Beginning with a bang or a whimper

There are some cricketers who started and ended their international careers with a hundred, and other less fortunate ones who began and finished with a duck. And then there are those who scored a century on debut and a duck in their last match, or vice versa. This week's list looks at auspicious and inauspicious beginnings and ends to careers.

Greg Chappell and Mohammad Azharuddin are the high-profile names among batsmen who've scored centuries in their first and last Tests. Chappell, who scored 108 against England on debut and 182 in his final Test against Pakistan, was the first batsman to perform the feat in 46 years, after Bill Ponsford signed off with 266 against England at The Oval in 1926. Among current players, Michael Clarke, Andrew Strauss and Thilan Samaraweera have scored hundreds in their first and their most recent Tests for their countries.

Four batsmen - Stanley Jackson, Bruce Mitchell, Roy Fredericks and Greg Matthews - missed out on joining the club: each scored between 75 and 99 in his first and last Test. Mitchell got the closest, scoring 88 and 61 not out on debut against England in 1929, and 99 and 56 in his last Test in Port Elizabeth in 1949.

Hundreds in both first and last Tests

Player	Mat		Debut	Opposition	Start Date	Scorecard		Last	Opposition	Start Date	Scorecard
RA Duff (Aus)	22		32, 104	v Eng	Jan 1, 1902	Test 66		146	v Eng	Aug 14, 1905	Test 87
WH Ponsford (Aus)	29		110, 27	v Eng	Dec 19, 1924	Test 158		266, 22	v Eng	Aug 18, 1934	Test 237
GS Chappell (Aus)	87		108	v Eng	Dec 11, 1970	Test 675		182	v Pak	Jan 2, 1984	Test 974
M Azharuddin (India)	99		110	v Eng	Dec 31, 1984	Test 1007		9, 102	v SA	Mar 2, 2000	Test 1486
MJ Clarke (Aus)	33		151, 17	v India	Oct 6, 2004	Test 1713		118	v India	Jan 24, 2008	Test 1863
AJ Strauss (Eng)	46		112, 83	v NZ	May 20, 2004	Test 1700		0, 177	v NZ	Mar 22, 2008	Test 1868
TT Samaraweera (SL)	42		103*	v India	Aug 29, 2001	Test 1559		6, 125	v WI	Apr 3, 2008	Test 1872

Andy Ganteaume and Rodney Redmond have also scored a century in their first and last Tests - the only quirk being that their careers consisted of only one Test. Ganteaume scored 112 in his only Test innings in Trinidad in 1948, while Redmond made 107 and 56 against Pakistan in 1973.

Only Dennis Amiss and Desmond Haynes have scored a century in their first and last one-day internationals . Amiss scored 103 on debut against Australia at Old Trafford in what was only the second ODI and ended with 108 in his last one-dayer in 1977.

There have been several batsmen who scored ducks in their first and last Tests: the first was Jack Edwards, who played only three Tests in 1888. No one has scored a pair in both their first and last Tests, although Ed Giddins came close. He scored 0 and 0 not out on debut against New Zealand at the Oval in 1999 and ended his four-Test career with a pair against West Indies at Edgbaston in 2000.

Saeed Anwar started his Test career poorly, with a pair against West Indies in Faisalabad in 1990. He recovered from that setback and ended his Test career on a high with a 101 in his final innings, against Bangladesh in Multan in 2001. In one-day internationals, another Pakistan batsman, Salman Butt, is the only played to score a duck and a hundred in his first and last ODI - also against West Indies and Bangladesh - but he isn't finished with his career yet and will probably lose that record.

Taking a five-for on Test debut and in your last Test has become a rare feat. Only 12 bowlers have done it and the most recent was England's David Larter, who took 5 for 57 on debut against Pakistan at the Oval in 1962 and finished his career with 5 for 68 against South Africa at Trent Bridge in 1965.

Tom Richardson and Clarrie Grimmett are the only two bowlers to have taken ten wickets in a match on debut and in their final Test. Richardson took 10 for 156 and 10 for 214, while Grimmett took 11 for 82 and 13 for 173.