Ducks, few and plenty

In South Africa's total of 83 all out at Trent Bridge no player was dismissed for a duck. Is this the lowest team total in which this has occurred? asked Miles Reucroft
Several other sharp-eyed readers also noticed that South Africa's total of 83 against England at Trent Bridge last week contained no ducks (and only one score of less than 5). As it turns out, there is one lower all-out total in one-day internationals that didn't involve anyone getting out for 0: in the final of the Coca-Cola Champions Trophy (not the ICC one) in Sharjah in 2000-01, India were shot out by Sri Lanka for 54, but no one made a duck. For the record, the lowest all-out total without a duck in a Test is 75, by Australia against South Africa in Durban in 1949-50 (that total included a 1 and five 2s).

I noticed that there were six ducks in Pakistan's innings in an ODI against West Indies in February 1993. Was this a record? asked Shams Mahmood from the United States
The match you're talking about took place during a triangular one-day series in South Africa in 1992-93, when Pakistan were shot out by West Indies for 43 in Cape Town. Their innings included six ducks, which actually equalled the ODI record at the time, which was also set by Pakistan - against England at Edgbaston in 1987, when a respectable total of 213 for 9 rather surprisingly featured six dismissals for 0. It has happened once since: there were six ducks in South Africa's innings of 106 against Australia in Sydney in 2001-02. For a full list, click here. In Tests the record is also six ducks in an innings, and it has also happened three times: click here for that list.

Matt Prior claimed six victims behind the stumps when England bowled South Africa out for 83 - is this an ODI record? asked Hemant Kher from the United States
Matt Prior's six catches in the match at Trent Bridge last week equalled the one-day international wicketkeeping record. It has now been done 11 times in ODIs - six of those by Australia's Adam Gilchrist. The other keepers to achieve the feat are Alec Stewart of England, Ridley Jacobs of West Indies, Mark Boucher of South Africa, and India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni. For a full list, click here.

In a recent match in Canada, the home side posted 254 against West Indies. Is this a record total for an associate nation against a full-member nation in ODIs? asked Donald Stevens from Melbourne
The match you're talking about was this one, in the recent Scotia Bank series in King City near Toronto. Canada's 254 was a fine effort, but the overall record for an associate-member side against a Test nation in ODIs is 312 for 4 by Zimbabwe, shortly before they acquired Test status, against Sri Lanka at New Plymouth during the 1991-92 World Cup. Next come Kenya, who made 284 for 7 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2005-06. Canada themselves made 265 for 7 against Bangladesh in St John's in a tri-series in the West Indies shortly before the 2006-07 World Cup. The highest total by any associate nation in an ODI is Kenya's 347 for 3 against Bangladesh (who did not have Test status at the time) at the Nairobi Gymkhana in 1997-98.

I bumped into the Test stats of Australia's Geoff Dymock and was amused to see that he took only one catch in 21 Tests. Is that some sort of record? asked Vikas Bhatia from the United States
Geoff Dymock's only Test catch disposed of West Indies' Joel Garner in Melbourne in 1979-80. Rather surprisingly, perhaps, Dymock does not hold this particular record: Sri Lanka's Ravi Ratnayeke played 22 Tests but took only one catch (England's Richard Ellison during Sri Lanka's first-ever Test at Lord's, in 1984). Three players - the Australian "Chuck" Fleetwood-Smith, Sri Lanka's Jayananda Warnaweera and India's Abey Kuruvilla - played in ten Tests without ever taking a catch, while the current South African player Morne Morkel has not taken a catch in his ten Tests to date.

Further to last week's question about people scoring a century in their first and 100th Tests, I believe Javed Miandad also scored one in his 50th Test. Did any of the others manage this? asked Phani Durvasula from India
You're right. As well as scoring centuries in his debut and his 100th Tests, Javed Miandad did reach three figures in his 50th as well - in fact he scored 280 not out, against India at Hyderabad in 1982-83. Gordon Greenidge, the only other man to do the 1st/100th-Test ton double, didn't manage one in his 50th match, scoring "only" 64 and 10 not out in a ten-wicket victory over Australia in Bridgetown in 1983-84. None of the other players who scored a century in their 100th Test also made one in their 50th.