Smith v Hafeez, and Warne's real bunny
Batsmen who fell to the same bowler in the most consecutive innings
Travis Basevi and George Binoy
25-May-2011
Devon Smith falls to Mohammad Hafeez, again • Getty Images
When Mohammad Hafeez shared the new ball with Umar Gul against West Indies in Providence, it was one of those rare occasions that Pakistan did not begin with pace at both ends in the first innings of a Test. There was sound reason for it, though. Opening the batting for West Indies was Devon Smith, who is as clueless as they come against offspin. Hafeez had trapped Smith lbw in four consecutive ODIs before the Test series, and then dismissed him twice in Providence as well. Smith was dropped for the second Test, and so Hafeez did not have the opportunity to get him eight times in as many innings. This week's column features batsmen who fell to the same bowler in the most consecutive innings.
Ashwell Prince and Shane Warne
Former South African batsman Daryl Cullinan will always be remembered as Shane Warne's bunny, having been dismissed by the legspinner 12 times in 29 matches. That isn't so bad, when you look at the list of batsmen Warne dismissed most times. In that list is another South African, Ashwell Prince, whose struggles against Warne went rather unnoticed. He was dismissed by Warne 11 times in only nine matches. Eight of those dismissals were in consecutive Test innings against Australia, although the games were spread over two series. During Australia's tour of South Africa in 2002-03, Prince fell to Warne in his last three innings of the series. And when South Africa next played Australia, in 2005-06, Warne dismissed him in his first five innings of that tour. Prince never got stuck with the bunny tag, though, like Cullinan did.
Former South African batsman Daryl Cullinan will always be remembered as Shane Warne's bunny, having been dismissed by the legspinner 12 times in 29 matches. That isn't so bad, when you look at the list of batsmen Warne dismissed most times. In that list is another South African, Ashwell Prince, whose struggles against Warne went rather unnoticed. He was dismissed by Warne 11 times in only nine matches. Eight of those dismissals were in consecutive Test innings against Australia, although the games were spread over two series. During Australia's tour of South Africa in 2002-03, Prince fell to Warne in his last three innings of the series. And when South Africa next played Australia, in 2005-06, Warne dismissed him in his first five innings of that tour. Prince never got stuck with the bunny tag, though, like Cullinan did.
Walter Read and Charlie Turner
Walter Read was an England batsman who played 18 Tests between 1883 and 1893. Charlie Turner was an Australian fast bowler who played 17 Tests between 1887 and 1895. They played eight matches against each other, and Turner dismissed Read eight times. It began in the timeless Test in Sydney in 1888, when Read was bowled twice by Turner. During the Ashes that followed in England, a three-Test contest, Read fell to Turner in all four innings, bowled three times and stumped once, making it six dismissals in a row. The sequence was broken when they met again, at Lord's in 1890, when Read was dismissed by JJ Ferris and Hugh Trumble. During the next Test at The Oval, though, Turner bowled Read in both innings again.
Walter Read was an England batsman who played 18 Tests between 1883 and 1893. Charlie Turner was an Australian fast bowler who played 17 Tests between 1887 and 1895. They played eight matches against each other, and Turner dismissed Read eight times. It began in the timeless Test in Sydney in 1888, when Read was bowled twice by Turner. During the Ashes that followed in England, a three-Test contest, Read fell to Turner in all four innings, bowled three times and stumped once, making it six dismissals in a row. The sequence was broken when they met again, at Lord's in 1890, when Read was dismissed by JJ Ferris and Hugh Trumble. During the next Test at The Oval, though, Turner bowled Read in both innings again.
| Player | Bowler | Mat | Start Match | Scorecard | End Match | Scorecard | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AG Prince (SA) | SK Warne (Aus) | 8 | ||||||
| K Srikkanth (India) | Wasim Akram (Pak) | |||||||
| Waqar Younis (Pak) | M Muralitharan (SL) | 7 | Mar 5, 2000 | |||||
| ML Hayden (Aus) | ||||||||
| WW Read (Eng) | CTB Turner (Aus) | 6 | ||||||
| GRJ Matthews (Aus) | RJ Hadlee (NZ) | |||||||
| CJ McDermott (Aus) | BP Patterson (WI) | 6 | Dec 24, 1988 | |||||
| GA Hick (Eng) | ||||||||
| PA de Silva (SL) | A Kumble (India) | 6 | ||||||
| SK Warne (Aus) | DL Vettori (NZ) | |||||||
| RT Ponting (Aus) | D Gough (Eng) | 6 | Dec 11, 1998 |
Dilip Vengsarkar and Imran Khan
No bowler had surpassed Charlie Turner's feat of dismissing the same batsman in six consecutive Test innings until Imran Khan took out Dilip Vengsarkar seven times in succession between 1980 and 1983. In Chennai 1980, when India won by ten wickets to go 2-0 up in the six-Test series, Vengsarkar was caught off Imran's bowling for 17. He didn't play the next Test at Eden Gardens. When India toured Pakistan in 1982-83 for six more Tests, Imran got Vengraskar for 3, 0, 79, 6, 1 and 4 in the first six innings of the series. Vengsarkar ended Imran's hold on him with an unbeaten 58 in the second innings of the fourth Test, but Pakistan had already taken a 3-0 lead in the series. Imran dismissed Vengsarkar 12 times in all, ahead of Malcolm Marshall, who dismissed him 10 times.
No bowler had surpassed Charlie Turner's feat of dismissing the same batsman in six consecutive Test innings until Imran Khan took out Dilip Vengsarkar seven times in succession between 1980 and 1983. In Chennai 1980, when India won by ten wickets to go 2-0 up in the six-Test series, Vengsarkar was caught off Imran's bowling for 17. He didn't play the next Test at Eden Gardens. When India toured Pakistan in 1982-83 for six more Tests, Imran got Vengraskar for 3, 0, 79, 6, 1 and 4 in the first six innings of the series. Vengsarkar ended Imran's hold on him with an unbeaten 58 in the second innings of the fourth Test, but Pakistan had already taken a 3-0 lead in the series. Imran dismissed Vengsarkar 12 times in all, ahead of Malcolm Marshall, who dismissed him 10 times.
Chandika Hathurusingha and Allan Donald
Allan Donald's seven successive dismissals of former Sri Lankan batsman Chandika Hathurusingha in Tests and ODIs combined is one of the longest such streaks. Hathurusingha played 10 innings against South Africa- five each in Tests and ODIs - primarily as an opener and Donald was his bugbear. He began Sri Lanka's home series in 1993 with 51 in the first ODI, before falling to Pat Symcox. Thereafter he was dismissed by Donald for 1, 9, 10, 2, 34, 0, 1 over three Tests and two one-dayers. Hathurusingha played South Africa only one more time, in 1998, when he batted in the middle order and was dismissed by Hansie Cronje.
Allan Donald's seven successive dismissals of former Sri Lankan batsman Chandika Hathurusingha in Tests and ODIs combined is one of the longest such streaks. Hathurusingha played 10 innings against South Africa- five each in Tests and ODIs - primarily as an opener and Donald was his bugbear. He began Sri Lanka's home series in 1993 with 51 in the first ODI, before falling to Pat Symcox. Thereafter he was dismissed by Donald for 1, 9, 10, 2, 34, 0, 1 over three Tests and two one-dayers. Hathurusingha played South Africa only one more time, in 1998, when he batted in the middle order and was dismissed by Hansie Cronje.
| Player | Bowler | Mat | Start Match | Scorecard | End Match | Scorecard | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AG Prince (SA) | SK Warne (Aus) | 8 | ||||||
| UC Hathurusingha (SL) | AA Donald (SA) | |||||||
| WW Read (Eng) | CTB Turner (Aus) | 6 | Feb 10, 1888 | |||||
| BA Edgar (NZ) | ||||||||
| GRJ Matthews (Aus) | RJ Hadlee (NZ) | 6 | ||||||
| GA Hick (Eng) | CEL Ambrose (WI) | |||||||
| D Ganga (WI) | SM Pollock (SA) | 6 | Dec 26, 1998 | |||||
| ML Hayden (Aus) | ||||||||
| RT Ponting (Aus) | SE Bond (NZ) | 6 | ||||||
Gary Kirsten and Dominic Cork
Gary Kirsten's six consecutive dismissals against Dominic Cork are the most for any batsman against a particular bowler in ODIs. The streak started in England in 1994, when Kirsten was dismissed by Cork in the final match of the Texaco trophy. And then when England visited South Africa in 1996 for a seven-ODI series, Cork got Kirsten in the first two games. Kirsten then missed the third but after he returned he fell to Cork in the next three matches as well. Kirsten scored only 160 runs in six innings but South Africa still won the series 6-1.
Gary Kirsten's six consecutive dismissals against Dominic Cork are the most for any batsman against a particular bowler in ODIs. The streak started in England in 1994, when Kirsten was dismissed by Cork in the final match of the Texaco trophy. And then when England visited South Africa in 1996 for a seven-ODI series, Cork got Kirsten in the first two games. Kirsten then missed the third but after he returned he fell to Cork in the next three matches as well. Kirsten scored only 160 runs in six innings but South Africa still won the series 6-1.
| Player | Bowler | Mat | Start Match | Scorecard | End Match | Scorecard | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G Kirsten (SA) | DG Cork (Eng) | 6 | ||||||
| CJ McDermott (Aus) | EJ Chatfield (NZ) | |||||||
| ST Jayasuriya (SL) | D Gough (Eng) | 5 | Aug 16, 1998 | |||||
| SP Fleming (NZ) | ||||||||
| CO Obuya (Kenya) | AG Cremer (Zim) | 5 |
Travis Basevi is a cricket statistician and UK Senior Programmer for Cricinfo and other ESPN sports websites. George Binoy is an Assistant Editor at ESPNcricinfo