I won't be your hat-trick victim
Also, what is the record for number of stumpings in Test and first-class innings?
Steven Lynch
23-May-2017
Kieron Pollard has played 155 international matches in West Indian colours - but none in whites • BCCI
Has anyone ever come in on a hat-trick in both innings of a Test and survived? asked Peter Collins from England
I'm only aware of one such instance, although there may be more as we don't have ball-by-ball details of many early Tests. But in Auckland in 1954-55 - the match in which New Zealand crashed to the all-time Test low of 26 all out - the England bowler Bob Appleyard was on a hat-trick in both innings. In each he dismissed Tony MacGibbon and then Ian Colquhoun (who thus picked up a king pair), but was twice denied by New Zealand's No. 10, the cheery legspinner Alex Moir, the second time with a tentative prod that flew just short of Tom Graveney. Someone who was less fortunate - or maybe less skilful - was the South African wicketkeeper Tommy Ward: making his Test debut against Australia at Old Trafford in the 1912 Triangular Tournament, he had two chances to foil a hat-trick - and failed both times, as legspinner Jimmy Matthews became the only player to take two hat-tricks in the same Test.
I'm only aware of one such instance, although there may be more as we don't have ball-by-ball details of many early Tests. But in Auckland in 1954-55 - the match in which New Zealand crashed to the all-time Test low of 26 all out - the England bowler Bob Appleyard was on a hat-trick in both innings. In each he dismissed Tony MacGibbon and then Ian Colquhoun (who thus picked up a king pair), but was twice denied by New Zealand's No. 10, the cheery legspinner Alex Moir, the second time with a tentative prod that flew just short of Tom Graveney. Someone who was less fortunate - or maybe less skilful - was the South African wicketkeeper Tommy Ward: making his Test debut against Australia at Old Trafford in the 1912 Triangular Tournament, he had two chances to foil a hat-trick - and failed both times, as legspinner Jimmy Matthews became the only player to take two hat-tricks in the same Test.
Apparently there are six men who have played more than 100 one-day internationals but no Tests - who are they? asked Nick McKenzie from England
This is something of a trick question, as five of the six men who have played more than 100 ODIs without appearing in a Test, play for teams that do not yet have Test status. Kenyans Thomas Odoyo and Steve Tikolo lead the way with 136 and 135 ODI caps respectively, while their compatriot Collins Obuya has played 104. And the Irish pair of Kevin O'Brien (112) and William Porterfield (106) have also clocked up more than a century of ODI appearances. The only man from a Test-playing team on this list is Kieron Pollard, who has so far made 101 ODI appearances for West Indies - and 54 in T20 internationals - without coming terribly close to a Test cap. David Miller is next on the list, with 93 ODI appearances for South Africa but no Tests. Nathan McCullum played a record 63 T20 internationals for New Zealand without winning a Test cap.
This is something of a trick question, as five of the six men who have played more than 100 ODIs without appearing in a Test, play for teams that do not yet have Test status. Kenyans Thomas Odoyo and Steve Tikolo lead the way with 136 and 135 ODI caps respectively, while their compatriot Collins Obuya has played 104. And the Irish pair of Kevin O'Brien (112) and William Porterfield (106) have also clocked up more than a century of ODI appearances. The only man from a Test-playing team on this list is Kieron Pollard, who has so far made 101 ODI appearances for West Indies - and 54 in T20 internationals - without coming terribly close to a Test cap. David Miller is next on the list, with 93 ODI appearances for South Africa but no Tests. Nathan McCullum played a record 63 T20 internationals for New Zealand without winning a Test cap.
What has happened more often - both openers in a Test scoring a hundred, or both of them making a duck? asked Ken Ballard from England
The answer here is probably a bit of a surprise: there have been 71 instances of both openers scoring a century in the same Test innings (most recently by David Warner and Matt Renshaw for Australia against Pakistan in Sydney in January 2017), but only 52 cases of both bagging ducks, the most recent being Tom Latham and Martin Guptill for New Zealand against South Africa in Centurion in August 2016. And there have been even more instances - 167 - of both openers making the same score (including some not-outs), the highest double being 88, by Shane Watson and Phillip Hughes for Australia against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2011-12.
The answer here is probably a bit of a surprise: there have been 71 instances of both openers scoring a century in the same Test innings (most recently by David Warner and Matt Renshaw for Australia against Pakistan in Sydney in January 2017), but only 52 cases of both bagging ducks, the most recent being Tom Latham and Martin Guptill for New Zealand against South Africa in Centurion in August 2016. And there have been even more instances - 167 - of both openers making the same score (including some not-outs), the highest double being 88, by Shane Watson and Phillip Hughes for Australia against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2011-12.
Only two bowlers have taken 16 wickets in their debut Test. But is it true that their combined tally of Test wickets was less than 100? asked Don Craig from New Zealand
It is indeed true. The Australian seamer Bob Massie took 16 for 137 (8 for 84 and 8 for 53) in his first Test, against England at Lord's in 1972, while Indian legspinner Narendra Hirwani just shaded him with 16 for 136 (8 for 61 and 8 for 75) on his debut, against West Indies in Madras in 1987-88. Hirwani took another 50 wickets in 16 more Tests, but Massie didn't even double his tally: five more caps brought him only 15 more wickets - so the pair finished with 97 Test wickets between them.
It is indeed true. The Australian seamer Bob Massie took 16 for 137 (8 for 84 and 8 for 53) in his first Test, against England at Lord's in 1972, while Indian legspinner Narendra Hirwani just shaded him with 16 for 136 (8 for 61 and 8 for 75) on his debut, against West Indies in Madras in 1987-88. Hirwani took another 50 wickets in 16 more Tests, but Massie didn't even double his tally: five more caps brought him only 15 more wickets - so the pair finished with 97 Test wickets between them.
What are the records for stumpings in a Test and first-class innings? asked Varun Patel from India
The Test record was set in the match mentioned in the previous question: as Narendra Hirwani was taking his second eight-wicket haul against West Indies in Madras in 1987-88, the Indian wicketkeeper Kiran More pulled off five stumpings. Next on this list come Australia's Bert Oldfield and Khokan Sen of India, with four. More had also made one stumping in the first innings, to finish with a record six in the match (Sen had five, against England in Madras in 1951-52). The first-class record is six stumpings in one innings, by Worcestershire's Hugo Yarnold (later a Test umpire), against Scotland at Broughty Ferry, near Dundee, in 1951.
The Test record was set in the match mentioned in the previous question: as Narendra Hirwani was taking his second eight-wicket haul against West Indies in Madras in 1987-88, the Indian wicketkeeper Kiran More pulled off five stumpings. Next on this list come Australia's Bert Oldfield and Khokan Sen of India, with four. More had also made one stumping in the first innings, to finish with a record six in the match (Sen had five, against England in Madras in 1951-52). The first-class record is six stumpings in one innings, by Worcestershire's Hugo Yarnold (later a Test umpire), against Scotland at Broughty Ferry, near Dundee, in 1951.
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Steven Lynch is the editor of the updated edition of Wisden on the Ashes