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Ask Steven

Most runs against West Indies, and most wickets against anyone

The most prolific against the men from the Caribbean, most runs without a duck, and English teenagers

Steven Lynch
Steven Lynch
15-Jan-2008


Jacques Kallis: the sixth batsman to score 2000 runs against West Indies, and with the best average © Getty Images
I saw that Jacques Kallis passed 2000 runs in Tests against West Indies the other day. Has anyone else scored more, against West Indies or anybody? asked Joubert Franck from Cape Town
Jacques Kallis was actually the sixth man to reach the milestone of 2000 runs in Tests against West Indies. He now has 2073 runs against them, just ahead of Allan Border (2052), but still behind Steve Waugh (2192), Graham Gooch (2197), Geoff Boycott (2205) and the clear leader Sunil Gavaskar, whose 2749 runs included a record 13 centuries against West Indies. Kallis, though, averages 74.03 against them, the highest of anyone with more than 2000 runs. The record against a single Test opponent is held by the one and only Don Bradman, with 5028 for Australia against England.
Has anyone taken 100 wickets in ODIs against a single opposing team? asked Nishin de Silva from Colombo
No one has yet managed this particular feat. Top of the list, with 92 against Sri Lanka, is the leading wicket-taker in all ODIs, Wasim Akram. He's also in second place on this particular list, with 89 wickets for Pakistan against West Indies. Third is his longtime new-ball partner Waqar Younis, with 84 against Sri Lanka, just ahead of Muttiah Muralitharan, with 81 for Sri Lanka against Pakistan.
Who took the most wickets in one-day internationals in 2007? asked Ahmat Ranawat from Vadodara
The top wicket-taker in ODIs in 2007 was New Zealand's Daniel Vettori, with 43, just ahead of Zaheer Khan of India, with 40. They were both quite a long way short of the alltime record, 69 wickets by Pakistan's Saqlain Mushtaq in 1997. For a full list of the bowlers with most ODI wickets in a calendar year, click here.
Mike Hussey just passed 2000 Test runs without a duck - is this unique? asked Dan Martin from Adelaide
Before the Perth Test against India Michael Hussey had scored 2120 Test runs without a duck. He's just behind the South African AB de Villiers, who has now scored 2201 runs without being out for 0 - his 63 duckless innings is the current record (Hussey has 33). Sri Lanka's Aravinda de Silva holds the overall record - he had scored 2779 runs before being finally out for a duck in his 75th innings, in his 45th Test, in 1994-95.
Have any teenagers ever played Test cricket for England? asked Tim Milgate
The youngest man ever to play for England was Yorkshire's Brian Close, who was 18 years and 149 days old when he made his Test debut against New Zealand at Old Trafford in 1949. Two other teenagers have represented England in Tests: Denis Compton and Ben Hollioake were both 19 when they made their debuts in 1937 and 1997 respectively. Compton made a century against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1938, just 19 days past his 20th birthday, and remains England's youngest Test century-maker. For a list of the youngest Test players from all countries, click here.
Who made the most runs and took the most wickets in one-day internationals in 2007 for a non-Test team? asked Johan van Gerrits from Amsterdam
The leading ODI run-scorer from a non-Test country was Ryan Watson of Scotland, who made 560 runs, five more than Ireland's William Porterfield. Top of the wicket tables for the non-Test nations was Kenya's Peter Ongondo, with 30: another Kenyan, Steve Tikolo, and Holland's Ryan ten Doeschate were equal second, with 23. For a full list of the top ODI runscorers of 2007, click here; for the top wicket-takers, click here.

Steven Lynch is the editor of the Cricinfo Guide to International Cricket, the new edition of which has just been published. If you want to ask Steven a question, use our feedback form. The most interesting questions will be answered here each week