Carrying bat on debut, and most sixes in an innings
Openers who hung around, caught and bowled twice by the same bowler in a Test, and the lowest average among bowlers with over 300 wickets
Steven Lynch
01-Sep-2009
Not going anywhere: Plum Warner was the second man to bat through the innings on Test debut • Getty Images
I noticed that on his Test debut for Australia, Kepler Wessels opened the batting and was the last man out. Has anyone ever carried his bat on debut? asked Andy Haensel from Australia
Three people have carried their bat on Test debut - two many moons ago and one much more recent. The first one was Dr John Barrett, with 67 not out in Australia's total of 176 against England at Lord's in 1890, and he was followed by Pelham "Plum" Warner, with 132 not out in England's 237 against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1898-99. The third man to do it was Bangladesh's Javed Omar, with 85 not out in a total of 168 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2000-01. For the full list of batsmen who carried their bat in a Test click here.
Three people have carried their bat on Test debut - two many moons ago and one much more recent. The first one was Dr John Barrett, with 67 not out in Australia's total of 176 against England at Lord's in 1890, and he was followed by Pelham "Plum" Warner, with 132 not out in England's 237 against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1898-99. The third man to do it was Bangladesh's Javed Omar, with 85 not out in a total of 168 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2000-01. For the full list of batsmen who carried their bat in a Test click here.
Xavier Marshall hit 12 sixes in a one-day international against Canada last year. Has anyone hit more in an innings in international cricket? asked Jude Franco from India
Yes, Xavier Marshall's 12 sixes in his 157 not out in that match for West Indies against Canada at King City last August was indeed a record for any one-day international innings - the previous mark of 11 was set by Sanath Jayasuriya during his 134 for Sri Lanka against Pakistan in Singapore in April 1996, and equalled by Shahid Afridi for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in Nairobi the following September. For a full list of most sixes in a one-day international innings, click here. The record for any Test innings is also 12, by Wasim Akram during his unbeaten 257 for Pakistan against Zimbabwe in Sheikhupura in October 1996, the month after Afridi's one-day onslaught in 1996-97. For the full Test list, click here.
Yes, Xavier Marshall's 12 sixes in his 157 not out in that match for West Indies against Canada at King City last August was indeed a record for any one-day international innings - the previous mark of 11 was set by Sanath Jayasuriya during his 134 for Sri Lanka against Pakistan in Singapore in April 1996, and equalled by Shahid Afridi for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in Nairobi the following September. For a full list of most sixes in a one-day international innings, click here. The record for any Test innings is also 12, by Wasim Akram during his unbeaten 257 for Pakistan against Zimbabwe in Sheikhupura in October 1996, the month after Afridi's one-day onslaught in 1996-97. For the full Test list, click here.
Has anyone ever been caught and bowled twice by the same bowler in a Test? asked Clarence Terry from Cape Town
Rather to my surprise, I discovered that this had happened on four occasions. The first was in 1884-85, when Australia's John Trumble (brother of the more famous Hugh) was caught and bowled in both innings of his Test debut in Melbourne by England's Billy Barnes. The subsequent instances involved Everton Weekes of West Indies (c&b by India's Ghulam Ahmed in Calcutta in 1948-49), and the Australian pair of Keith Miller (by England's Freddie Brown in Melbourne in 1950-51) and Richie Benaud (by Alf Valentine of West Indies in Sydney in 1960-61).
Rather to my surprise, I discovered that this had happened on four occasions. The first was in 1884-85, when Australia's John Trumble (brother of the more famous Hugh) was caught and bowled in both innings of his Test debut in Melbourne by England's Billy Barnes. The subsequent instances involved Everton Weekes of West Indies (c&b by India's Ghulam Ahmed in Calcutta in 1948-49), and the Australian pair of Keith Miller (by England's Freddie Brown in Melbourne in 1950-51) and Richie Benaud (by Alf Valentine of West Indies in Sydney in 1960-61).
I noticed that Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell opened and both made 50 in a one-day international against India in 2006. Is this the highest score that both openers have made in an ODI? asked John Raunds from Bristol
The match you're talking about was during the 2006 Champions Trophy, at Ahmedabad. But there have actually been eight instances where both openers have made higher identical scores in a one-day international. The highest is 72, by Desmond Haynes (who was not out) and Richie Richardson for West Indies against India in Sharjah in 1985-86.
The match you're talking about was during the 2006 Champions Trophy, at Ahmedabad. But there have actually been eight instances where both openers have made higher identical scores in a one-day international. The highest is 72, by Desmond Haynes (who was not out) and Richie Richardson for West Indies against India in Sharjah in 1985-86.
Who has the lowest average among the bowlers with 300 or more wickets in Test cricket? asked Samundra from Nepal
As I write, 24 bowlers have taken 300 Test wickets (Daniel Vettori was the latest to reach the landmark, in Colombo last week). The one with the lowest average is Malcolm Marshall, whose 376 wickets cost only 20.94 apiece, while another fearsome West Indian fast bowler, Curtly Ambrose, is next with 405 at 20.99. Fred Trueman lies third (21.57), just ahead of Glenn McGrath (21.64). For the full list, click here.
As I write, 24 bowlers have taken 300 Test wickets (Daniel Vettori was the latest to reach the landmark, in Colombo last week). The one with the lowest average is Malcolm Marshall, whose 376 wickets cost only 20.94 apiece, while another fearsome West Indian fast bowler, Curtly Ambrose, is next with 405 at 20.99. Fred Trueman lies third (21.57), just ahead of Glenn McGrath (21.64). For the full list, click here.
I was stumped by this question in a quiz recently: which Test cricketer was born in Denmark? asked Arun Sachdeva from Mumbai
You were probably stumped because the player concerned is such a recent addition to the ranks of Test cricketers that he won't feature in many reference books yet. The answer is Amjad Khan, the Kent fast bowler who made his debut for England in the fifth Test against West Indies in Port-of-Spain in March. Khan, who was born in Copenhagen and became a British citizen in 2006, had an undistinguished debut and hasn't played again yet.
You were probably stumped because the player concerned is such a recent addition to the ranks of Test cricketers that he won't feature in many reference books yet. The answer is Amjad Khan, the Kent fast bowler who made his debut for England in the fifth Test against West Indies in Port-of-Spain in March. Khan, who was born in Copenhagen and became a British citizen in 2006, had an undistinguished debut and hasn't played again yet.
And there's an update on last week's question about the longest Test innings in a losing cause, from the renowned statistician and researcher Charles Davis in Melbourne
"With reference to the question about longest Test innings for a losing side, I have 545 balls for Len Hutton's 202 not out against West Indies at The Oval in 1950. Even more remarkable considering England lost by an innings. Hutton batted two hours less than Andy Flower, but Sonny Ramadhin, Alf Valentine etc got through their overs so fast that the 'balls faced' counts in that series were very high - at Trent Bridge, the opening stand of 212 by Cyril Washbrook and Reg Simpson took 125 overs!"
Steven adds: Cricinfo does not have the balls-faced information for that series (and many other early ones) in its database. I should probably have made clear in last week's answer that the records were incomplete, so apologies for that.
"With reference to the question about longest Test innings for a losing side, I have 545 balls for Len Hutton's 202 not out against West Indies at The Oval in 1950. Even more remarkable considering England lost by an innings. Hutton batted two hours less than Andy Flower, but Sonny Ramadhin, Alf Valentine etc got through their overs so fast that the 'balls faced' counts in that series were very high - at Trent Bridge, the opening stand of 212 by Cyril Washbrook and Reg Simpson took 125 overs!"
Steven adds: Cricinfo does not have the balls-faced information for that series (and many other early ones) in its database. I should probably have made clear in last week's answer that the records were incomplete, so apologies for that.
Steven Lynch is the editor of the Cricinfo Guide to International Cricket (reviewed here). If you want to ask Steven a question, use our feedback form. The most interesting questions will be answered here each week