be within his rights to protest. In this case, for example, the relevant replay was generated one delivery later.”The ability to change the scores retrospectively was removed several years ago,” the ICC said. “The ability for teams to lobby the referee and TV umpire for runs retrospectively raised some disconcerting possibilities. This is now simple: umpires use replays to make a call before the next ball is bowled, and that decision is final.” It does become a pain should any party seek a correction after the next ball has been bowled in the closing stages of a tense chase.The obvious counter to this would be a reference to Andy Flower, who presumably lobbied and famously got a run-out call against Ian Bell reversed in the Trent Bridge Test of 2011. That, though, was different. Firstly it involved a dismissal. Moreover, the cricket laws state that a fielding captain can withdraw an appeal until the next batsman has walked in.This argument around this short run – it would be naïve to believe it had any bearing on the end result, because West Indies would have chased accordingly if they were going after 231 as opposed to 230 – intensifies because the ICC has felt obliged to defend its systems in the face of umpiring mistakes made in a much more high-profile Test series in England. While making the defence, ICC chief executive David Richardson made an interesting revelation that the governing body is trialling a system wherein the third umpire can be shown prompt replays of every ball in order to see if he can review every aspect of every decision made on the field before the next ball is bowled.If that system had been in place, this short run wouldn’t have been a controversy, but in a practical world we are far off from any such possibility. Given the current technology, it is just not possible. “To review these run-changing calls thoroughly,” the ICC told ESPNcricinfo, “the TV umpire would need to not just review the calls that were made on field, but also the non-calls that could have changed the total if adjudicated correctly. This would need to be done fairly to both teams, and require review protocols to be established and followed each time. This option would slow the game considerably, and is currently not practical. Relying on ad-hoc replays from the broadcaster would create inconsistency.”Again, you can see the ICC’s point. It is not possible to fairly and consistently check every decision unless the TV umpire is being provided with instant replays in time to make a call before the next ball is bowled. And if you are going to correct a call in the first innings, you should be able to retrospectively make corrections in tense situations in the second innings too.Given that the technology is nowhere near adequate for such a practice to be in place, possibly the ICC can make an exception for calls on short runs? For how often do batsmen run short? Not even once a match on average. The uniqueness and rareness of the short-run decision might make for a special case, but when it comes to impact, a short run is even less consequential than a wide ball missed.

Australia’s Ashes performance wasn’t far off what was expected: a wholehearted, often impressive, bowling attack but an inconsistent batting order, although there are signs of promise

Daniel Brettig26-Aug-20139Ryan Harris
Harris arrived in England as an ageing, injury-prone selectors’ gamble, but he leaves as Australia’s undisputed best fast bowler, and among the top handful in the world. Concern about whether Harris would last the distance during this series were underlined by his omission from the team for the Trent Bridge Test, but from the moment he nipped out Joe Root and Kevin Pietersen on the first morning at Lord’s he has been consistently the most vexing opponent for Alastair Cook’s men. Other memorable spells at Old Trafford and Durham should have been rewarded with victories. Harris also threw himself around the field and fought hard with the bat. Nearing 34, he looms as a pivotal player Down Under over the forthcoming Ashes bout; Australia will preserve him for as long as they possibly can.7.5Peter Siddle
There is nothing so reliable in Australian cricket as the sight of Siddle steaming in, giving his all for the national team and searching batsmen’s reserves of technique, application and courage. Unlike previous Ashes series, he has also done so with exceptional skill as well as persistence, his use of the crease a particular highlight. On the first day of the series it was Siddle who set the tone for Australia’s bowlers by plucking five wickets and showing England’s batsmen could be restricted. He has kept fighting every innings since, even if his returns have tailed off slightly due to the accumulated fatigue of five Tests. Among the pacemen, only the exceptionally durable James Anderson has bowled more overs. He can expect to more of the same this southern summer.7Chris Rogers
Handpicked for English conditions after waiting what seemed to him an eternity for a proper chance at Test cricket, Rogers has not let Australia down, placing the highest price on his wicket and consistently forcing the hosts into second and third spells to dislodge him. Save for a poor Test at Lord’s, his quality has been demonstrated by a range of innings from a startlingly fluent 84 in Manchester to a wonderfully dogged first century in Durham. Rogers has also been largely adept at his use of the DRS to escape close calls. Problems against Graeme Swann have been noticeable, and will be the major hurdle for him to overcome between now and the return series, where he will continue a remarkably late blooming Test career.Steven Smith
Not chosen in the initial squad because it was felt his technique would not stand up to English pitches and seam bowling, Smith found his way into the team via a combination of Michael Clarke’s dodgy back and his own strong scoring for Australia A. His contributions have been spotty at times, but have consistently improved, from a handy half century in Nottingham to a stirring first century at the Oval. Smith’s legspin provided three surprise wickets at Lord’s and he has fielded with typical enthusiasm. Most importantly, he has shown as a young player that he is learning how to cope with top quality bowling. A prospective leader now guaranteed to bat in the top six at the Gabba, Smith is the major long-term positive to arrive for Australia this year.Nathan Lyon did not start the series but his performances showed he should have done•Getty Images6Nathan Lyon
Took his omission from the first Test team with rare grace, a reaction that would look all the more admirable when he did finally get the chance to bowl in the third match of the series. With the help of Clarke’s empathy and tactical sharpness, Lyon has steadily developed into an offspin bowler of high quality, and to watch him duel with Kevin Pietersen at the Oval was to see that he is far from outmatched in such rare company. For his sake it is to be hoped that Australia’s selectors recognise this and cease second-guessing him, as they did in India and again at the start of the Ashes.Brad Haddin
Called into the team as Clarke’s best lieutenant and also an accomplished performer in each of the past two Ashes series, Haddin very nearly stole the Trent Bridge Test from under English noses with a fearless innings on the final morning. That he did not weighed heavily on the vice-captain, and his batting contributions were not so strident thereafter. However, he caught well with one or two exceptions, surpassing the selector Rod Marsh’s record for dismissals in a series, and provided a valuable leadership presence both on the field and off it. Towards the end of the series he stated his desire to keep playing until the 2015 World Cup; if he can keep scoring runs it is a realistic goal.5.5Michael Clarke
Whether cracking a century at Old Trafford, leading with typical alertness or catching most chances at slip, Clarke performed creditably at the head of a poorly performing team. But he has also shown signs that the batting mastery of 2011-12 has faded, as much because of an increasingly dodgy back as England’s considered plans for him. Stuart Broad was a consistent source of trouble, while James Anderson also saved his best ball of the series for him at Trent Bridge. A desire to bat at No. 5 forced numerous shuffles around him, and he ended the series at No. 4 anyway. Clarke has looked crestfallen at times on the tour, as he did in India, for he knows that however he performs individually, the team’s results will define his legacy. The home summer affords an opportunity to ensure it does not slip away.5Shane Watson
Even for a figure as polarising as Watson this was a more enigmatic series than most. Starting as an opening batsman, ridiculed for his lbw frailty, demoted to No. 6 while bowling steadily, injured and recovered then clattering his finest Test century at the Oval, he was never far from a headline. Despite that final innings, Watson’s series was largely disappointing because when the destination of the Ashes was still to be decided, he was nowhere, repeatedly betrayed by his ever-so-prominent front pad, more often than not by the undersung Tim Bresnan. But he has learned valuable lessons that he may be able to use during the return matches in Australia. Watson will start at No. 3 in Brisbane on the strength of his Oval knock, and Australia will hope he can repeat it with the urn on the line.Ashton Agar’s Test debut was a wonderful story, but his bowling wasn’t up to the task•Getty ImagesMitchell Starc
He may not appreciate it now, but Mitchell Starc is being steadily groomed for a long and fruitful international career. His bowling can be extraordinary at times and decidedly ordinary at others, and he retains the ability to remove the best batsmen. Australia have maintained a policy of playing him in alternate Test matches, something that has so far kept him from too much injury harm while also allowing him to grow gradually more consistent. The improvement has been more incremental than dramatic thus far, and he will hope to push on during the home summer, where he flirted with a match-winning display on the first morning against South Africa in Perth last season before losing his form dramatically in the second innings. Whether Starc does graduate from alternate to permanent next series or not, there is plenty to work with.Ashton Agar
An innings of a lifetime in Nottingham made Agar an instant celebrity, before his embryonic left-arm spin was shown to be a long way from the finished article. Given the loose-limbed elegance and poise he showed in the aforementioned 98, it was possible to wonder whether Agar is more likely to develop as a batsman rather than a bowler. Either way, he has plenty of talent, but it was fair to conclude that his call-up had arrived a little too soon. Agar is unlikely to figure in the return series, as he fashions his game in domestic competition and decides where exactly in the team his future may lie.Phillip Hughes
The curious selection decisions that have surrounded Hughes’ still young career continued when he was dropped a Test match after a most composed unbeaten 81 at Trent Bridge, in the Michael Hussey middle order role he had prepared for in the lead-up matches. While Hughes’ technical pops and ticks are well known, he thrives most of all on confidence, and having gained plenty in Nottingham, it ebbed away again as he sat on the boundary’s edge for three Tests. It remains to be seen whether he is still part of the selectors’ plans for the home summer, but Hughes has reason to feel a little hard done by on the flight back to Australia.James Pattinson
Before the series Pattinson was billed as the leader of Australia’s attack, his older brother Darren’s unhappy and brief England career a potent backstory. He seemed somewhat overawed by the task with the ball in his hands at Trent Bridge and Lord’s, bowling one or two excellent spells amid many rather more indifferent ones. But his desire to succeed could never be questioned, and his doughty batting at No. 11 in both matches won plenty of admirers. A back injury then curtailed his tour, but he remained a part of the squad on tour, and if fit will be a central part of the team to line-up in Brisbane.Another false start: Usman Khawaja finished another series outside the XI•Getty Images4Usman Khawaja
Finally granted the sorts of opportunities he had been waiting for, under the wing of a coach he admires in Darren Lehmann, Khawaja failed to take them. There was one horrible shot followed by a substantial knock at Lord’s and one ghastly decision to end his innings at Old Trafford, but the overall impression was of a batsman looking at home but then finding ways to get out. His departure at Durham, missing a straight ball from Graeme Swann, may be the last glimpse of Khawaja at Test level for some time, until he can regain the habit of making hundreds.David Warner
A pair of firm innings at the top of the order have probably shored up Warner’s position as Rogers’ opening partner when the Ashes contest resumes in Australia, but they served also to remind observers of what the tourists had lost with his hare-brained swipe at Joe Root in a Birmingham bar. He can never be so wasteful again or risk an international career that should be punctuated by the sorts of shots he reeled off in the second innings at Chester-le-Street, when he momentarily filled England’s bowlers with rare doubt.Jackson Bird
A worthy back-up to Harris, Siddle and Pattinson, Bird delivered some decent bowling stints in Durham but will be remembered most for being coshed for crucial runs by Bresnan on the fourth morning. His seam and swing is decent enough but he may need to find another gear in future – this may be provided in the short-term at least by the pacier pitches he will have to work with in Australia. He ended the tour complaining of back pain, but will remain part of the team’s impressive and important pace bowling depth.James Faulkner
Straining for a chance all series, Faulkner finally had one at the Oval where he did much as would have been expected. He batted unselfishly, bowled serviceably and spoke punchily, but overall looked fractionally short of the top rank. A little like Bird, Faulkner’s bowling record has been inflated by Australian domestic pitches malleable to his art, meaning he may be more dangerous to England at home than he was on the other side of the world.3Ed Cowan
One Test match, a bad stomach bug, a pair of heedless cover drives and a swift removal from the side was not how Cowan would have envisaged his Ashes. His hard graft in India seemingly forgotten, Cowan seems unlikely to be called upon again unless he can sway the selectors in the manner of Simon Katich by compiling record tallies of domestic runs.This feature is in association with .

Players who burned bright briefly? Here you go

Andy Zaltzman01-Oct-2013The Confectionery Stall Editorial Board has decided that, having watched approximately ten balls of cricket in the past five weeks, this week’s blog should consist of the All-Time Test Match Flash-In-The-Pan XI. As has become traditional with Confectionery Stall XIs, the wordcount has ballooned, so it will appear in two parts.If you can contain your excitement, here are the qualification criteria:* A minimum of nine Test matches. Candidates must have played enough matches to have proved that the flash in their particular pan was a genuine one-off micro-flambé. The nine-match qualification standard was selected because most of the Confectionery Stall’s all-time favourite cricketers have had at least nine toes.* Players must have had one performance that stands out from the rest of their careers, like Daniel Barenboim playing a Beethoven piano sonata in a primary school concert for dangerously unmusical children. This could be a single innings or a single series. It is not enough for a player to have had one statistically stellar series, if he spoilt it with several useful ones, or to have had a Vaughanically good six-month statsblitz, unless that peak is unsullied by reasonably proportioned numerical foothills. We are looking for bona fide bolts from the statistical blue.* Players must have verifiably completed their Test careers, by doing one or more of: (a) retiring; (b) dying; (c) having rendered themselves eternally unselectable through persistent failure to replicate their pan-flash; or (d) run away and joined the circus (an actual circus, not just the IPL).* The selectors’ decision is final. All complaints to be addressed in neat handwriting to Mr BK Moon, c/o The United Nations, New York, in an envelope marked: “There’s More To The World Than Sorting Out Wars, Big Horse.”Part One: Numbers 1 to 61. Joe Darling (Australia): 537 runs at 67, including three hundreds, in the 1897-88 Ashes. Rest of career: 1120 runs, average 22, in 29 Tests, highest score 74
Darling was the first man to score three centuries in a Test series. Sixty-six other players have done so since (on a combined total of 105 occasions). Darling is one of only two who have never made another Test hundred. (The other is Denis Lindsay.) (See below.) He played in six other Ashes series, and did not average over 30 in any of them. A flash-in-the-pan pioneer, he combined a decade of numerical mediocrity with a sudden outbreak of unprecedented bat-raising brilliance.2. Andrew Sandham (England): Scored 152, 51, 325 and 50 in the first and fourth Tests in West Indies in 1930. Rest of career: 301 runs at 15.8 in 12 Tests
Few have managed to flash themselves in cricket’s pan in their final throes as a Test cricketer. Usually the mere fact of having done something incredible earns the pan-flasher the right to return to the humdrummery whence he emerged, enabling his Kilimanjaro of personal success to stand proudly above his otherwise Belgian statistical lowlands.Sandham, however, clocked out of Test cricket in style. His ten Tests in the early 1920s brought him an average of 19 and a highest score of 58. After five years out of the England team, watching Hobbs and Sutcliffe carve themselves into immortality, he returned for England’s first Test tour of the West Indies, in 1930. He scored 152 and 51 in the first Test in Barbados, before proving that his previous travails were no fluke by scoring 0, 5, 9 and 0 in the next two matches. Then, in the fourth and final Test, he scored Test cricket’s first triple-century, followed by 50 in the second innings.Hobbs and Sutcliffe returned for the 1930 Ashes, and Sandham’s England career was finished. He remains the only man to have scored a triple-hundred in his final Test. As the old saying goes: “It is better to have scored a triple-hundred and lost your place in the Test side than never to have scored a triple-hundred at all.”3. Frank Hayes (England): 106 not out on debut v West Indies in 1973; did not reach 30 in 15 subsequent Test innings
Scoring a debut century against West Indies might seem like a good career move for an aspiring batsman, but it used to be the kiss of death for a player’s Test career. Three men did it before 1975. None ever scored as many as 60 again. Hayes was the third of these, hitting an outstanding unbeaten hundred in the second innings of his debut as England sank to defeat against Kanhai’s West Indians.In his next innings, he ground his way to a painstaking 29 off 149 balls, which proved to be his second-best Test score. His final 14 innings (all, perhaps foolishly, against West Indies) brought six ducks and only two scores over 12.Not many batsmen can claim that they bagged a duck in two-thirds of their Test matches. Then again, not many batsmen can claim that they scored their country’s only hundred in a Test series against West Indies.Hayes was the 14th Englishman to make a debut Test hundred. He was the seventh of them to never reach three figures again, and only one of those 14 – Peter May – went on to score more than two Test tons. There was a 20-year debut-centurion hiatus whilst the issue was rectified by the ECB, since when Thorpe, Strauss, Cook, Prior and Trott have thankfully bucked the trend, and bucked it hard.

No Test centurion classed as a specialist batsman has played more than Maitland Hathorn’s 20 Test innings without reaching 50 at least once. Assuming you do not consider Ajit Agarkar to have been a specialist batsman. Which is a matter for the courts to decide upon

4. Faoud Bacchus (West Indies): 250 in the Kanpur Test, February 1979. Otherwise: 532 runs at 18.3 in 18 Tests
Question 1: what have only Jack Hobbs, Bill Ponsford, Don Bradman, Denis Compton and Faoud Bacchus ever done in the history of Test cricket?Answer: Been out hit-wicket after scoring more than 150.Question 2: What have only Jack Hobbs, Bill Ponsford, Don Bradman and Denis Compton ever done in the history of Test cricket?Answer: Been out hit-wicket after scoring more than 150, but also scored other Test hundreds, and become immortal cricketing legends.Question 3: What have only Wasim Akram and Faoud Bacchus ever done in the history of Test cricket?Answer: Made 250 in an innings but ended with a career batting average below 30.Question 4: What has only Wasim Akram ever done in the history of Test cricket?Answer: Made 250 in an innings and ended with a career batting average below 30, but also taken more than 400 Test wickets. And scored two other hundreds.Question 5: What have only Rohan Kanhai, VVS Laxman, Younis Khan, Virender Sehwag, Mahela Jayawardene, Hashim Amla and Faoud Bacchus ever done in the history of Test cricket?Answer: Scored 250 or more in a Test innings in India.Question 6: What has only Faoud Bacchus ever done in the history of Test cricket?Answer: Scored 250 or more in a Test innings in India, without also scoring at least 14 other Test hundreds and having a career average of more than 45.But for his Kanpur monolith, Bacchus – who also scored two of his three half-centuries in the same series – would have the 474th best average of the 477 batsmen who have batted 25 or more times in the top six in Test cricket, ahead only of three Bangladeshis. Of course, but for that innings, he would not have batted more than 25 times in Test cricket. Nevertheless, Bacchus still managed more Test hundreds than Jupiter, Neptune, Mars and Apollo combined, which is some consolation.5. Maitland Hathorn (South Africa). Scored 102 against England in Johannesburg in 1905-06. Otherwise, in 19 innings in 11 Tests, averaged 12, with a highest score of 45
Selected for two reasons. Firstly, I had never heard of Hathorn until I started writing this article. There are not many Test cricketers of whom I have not heard in my disastrously mis-spent 32 years as a cricket obsessive. Hathorn thus had my full, undivided attention. And secondly, no Test centurion classed as a specialist batsman has played more than Hathorn’s 20 Test innings without reaching 50 on at least one more occasion. Assuming you do not consider Ajit Agarkar to have been a specialist batsman. Which is a matter for the courts to decide upon.6 and wicketkeeper. Denis Lindsay (South Africa): 606 runs at 86 in the five-Test 1966-67 series against Australia. Rest of career: 524 runs at 22 in 14 Tests. Next highest series tally: 123 runs
Lindsay played in six Test series for South Africa. He made his five highest scores, including his three hundreds, in just one of them, against Australia in 1966-67. His performance in that series stands out from the rest of his career. Sort of how it would have been if the Rolling Stones had released album after album of farmyard noise impressions either side of their 1972 masterwork . Furthermore, Lindsay took 24 catches in the 5 Tests in 1966-67. His next highest series tally was 10.Lindsay was one of only three wicketkeepers in the first 115 years of Test cricket to don the gloves in ten or more Tests and to average 40 or more with the bat (alongside Les Ames and Clyde Walcott). However, if you discount his one big series, his average bobsleds downwards from exactly 40 to 21.8, and in the list of the 100 men to have kept wicket ten or more times in Tests, he plummets from eighth (just behind Prior and Sangakkara, just ahead of MS Dhoni) to 57th (gazing up longingly at the likes of Geraint Jones and Nayan Mongia, communing with Lee Germon).Next time: numbers 7 to 11. Including Ajit Agarkar. Obviously. First name on the teamsheetOver the next few weeks, I’ll be blogging and videotically diarising about my cricketing stand-up tour around India, which begins with shows at the Canvas Laugh Factory in Mumbai (3rd to 6th)

It is unclear what West Indies have really learned from Kolkata. Their batsmen remain distracted. Their bowlers continue to spray the ball all round. And their captain has failed to lead by example

N Hunter14-Nov-2013Empty words. That is what Darren Sammy has delivered so far not only to the fans in the West Indies, but also the general cricketing crowd. For three innings in a row this series, the West Indies batsmen have displayed an utter lack of application and a level of patience thinner than that of a toddler. To say that West Indies would be somewhere else rather than playing the farewell series for Sachin Tendulkar would not be inaccurate.Of course, every member of the West Indies squad has said that it is a privilege to play in Tendulkar’s final series. Yet if they really understood Tendulkar, they would pay their respects with a hard fight and not the limp and lame manner in which they have fought in the four days of Test cricket played so far. In the nets, Tendulkar hates a distracted bowler. For him commitment to the game has always come first.Darren Sammy’s innings lasted just two balls, ending in a slog sweep that caught the leading edge•BCCISeventy eight, 54.1, 55.2 are the number of overs West Indies have lasted in their three innings in Kolkata and today in Mumbai. The Kolkata Test ended in three days. Already there is talk about this one, too, not lasting the distance.No one was a bigger culprit today than Sammy. He had just played one ball, against R Ashwin. The previous delivery Narsingh Deonarine had been caught brilliantly at short gully. West Indies had already lost all their specialist batsmen except Denesh Ramdin. They had not played even 50 overs while they were yet to reach the 170-run mark. The ball was turning big. Yet Sammy slog swept Ashwin’s next delivery, another turner, with a face that declared a pre-determined intent to clear the ground, except the leading edge did not even cross the 30-yard circle. A member of the West Indies management clearly showed his frustration at the selection of the captain’s shot.What really was Sammy thinking? Did he even consider playing the situation? What happened to his statement after the Kolkata defeat about learning from the pair of Rohit Sharma and Ashwin, whose record double-century partnership, had punctured West Indies’ spirits decisively.Sammy’s position in the team had already been questioned going into the match. Michael Holding, former West Indies fast bowler, speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s Match Point was categorical in saying Sammy did not deserve to hold a place in the team as an allrounder. According to Holding, Sammy could not adapt to the demands of a Test batsman while as a bowler he was mediocre. Just being a cheerleader, Holding pointed out, was not helping West Indies win matches.To defend himself Sammy might send this retort to Holding: he averages 25.4 when he comes in to bat with West Indies five down or more for less than 200 runs. This is more than his career average of 21.60. His solitary Test century and three of his four half-centuries have come in these innings. But ridiculous shot selections like today and in Kolkata just diminish the importance of those numbers.Regardless, the question about his worth in the Test team will not die down. Sammy is an impressive leader in the shorter formats where his players like to express themselves in the manner they like – be aggressive. Sammy himself contributes in all three departments with influential performances, but in the Tests he does not have the same kind of respect, the same level of influence that he can extract the best out of his players.West Indies’ last six wickets have averaged 11.38 in this series – the lowest they have averaged for their last six wickets in any series in Tests. Sadly, all the main batsmen for West Indies, men who have the ability to have an impact on the match, have failed miserably.Chris Gayle is playing his 99th Test. Sadly, he has sleepwalked so far on this tour. Darren Bravo once again got the start but threw it away with hanging his bat to a turning away delivery against Ashwin.Marlon Samuels was made to look like he was walking over a bed of hot coal by Mohammed Shami today. In Kolkata it was the reverse swing that Samuels found hard to negotiate. On a hard Wankhede pitch, Samuels was at large trying hard to figure out which way Shami was moving the ball. In the end, Samuels charged two successive balls but it only turned out to be a hit-and-miss exercise.Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s 150th Test was ruined as he failed to counter the away swing and seam movement that Bhuvneshwar Kumar got off the pitch and in the air. Chanderpaul in the end was squared up and edged to slips.Ramdin can watch himself in the mirror and get embarrassed at the moment he decided to unfurl the piece of paper on which was scribbled in capital letters: ” “YEH, VIV, TALK NAH.”” after scoring a century in the Edgbaston Test against England in 2011. Ramdin apologised immediately to Richards, who had been critical of the Trinidadian for being inconsistent. Ramdin has just one century after that match, against Bangladesh.Even the tailend pair of Tino Best and Shane Shillingford today played irresponsibly to get out when they had seen Ashwin, India’s No. 8, score a match-turning century.It is unclear what West Indies have really learned from Kolkata. Their batsmen remain distracted. Their bowlers continue to spray the ball all round. Their captain is under pressure. To make matters worse, West Indies do not have a batting coach after Toby Radford joined Glamorgan recently.Sammy and West Indies might point out that they have not played Test cricket after March. But it’s the same case with India. So clearly it is a question of adapting in the mind and being ready than trying to look for reasons.
After their victory in the World T20 and Test victories against New Zealand (home), Bangladesh (away) and Zimbabwe (home), there has been talk about West Indies, now No. 6 on the ICC Test rankings, being on the road to recovery. But have West Indies really turned the corner?

Maharashtra’s Kedar Jadhav has passed 1000 runs for the season. The aggressive batsman has understood the importance of defence, thanks to his coach, and it was his composure that helped him outclass Mumbai

Amol Karhadkar in Mumbai 12-Jan-2014Coming into the ongoing domestic season, Kedar Jadhav had four first-class centuries to his name, including the mammoth 327 against Uttar Pradesh in 2012-13. That number has gone up to nine, with his match-winning hundred against Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final being his fifth of the season.Jadhav’s unbeaten 120 at the Wankhede Stadium took his Ranji tally for the season to 1034 runs. And with potentially two more matches for Maharashtra, he can not only surpass Dheeraj Jadhav’s record of 1066 for the most runs in a Ranji season for Maharashtra but also pose a threat to the all-time top three run-getters in a Ranji season – VVS Laxman (1415, in 1999-00), Vijay Bharadwaj (1280, in 1998-99) and Wasim Jaffer (1260, in 2008-09).Jadhav has always had a reputation of being an aggressive batsman. He’s gifted with an exceptional ability to read the length of the ball and hand-eye coordination. He has, therefore, been billed as a limited-overs’ specialist. He has shown glimpses of his abilities against reputed bowlers during his limited opportunities in the IPL and for India A in 50-over games.Besides his consistent scores, an equally impressive factor about Jadhav’s batting is his scoring rate. While his record 327 against Uttar Pradesh had come off just 312 balls, his 1000-plus runs this year have come at a strike rate of 80.40.The big difference in his technique this year has been his ability to defend balls. Jadhav credits Maharashtra coach Surendra Bhave for making him realise the importance of it. It started two years ago when Bhave, then a Maharashtra and national selector, managed Torna Tigers in the Maharashtra Premier League.”Players like Kedar who are extremely talented don’t usually pay heed to anyone else’s advice. He is an exception,” Bhave told ESPNcricinfo. “Since we knew each other for long and we had an opportunity to work together for a considerable amount of time, I could make him realise the important of forward defence.”Once Bhave took over as coach midway through the last season, the duo started working virtually on a daily basis. During the off-season, Bhave spotted the problem in Jadhav’s technique, which wasn’t just about forward defence. The root cause was the “lack of a forward stride that had found him wanting in pace-friendly conditions”. Once the problem was identified, the measures were easy.Jadhav admitted that he felt at his best at the start of the season. “Once the technical modification had been done, I was feeling much more confident going into the season. I knew I could build an innings and bat long all through the season,” Jadhav said.When he travelled to Mumbai along with his team-mates, his 863 runs till then wasn’t enough to convince the experts since they were scored “in Group C”, the lowest tier of the Ranji Trophy. Not many realise that while the quality of bowling is not the best in Group C, the conditions are also far from favourable at most venues.However, he showed his prowess in his first opportunity against a more superior attack. Though his 51 in the first innings at the Wankhede was scratchy, his unbeaten 120 in the second was the opposite. What stood out in his century was his composure. He and Vijay Zol, who made an unbeaten 91, had been instructed not to fiddle away with anything that was pitched outside off for the first 90 minutes. While Zol almost frittered away the opportunity, dropped at point trying to chase Abhishek Nayar, Jadhav put him right. It was remarkable to see Jadhav being patient till lunch and then exploding after the break.He scored just 35 runs in his first 77 balls after lunch and then smacked 85 off 67 in the second session to help Maharashtra overhaul a stiff target of 252 on a seamer-friendly track. And the 28-year-old had no qualms in admitting his knock could well be a milestone in his career. “This was an innings which had required everything that I have been working on to be put to test. And I am glad it all came good when it mattered the most. This has further boosted my confidence,” he said.Asked about his aspirations, Jadhav, the youngest of four children of a retired clerk from the state electricity board, said: “All I hope is to continue in the same vein, help my team’s cause as much as I can and make my father and coach proud.”

Pakistan had not chased a target of more than 250 successfully since February 2011. They came close today, but collapsed in a heap

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Fatullah25-Feb-2014When teams face challenging targets, sometimes all it takes for the chase to swing decisively their way is a couple of big overs. Clinical finishers recognise this and bat sensibly, turning the strike over and putting away bad balls, even as the required rate mounts. They know the pressure will tell on the bowling side. They know the big overs will come.Having come together with 176 required off 159 balls, Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal were approaching the chase of 296 in just that spirit. They rotated strike, and picked off bad balls, and had put on 61 in 69 deliveries when they took the batting Powerplay. Pakistan, at that stage, needed 115 from 90.The five Powerplay overs brought Misbah and Akmal 33 runs. Only 14 of these runs came in boundaries, each of which was either the result of poor bowling or calculated risk. Misbah flicked a leg stump half-volley from Lasith Malinga past short fine leg and dumped a flighted delivery from Sachithra Senanayake, with the turn, over deep midwicket. Akmal gave himself room to launch the spinner past the unmanned deep extra-cover boundary.Those 33 runs brought the equation down to 82 from 60. Both batsmen, by now, were well set. In the first post-Powerplay over, Akmal hammered Suranga Lakmal for two fours and a six, going past 50 in the process. In the next over, he lofted left-arm spinner Chaturanga de Silva over extra cover and late-cut him virtually from within the keeper’s gloves, to pick up two more fours.The two big overs had arrived. The momentum had swung Pakistan’s way. The stadium was only a third full, but most of that crowd seemed to be supporting Pakistan. Their chants filled the air. Their team now needed just 57 from 48.Most teams in the world that need 57 from 48 balls, with six wickets in hand and two half-centurions at the crease, would go on to win comfortably. With Pakistan, however, you never quite know. And this isn’t just recourse to the ‘mercurial Pakistan’ stereotype.Since February 2011, when Misbah scored an unbeaten 93 to guide them to a two-wicket win chasing 263 in Napier, Pakistan had lost every time when chasing a target in excess of 250 – 11 matches. In Fatullah they were in a position to end that unwanted streak. They needed 57 from 48, with six wickets in hand. Misbah was batting on 67, Akmal on 72.Lakmal had gone for 16 runs in his previous over. Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka captain, kept him on. Perhaps he had the inkling of a rash stroke from Akmal, who had exchanged words with Lakmal seven overs before. Third ball of Lakmal’s over, Akmal threw a diagonal bat at a wide length ball. Kumar Sangakkara snapped up the edge behind the stumps.At this point Pakistan needed a batsman with a cool head, a batsman who could bat sensibly, give Misbah the strike and calm things down. In walked Shahid Afridi. He slapped the seventh ball he faced straight into cover’s hands.Three balls later, Misbah holed out. Some situations can get to the coolest of heads. Out of nowhere, Lasith Malinga had two wickets in an over: a wide length ball slapped straight to cover, a length ball on leg stump hoicked to deep square leg. Pakistan were seven down.They still only needed 43 from 30, and all the Pakistan batsmen who had got out playing silly shots – all the way back to Sharjeel Khan and Sohaib Maqsood earlier in the innings – will have had a sick feeling in their stomachs when two fluky, edged boundaries from Saeed Ajmal brought their target down to 17 from 12.It wasn’t to be, of course, but it could have been, so easily. Instead, Pakistan suffered a 12th straight defeat in a 250-plus chase.”The way Umar and I had a partnership going, if we had just played out the overs the match was easy,” Misbah later said. “Only a wicket could get them back in the game, and that is the mistake we made.”

Familiar conditions and an encouraging first-innings display show signs that Bangladesh can save the Test, but their history of fourth-innings failures suggest otherwise

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong07-Feb-2014Survival on the final day will hinge on whether the Bangladesh batsmen are willing to get their hands dirty and to let the survival instinct take over their natural instinct to play their shots. They don’t like to make too many adjustments, but they have to find their own way to save the Test match.Coach Shane Jurgensen has already asked his batsmen to show intent, not just by cutting out cross-batted shots but by also finding a balanced approach. He also warned against giving away wickets at critical moments or in clusters, as they did in the first innings.”The exact word is intent,” Jurgensen said. “On this wicket, you can’t block and survive and at the same time look to hit balls that are on a length on middle stump. If it gets difficult, we have to get through those [periods]. As a batting group, get down the other end. We need to be patient and bat the whole day. We have to learn from the two greats [Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene], and we have to do it ourselves.”We have a young team and we don’t do it consistently enough. We have to rotate the strike and do the basics well. It is something we are continuing to work on. We have a couple of 500s in the last 12-18 months. It is happening a lot more, but we have to work on the critical moments of the game. We are not quite assessing those times. We lose wickets in patches. We get out around breaks. We lack that polish, the experience.”Jurgensen said the umpiring has been frustrating the players, but asked them not to force the issue at important times in the game. “I think there is no doubt that some decisions haven’t gone our way,” he said. “It is a bit disappointing. We need to look forward, have some sort of a plan to come around it. I have seen for more than two years now that unfortunately, things don’t go our way.”It really affects the players. When there is a 50-50 call, as a batter you are worried about getting hit on the pads. It is trust. It gets missed when we have a Test series. It doesn’t help. When we have a young team, we need to handle those situations better. We might have had some decisions that didn’t go our way, but sometimes we play shots and I ask whether Nasir [Hossain] should have played that with four overs to go? It was a questionable decision but why are we playing that type of shot at critical times of the day?”Bangladesh’s track record in the fourth innings will not infuse them with too much confidence. They have been bowled out 12 times in 18 innings, and have lasted more than 90 overs on just three occasions. In their last five completed fourth innings, they have been bowled out three times, twice for under 200. The last time Bangladesh played more than 90 overs was against England in Chittagong three years ago.Since then, they have been bowled out for 244 against Zimbabwe in mid-2011, batting for just over a session on the final day in Harare. A few months later, they had a great opportunity to bat out the final day in Mirpur against West Indies but horrendous shots from Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim put paid to another potential Test draw. The following year, against the same opponents, their chase of 245 in the fourth innings was thwarted by Tino Best’s bouncer barrage.Bangladesh’s last instance of being asked to survive in the final innings of a game was a non-event, as they didn’t even get to the final day. They were crushed by Zimbabwe within a couple of sessions on the fourth day in Harare last April, making the 335-run loss their lowest point in 2013.This time they have the advantages of playing in familiar conditions, an encouraging first innings with the bat, and the fact that they have ten wickets intact as they enter the fifth day. A sound start, even if stroke-filled, from Tamim and Shamsur Rahman, would be acceptable but not so if they get into an “accident” as Shamsur said on the third evening. He meant a collapse, and if that happens, it will be over quickly.The pitch has been playing well except for a few spots from where the ball has tended to stay low. This is a relaid ground, having been used only for the last six months. The pitch is expected to hold firm, but the Bangladesh batsmen will have to be mindful of anything aimed at the stumps and keeping low. Everyone in Chittagong is aware of what will be required to save the Test on the final day.

As Bangladesh gears up for the home series against Sri Lanka, the Asia Cup and the World Twenty20, Tamim Iqbal says the team is more rounded now than ever

Mohammad Isam23-Jan-2014Tamim Iqbal plays two critical roles in the Bangladesh side, that of an opening batsman and a senior cricketer. Over the next three months, when Bangladesh compete in three significant events, he will be essential to a team that needs its stability to be painstakingly choreographed.Most of the factors that create equilibrium are coming together. Foremost is winning, and Bangladesh now do that quite regularly at home. There are more match-winners in the line-up too, which strengthens the team’s mood. Still, the captain Mushfiqur Rahim and coach Shane Jurgensen have to carefully orchestrate the environment inside the dressing room and out, and that is where Tamim comes in.Not only does he contribute top-order runs, Tamim is also a sounding board for the younger players and the go-to guy when the team needs a change of pace, socially.At the nets, Tamim is usually the centre of attention. The is incomplete without him. His sense of humour is well received and he can strike up a conversation with almost everyone. At the crease too, Tamim is a strong presence and is as street-smart as batsmen come. He is Bangladesh’s most successful opener and their third highest run-scorer in Tests.Tamim averaged 42 in 2013 with three fifties but is not happy about the lack of a hundred in Test cricket. He hasn’t scored one since June 2010 despite getting close a few times.”There’s no shortage of hunger on my part. I am making mistakes or maybe fate is playing a part in my quest for big scores,” Tamim said. “But still I have time in hand. I averaged 42 last year despite not getting to milestones.”I prefer that to averaging 25 after having scored a double-hundred. But at the end of your career the landmarks count and that’s what pleases you. So the next time I get close to a milestone I will be more careful.”Tamim has the responsibility of setting up a solid start or firing off a chase, usually with a new opening partner in every series. He batted sedately in his last Test innings and had to defend himself for his strike-rate, which actually helped the team. Two months have passed since his 70 off 218 balls forced a second consecutive draw against New Zealand, but Tamim doesn’t seem to be at ease with that performance.What calms him is that he did it because he had failed to play such an innings when Bangladesh were chasing 245 against West Indies and lost. “The manner in which we couldn’t chase 245 against West Indies in 2012 played in my mind on that day,” he said. “I don’t enjoy batting in that way, was never pleased. But I will always rate it highly because I batted for the team.”We failed to score 245, so that fear helped me bat differently. You can’t always bat as you like. Bowlers work on you constantly and as a result I have to step up every time. I was lucky to make 95 in the first innings, but at least I played my way. But starting well with the bat is very important for Bangladesh. If our top three clicks, a fantastic base is laid and we go on to do well.”Tamim has gone through several changes as a batsman and as a person and his attitude attracts many young players. He derives strength from his interactions with them, particularly those who work hard. “It is a two-way exchange even for a senior player,” he said. “I enjoy this role because when I see them train hard, work on their fitness night and day, I want to do the same. I would not want anyone to think that I am far behind. At the same time, when the younger guys see us, they want to follow our standard. I want to take the performance to a higher level so that the newer players have something substantial to aim at.”The likes of Mominul [Haque] and [Sohag] Gazi are helping us perform better as a unit. In the past a couple of players would perform, which never made it easy for us to win. You need one or two major performers and a few more who will support them. Now we have started to win games because the number of performers is more. Soon, I believe, the supporting cast would become the major performers.”A new guy tries to give his best, which makes me want to do better. These factors tell me that the Bangladesh team is at its best place in the last 7-8 years. Shane [Jurgensen] makes sure the group remains happy, and that is why we like him.”When he is not playing or practising, Tamim is probably the most socially active member of the Bangladesh team, trying out new restaurants and taking his team-mates out whenever possible. On tour this role becomes more vital because players spend all their hours in hotel rooms after training. Tamim would search for restaurants, in London or Harare, just so he doesn’t sit indoors all day.”When we are in the hotel, we talk about cricket or watch TV. We don’t drink or party,” he said. “When I go on holiday, I feel hungry when I come back after a week. I really feel that a short break from the game is necessary to improve motivation and hunger.Tamim believes staying fit over the next three months is vital for Bangladesh as they focus on the World Twenty20 at home. “The first thing is that everyone has to be fit. We will not get a minute’s rest in these three months,” he said. “Secondly, the biggest event is at the end of the three months. We have to do well in the World T20, and not just against Sri Lanka and the Asia Cup.”We have to be at our very best, because if we don’t we won’t be able to compete. We can’t win by playing a little poorly. Now we win when we play well. If everything goes well, we will have a fantastic three months.”He is glad that the weight of expectation is now shared by so many in the dressing room. Personally, Tamim wants to scale heights that are beyond the Bangladesh record books, but he also wants to remain the heart of the .

Also, two fifties and a five-for in a Test, most runs before turning 30, identical scores by openers, and most fifties in an ODI

Steven Lynch13-May-2014Is Jonathan Trott the only player to score more than 3500 Test runs without a six? asked Kayvon Besharatpour from Nigeria
Jonathan Trott has scored 3763 runs in Tests so far, without ever hitting a six. This is a record for a complete career (and, sadly, I suppose it is possible that Trott’s is indeed over). The Indian batsman Vijay Manjrekar scored 3208 runs without a six, and Glenn Turner of New Zealand 2991. However, there is at least one man who scored more runs in Tests before hitting a six: the obdurate Australian batsman Ian Redpath had scored 4460 runs before, in the 65th of his 66 Tests, he lofted the West Indian offspinner Lance Gibbs over the fence in Adelaide. He liked the feeling so much he did it again a few overs later, this time off the fast bowler Van Holder.Has anyone ever got two fifties and two five-fors in the same Test? asked Mark Long from England
No one has quite managed this prodigious all-round feat in a Test yet. The closest was by the New Zealander Daniel Vettori, who did his best to stave off an embarrassing defeat by Bangladesh in Chittagong in October 2008, following 55 not out with 76, and taking 5 for 59 and 4 for 74 in a match New Zealand ended up winning by just three wickets. Twelve other people have managed two half-centuries and one five-for in the same Test, most recently Shakib Al Hasan for Bangladesh against West Indies in Mirpur in October 2011. For the full list, click here.Who scored the most Test runs before his 30th birthday? asked Manek Bhasin from Mumbai
You probably won’t be terribly surprised to discover that Sachin Tendulkar leads the way here – he had scored 8811 Test runs, including 31 centuries, before his 30th birthday. Next comes Alastair Cook with 8047, before a trio of distinguished South Africans: Graeme Smith (7457), Jacques Kallis (7337) and AB de Villiers (6966). Tendulkar also leads the way in one-day internationals, with no fewer than 12,219 runs before turning 30: next come Yuvraj Singh (8051) and Sourav Ganguly (7732), then Kallis with 7703.What is the highest score made by both openers in the same innings? asked Martin Clarke from England
The Test record changed hands relatively recently, in November 2011, when Australia’s openers Shane Watson and Phil Hughes were both out for 88 against South Africa in Johannesburg. Previously the highest was 77, by Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes (who was not out) for West Indies v England at The Oval in 1988. Haynes also has a share in the one-day international record: he made 72 not out and Richie Richardson 72 against India in Sharjah in 1985-86. The highest score for which both openers have been dismissed in ODIs is 64, by Mudassar Nazar and Rameez Raja for Pakistan v West Indies in Sharjah in 1988-89. The current T20 international record is, rather surprisingly, higher than the ODI one: Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt both made 73 for Pakistan against Bangladesh during the World Twenty20 in St Lucia in May 2010.At Kingsmead in 1956-57, Hugh Tayfield bowled 137 consecutive deliveries without a run being scored off him – is this still a record? asked Michael Arnold
The South African offspinner Hugh Tayfield ended the first innings of the third Test against England in Durban in 1956-57 with 119 successive dot balls (he finished with figures of 24-17-21-1) and added 18 more in the second innings before finally conceding another run, making a total of 137 dot balls in succession – that remains the first-class record. (Tayfield took 8 for 69 in that second innings.) Most of Tayfield’s dots were delivered to Trevor Bailey who, according to EW Swanton, “confronted him, almost regardless of length, with the dead-bat forward stab”. Tayfield’s record was threatened but not broken in Madras (now Chennai) in 1963-64, when the Indian slow left-armer Bapu Nadkarni sent down 131 successive dot balls during the course of his remarkable analysis of 32-27-5-0 in the first Test against England. I read recently that Nadkarni remains peeved that the sequence was ended by a misfield!In the famous 872-run match at Johannesburg in March 2006, there were seven individual scores of 50 or more. Is this a record? asked Dale Simpson from South Africa
The seven individual half-centuries in that astonishing match at the Wanderers – in which Australia made a record total of 434, only to be overhauled by South Africa’s 438 for 9 – equalled the record at the time, but it has been beaten since. There were eight half-centuries in the match between Pakistan (five) and Zimbabwe (three) in Karachi in January 2008, and this has happened twice more since – by India (three) and Australia (five) in Jaipur in October 2013, and by Bangladesh and Pakistan (four each) in Mirpur in March this year.