A catching problem, and the first twins
Ask Steven - A catching problem, and the first twins
Steven Lynch
13-Feb-2006
The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket:
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Kevin Pietersen finally managed to take a catch in his sixth Test match. What's the record wait before someone has taken one? asked Saurav Tater
Kevin Pietersen will be relieved to know that he wasn't even close to the record, which is held by another England batsman: Geoff Pullar, the Lancashire opener, who played in 16 Tests before finally taking a catch in his 17th match, to dismiss Mushtaq Mohammad at Lahore in 1961-62. He only took two catches in his 28-Test career. Pullar's record was under threat from another current player: Mohammad Sami of Pakistan didn't take a catch in his first 15 Tests, but held on to one in his 16th. Before him Glenn McGrath also went 15 matches before opening his catching account, while two more Australians, Geoff Dymock and Jim Higgs, both went 14. The record for a complete Test career without taking a catch is ten matches, by three players: "Chuck" Fleetwood-Smith of Australia, India's Abey Kuruvilla, and Jayananda Warnaweera of Sri Lanka.
Kevin Pietersen will be relieved to know that he wasn't even close to the record, which is held by another England batsman: Geoff Pullar, the Lancashire opener, who played in 16 Tests before finally taking a catch in his 17th match, to dismiss Mushtaq Mohammad at Lahore in 1961-62. He only took two catches in his 28-Test career. Pullar's record was under threat from another current player: Mohammad Sami of Pakistan didn't take a catch in his first 15 Tests, but held on to one in his 16th. Before him Glenn McGrath also went 15 matches before opening his catching account, while two more Australians, Geoff Dymock and Jim Higgs, both went 14. The record for a complete Test career without taking a catch is ten matches, by three players: "Chuck" Fleetwood-Smith of Australia, India's Abey Kuruvilla, and Jayananda Warnaweera of Sri Lanka.
The first pair of twins to represent their country were not the Waughs, but two women from New Zealand. Can you tell me their names? asked Mit Chowdhury from India
Actually I think the first pair of twins were from Australia - but you're right, it wasn't Steve and Mark Waugh. There were twins in the Australian women's Test side 56 years before the Waughs, although they didn't quite play in the same match. Fernie Blade (née Shevill) played against England in the first-ever women's Test, at Brisbane in 1934-35, and her twin Irene Shevill (born August 20, 1910) appeared in the next two. Another sister, Essie Shevill, played in all three of those matches, and amazingly she had a twin sister of her own - Lily, who didn't get an Australian cap but did play for New South Wales. New Zealand did have a set of female twins - Liz and Rosemary Signal - who predated the modern-day male Marshalls by around 20 years. The Signals made their Test debut together at Headingley in 1984. In the third Test of that series Jane Powell won the first of her six caps for England: her twin sister Jill had played one Test in 1979.
Actually I think the first pair of twins were from Australia - but you're right, it wasn't Steve and Mark Waugh. There were twins in the Australian women's Test side 56 years before the Waughs, although they didn't quite play in the same match. Fernie Blade (née Shevill) played against England in the first-ever women's Test, at Brisbane in 1934-35, and her twin Irene Shevill (born August 20, 1910) appeared in the next two. Another sister, Essie Shevill, played in all three of those matches, and amazingly she had a twin sister of her own - Lily, who didn't get an Australian cap but did play for New South Wales. New Zealand did have a set of female twins - Liz and Rosemary Signal - who predated the modern-day male Marshalls by around 20 years. The Signals made their Test debut together at Headingley in 1984. In the third Test of that series Jane Powell won the first of her six caps for England: her twin sister Jill had played one Test in 1979.
Who has scored the most Test centuries in England? asked Dave Woodley of Reading
Leading the way here is Graham Gooch, who scored 15 of his 20 Test centuries on home soil in England - a record six at Lord's, three at Trent Bridge, two at Headingley and Old Trafford, and one each at Edgbaston and The Oval. He's just ahead of Geoff Boycott (14), and Denis Compton and Len Hutton (both 13). The most by an overseas batsman in England is 10, almost inevitably by Australia's Don Bradman.
Leading the way here is Graham Gooch, who scored 15 of his 20 Test centuries on home soil in England - a record six at Lord's, three at Trent Bridge, two at Headingley and Old Trafford, and one each at Edgbaston and The Oval. He's just ahead of Geoff Boycott (14), and Denis Compton and Len Hutton (both 13). The most by an overseas batsman in England is 10, almost inevitably by Australia's Don Bradman.
Has a bowler ever taken a hat-trick in both innings of a Test? asked Sanjay Varma from India
The only man to do this is Jimmy Matthews, a legspinner from Victoria, who took a hat-trick in each innings for Australia against South Africa at Old Trafford in the first match of the 1912 Triangular Tournament. Matthews's final victim each time was the South African wicketkeeper Tommy Ward, who thus bagged one of Test cricket's more memorable king pairs. The only other bowlers to take two Test hat-tricks are Hugh Trumble of Australia (in 1901-02 and 1903-04) and Pakistan's Wasim Akram, in successive matches against Sri Lanka in 1998-99. For a full list of Test hat-tricks, click here.
The only man to do this is Jimmy Matthews, a legspinner from Victoria, who took a hat-trick in each innings for Australia against South Africa at Old Trafford in the first match of the 1912 Triangular Tournament. Matthews's final victim each time was the South African wicketkeeper Tommy Ward, who thus bagged one of Test cricket's more memorable king pairs. The only other bowlers to take two Test hat-tricks are Hugh Trumble of Australia (in 1901-02 and 1903-04) and Pakistan's Wasim Akram, in successive matches against Sri Lanka in 1998-99. For a full list of Test hat-tricks, click here.
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Have any Malaysians played Test cricket? asked Devraj Moitra from Australia
The only Malaysian-born Test cricketer is Lall Singh, who played in India's very first Test, against England at Lord's in 1932. A right-hand batsman and a fine fielder who played his domestic cricket for Southern Punjab, Lall Singh scored 15 and 29 in the Test. He had a short first-class career before returning to Kuala Lumpur, where he worked as a groundsman and died in 1985, aged 75.
The only Malaysian-born Test cricketer is Lall Singh, who played in India's very first Test, against England at Lord's in 1932. A right-hand batsman and a fine fielder who played his domestic cricket for Southern Punjab, Lall Singh scored 15 and 29 in the Test. He had a short first-class career before returning to Kuala Lumpur, where he worked as a groundsman and died in 1985, aged 75.
Last week you talked about bowlers who had taken a wicket with their first ball in Test cricket. Has anyone done this in ODIs? asked Jim Alldiss from London
Fourteen men have done this in ODIs, as against 12 in Tests. The first one was Geoff Arnold, who dismissed Graeme Watson of Australia with the first ball of the second over of the first one-day international ever played in England, at Old Trafford in 1972. The most recent instance was by Fidel Edwards, for West Indies v Zimbabwe at Harare in 2003-04. Two men - India's Sadagoppan Ramesh and Wavell Hinds of West Indies - did it in the same match in Singapore in September 1999. For a full list, click here.
Fourteen men have done this in ODIs, as against 12 in Tests. The first one was Geoff Arnold, who dismissed Graeme Watson of Australia with the first ball of the second over of the first one-day international ever played in England, at Old Trafford in 1972. The most recent instance was by Fidel Edwards, for West Indies v Zimbabwe at Harare in 2003-04. Two men - India's Sadagoppan Ramesh and Wavell Hinds of West Indies - did it in the same match in Singapore in September 1999. For a full list, click here.
Steven Lynch is the deputy editor of The Wisden Group. For some of these answers he was helped by Travis Basevi, the man who built Stats Guru and the Wisden Wizard. If you want to Ask Steven a question, contact him through our feedback form. The most interesting questions will be answered each week in this column. Unfortunately, we can't usually enter into correspondence about individual queries