The winningest players, and Harris' rare pair
Also, winning with most wickets in hand, centurion stumper, captains' five-fors, and most run-outs in an innings
Steven Lynch
14-Dec-2010
Romesh Kaluwitharana: 101 stumpings in international cricket • Getty Images
Which players have been on the winning side in a Test match most often? And what is the record for each individual country? asked Shankar Sivanandan from Australia
The overall list here is dominated by recent Australians - prior to the Perth Test against England Ricky Ponting had taken part in a record 98 Test victories, then come Shane Warne (92), Steve Waugh (86), Glenn McGrath (84), Adam Gilchrist (73), Mark Waugh (72), Matthew Hayden (71) and Justin Langer (70). In ninth and tenth places come the first non-Aussies - Mark Boucher (69 wins) and Jacques Kallis (68) of South Africa. Viv Richards is next, with 63 wins for West Indies, just ahead of Desmond Haynes and India's Sachin Tendulkar (both 60). The most for the countries not mentioned yet are: Sri Lanka - Muttiah Muralitharan (54; Mahela Jayawardene currently 49); Pakistan - Inzamam-ul-Haq (49); England - Colin Cowdrey (43); New Zealand - Stephen Fleming (33; Daniel Vettori currently 31); Zimbabwe - Heath Streak (8); Bangladesh - Mohammad Ashraful (3).
The overall list here is dominated by recent Australians - prior to the Perth Test against England Ricky Ponting had taken part in a record 98 Test victories, then come Shane Warne (92), Steve Waugh (86), Glenn McGrath (84), Adam Gilchrist (73), Mark Waugh (72), Matthew Hayden (71) and Justin Langer (70). In ninth and tenth places come the first non-Aussies - Mark Boucher (69 wins) and Jacques Kallis (68) of South Africa. Viv Richards is next, with 63 wins for West Indies, just ahead of Desmond Haynes and India's Sachin Tendulkar (both 60). The most for the countries not mentioned yet are: Sri Lanka - Muttiah Muralitharan (54; Mahela Jayawardene currently 49); Pakistan - Inzamam-ul-Haq (49); England - Colin Cowdrey (43); New Zealand - Stephen Fleming (33; Daniel Vettori currently 31); Zimbabwe - Heath Streak (8); Bangladesh - Mohammad Ashraful (3).
Ryan Harris bagged a king pair in Adelaide. How often has this happened in Ashes cricket? And has anyone bagged more than one king pair in Tests? asked Anurag Sachdeva from India
Rather to my surprise, I discovered that Ryan Harris' unwanted achievement in the second Test in Adelaide - out first ball in both innings - was only the second known king pair in Ashes cricket. The first one came nearly 120 years ago when the Nottinghamshire medium-pacer William "Dick" Attewell was out first ball in both innings in Sydney in 1891-92. Harris' pair was doubly notable in that he had the decisions reviewed - unsuccessfully, if only marginally so - both times. The only previous king pair for Australia in any Test was inflicted on Adam Gilchrist in Kolkata in 2000-01. Only ten other king pairs are known to have happened in Tests (it's possible there are one or two more, as we don't always have full balls-faced information). The most notable among them was suffered by the South African wicketkeeper Tommy Ward, at Old Trafford in 1912, when he was the final victim of Australian legspinner Jimmy Matthews' unique hat-trick in each innings - although Javed Omar came close for Bangladesh against India in Dhaka in May 2007, when he was out to the first ball of the innings both times.
Rather to my surprise, I discovered that Ryan Harris' unwanted achievement in the second Test in Adelaide - out first ball in both innings - was only the second known king pair in Ashes cricket. The first one came nearly 120 years ago when the Nottinghamshire medium-pacer William "Dick" Attewell was out first ball in both innings in Sydney in 1891-92. Harris' pair was doubly notable in that he had the decisions reviewed - unsuccessfully, if only marginally so - both times. The only previous king pair for Australia in any Test was inflicted on Adam Gilchrist in Kolkata in 2000-01. Only ten other king pairs are known to have happened in Tests (it's possible there are one or two more, as we don't always have full balls-faced information). The most notable among them was suffered by the South African wicketkeeper Tommy Ward, at Old Trafford in 1912, when he was the final victim of Australian legspinner Jimmy Matthews' unique hat-trick in each innings - although Javed Omar came close for Bangladesh against India in Dhaka in May 2007, when he was out to the first ball of the innings both times.
England won in Adelaide, and lost only five wickets in doing so. Have England - or anyone - ever beaten Australia before when losing so few wickets? asked Richard Hathway from the UK
That's a good spot: the recent Adelaide Test was only the third time Australia have taken only five wickets in a Test they ended up losing. England had managed it once before, at Edgbaston in 1985 when they declared at 595 for 5 and won by an innings, and India also achieved the feat in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1997-98, when they made 633 for 5 and also won by an innings. In all Tests there have been four instances of a team winning while losing only two wickets in the match, three of them by England and the most recent by South Africa against Bangladesh in Chittagong in April 2003. For the full list, click here.
That's a good spot: the recent Adelaide Test was only the third time Australia have taken only five wickets in a Test they ended up losing. England had managed it once before, at Edgbaston in 1985 when they declared at 595 for 5 and won by an innings, and India also achieved the feat in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1997-98, when they made 633 for 5 and also won by an innings. In all Tests there have been four instances of a team winning while losing only two wickets in the match, three of them by England and the most recent by South Africa against Bangladesh in Chittagong in April 2003. For the full list, click here.
Who is the only wicketkeeper to effect 100 stumpings in international cricket? asked Mauro Freitas from India
The only man to have managed this at the moment is Romesh Kaluwitharana, who made 26 stumpings in Tests and no fewer than 75 in one-day internationals, for a grand total of 101. But he's about to be joined by another Sri Lankan, Kumar Sangakkara, who currently has 99 stumpings to his name all told - 20 in Tests, 70 in ODIs and nine in Twenty20 internationals. Moin Khan made 93 stumpings overall and Adam Gilchrist 92. Kaluwitharana is the record-holder for ODIs alone, with Sangakkara third behind Moin (73); the most stumpings in Tests alone is 52, by the old Aussie keeper Bert Oldfield, while the runaway leader in Twenty20 internationals is Pakistan's Kamran Akmal, with 28 (Sangakkara's nine puts him next).
The only man to have managed this at the moment is Romesh Kaluwitharana, who made 26 stumpings in Tests and no fewer than 75 in one-day internationals, for a grand total of 101. But he's about to be joined by another Sri Lankan, Kumar Sangakkara, who currently has 99 stumpings to his name all told - 20 in Tests, 70 in ODIs and nine in Twenty20 internationals. Moin Khan made 93 stumpings overall and Adam Gilchrist 92. Kaluwitharana is the record-holder for ODIs alone, with Sangakkara third behind Moin (73); the most stumpings in Tests alone is 52, by the old Aussie keeper Bert Oldfield, while the runaway leader in Twenty20 internationals is Pakistan's Kamran Akmal, with 28 (Sangakkara's nine puts him next).
Who is the only man to take five wickets in an innings in his first one-day international as captain? asked Brian Lloyd from Newcastle
The answer here is a rather unexpected name: it's Aasif Karim of Kenya, who took 5 for 33 in his first match as captain, against Bangladesh in Nairobi in 1997-98. Karim a slow left-armer, also played Davis Cup tennis for Kenya. Next to him on the list comes Johan Botha, who took 4 for 19 in his first one-dayer as captain, for South Africa against Kenya in Bloemfontein in 2008-09. The only others to have taken four wickets in an innings in their first ODI in charge are Ravi Ratnayeke of Sri Lanka (against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 1988-99) and Zimbabwe's Duncan Fletcher (against Australia at Trent Bridge in the 1983 World Cup).
The answer here is a rather unexpected name: it's Aasif Karim of Kenya, who took 5 for 33 in his first match as captain, against Bangladesh in Nairobi in 1997-98. Karim a slow left-armer, also played Davis Cup tennis for Kenya. Next to him on the list comes Johan Botha, who took 4 for 19 in his first one-dayer as captain, for South Africa against Kenya in Bloemfontein in 2008-09. The only others to have taken four wickets in an innings in their first ODI in charge are Ravi Ratnayeke of Sri Lanka (against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 1988-99) and Zimbabwe's Duncan Fletcher (against Australia at Trent Bridge in the 1983 World Cup).
What is the most run-outs in an innings in each form of international cricket? asked Sandeep Parihar via Facebook
The Test record is four, which has happened twice - to India against Pakistan in Peshawar in 1954-55, and then to Australia as they chased a target against West Indies in Adelaide in 1968-69 (they finished 21 short with nine wickets down). The record for a whole Test is seven run-outs, in the match between Australia and Pakistan in Melbourne in 1972-73. The record for a one-day international innings is five, which has happened nine times now (click here for a list), most famously to Australia in the first World Cup final, against West Indies at Lord's in 1975. The record for a match is eight (New Zealand v India in Napier in 1998-99). And in Twenty20 internationals there have so far been five instances of four run-outs in the same innings (for that list, click here).
The Test record is four, which has happened twice - to India against Pakistan in Peshawar in 1954-55, and then to Australia as they chased a target against West Indies in Adelaide in 1968-69 (they finished 21 short with nine wickets down). The record for a whole Test is seven run-outs, in the match between Australia and Pakistan in Melbourne in 1972-73. The record for a one-day international innings is five, which has happened nine times now (click here for a list), most famously to Australia in the first World Cup final, against West Indies at Lord's in 1975. The record for a match is eight (New Zealand v India in Napier in 1998-99). And in Twenty20 internationals there have so far been five instances of four run-outs in the same innings (for that list, click here).
Steven Lynch is the editor of the Wisden Guide to International Cricket. If you want to ask Steven a question, use our feedback form. The most interesting questions will be answered here each week. Ask Steven is also now on Facebook