Fleming extends two world records (just), while O'Connor avoids one
In last week's edition of The Numbers Game we recorded the fact that Stephen Fleming had made more runs than any other player in the history of Test cricket with the aid of only two centuries
Francis Payne
22-Nov-2000
In last week's edition of The Numbers Game we recorded the fact that Stephen Fleming had made more runs than any other player in the history of Test cricket with the aid of only two centuries. In the first Test at Bloemfontein, although he came as close as possible to parting with the record, Fleming ended up extending his tally to 3309 runs, now 185 ahead of second placed Sir Richard Hadlee.
Fleming also has the lowest conversion rate of fifties to hundreds in Tests of any batsman with two centuries. The table of lowest converters now reads:
100s 50+ Rate % SP Fleming (NZ) 2 28 7.14 Rameez Raja (Pak) 2 24 8.33 S Chanderpaul (WI) 2 22 9.09 FM Engineer (Ind) 2 18 11.11 AL Logie (WI) 2 18 11.11 RJ Hadlee (NZ) 2 17 11.76 SMH Kirmani (Ind) 2 14 14.29 K Srikkanth (Ind) 2 14 14.29 CJ Tavare (Eng) 2 14 14.29 RES Wyatt (Eng) 2 14 14.29 BA Young (NZ) 2 14 14.29
Fleming is the eleventh player to be dismissed for 99 in a first-class match for New Zealand. John Wright fell one run short of a century for New Zealand three times. The list is:
CJ Elmes New Zealand v MCC Auckland 1935/36 JEF Beck New Zealand v South Africa Cape Town 1953/54 B Sutcliffe New Zealand v Sussex Hove 1958 GM Turner New Zealand v Tasmania Hobart 1969/70 GT Dowling New Zealand v Western Australia Perth 1970/71 RJ Hadlee New Zealand v England Christchurch 1983/84 JV Coney New Zealand v President's XI St Lucia 1984/85 JG Wright New Zealand v Australia Melbourne 1987/88 JG Wright New Zealand v Worcestershire Worcester 1990 DN Patel New Zealand v England Christchurch 1991/92 JG Wright New Zealand v England Christchurch 1991/92 MH Richardson New Zealand v Zimbabwe Harare 2000/01 SP Fleming New Zealand v South Africa Bloemfontien 2000/01
Beck and Patel were run out. Wright was stumped.
Lest it be thought we are focusing negatively on Fleming's record we plead that:
- We are merely recording facts
- Fleming's performance can be looked at in two ways. The other view is that to average 37 after 54 tests with two hundreds demonstrates admirable consistency - reaching fifty at better than once four innings. To have the same record with, say, six or eight centuries would mean a corresponding string of low scores.
New Zealand batsmen have found centuries elusive throughout their entire Test history. The following table showing ratio of hundreds to Tests played illustrates this:
100s Tests 100s per Test Bangladesh 1 1 1.00 West Indies 339 364 0.93 Australia 557 606 0.92 Pakistan 225 271 0.83 India 272 335 0.81 England 621 774 0.80 Sri Lanka 76 105 0.72 South Africa 162 246 0.66 Zimbabwe 26 46 0.56 New Zealand 157 282 0.55
Shayne O'Connor was also amongst the batting records in the first Test. Celebrating his promotion to number ten, he reached double figures for the first time in his Test career in his 23rd innings, thereby just avoiding threatening the current Test record. He has also played 13 One-Day International innings wthout getting past single figures.
Ironically, just prior to gaining New Zealand selection for the first time, O'Connor was establishing himself as something of an all-rounder in the Otago side, batting as high as number seven in the Shell Trophy competition. During the 1996/97 season he had scores of 40 not out, 47 and 43 in successive Trophy matches.
The players who have played most innings in Test cricket without reaching double figures are now:
Inns HS Ave M Mbangwa (Zim) 25 8 2.00 CN McCarthy (SA) 24 5 3.11 GI Allott (NZ) 15 8* 3.37 DA Renneberg (Aus) 13 9 3.66 DT Dewdney (WI) 12 5* 2.42 BP Bracewell (NZ) 12 8 2.40 MB Owens (NZ) 12 8* 2.66 AJ Traicos (SA/Zim) 10 5* 3.16
O'Connor was also part of a remarkable set of cirumstances involving the New Zealand bowling lineup for the first Test. He was the only specialist bowler in the side who had taken a Test wicket (44 at 31.27 in 14 matches). Daryl Tuffey (one Test, 0-127) and debutants Chris Martin and Brooke Walker were the other bowlers.
In 1994 at Nottingham, Heath Davis and Gavin Larsen made their debuts teaming up with Dion Nash (three Tests and four wickets) and Matthew Hart (three Tests and seven wickets) as the specialist bowlers. When New Zealand played Zimbabwe at Hamilton in 1995/96, three bowlers were making their debuts (Geoff Allott, Robert Kennedy and Greg Loveridge) but they did have the experienced Chris Cairns and Dipak Patel in support.
In The Numbers Game of 29 October, we pointed out that Brooke Walker had become the first specialist leg-spinner to bowl for New Zealand in an international match since Jack Alabaster in West Indies back in March 1972. In the first Test at Bloemfontein, Walker joined the short list of just nine leggies who have played Test cricket for New Zealand.
Leg-spinners playing for New Zealand at any level are so rare, only 18 in total, that it is worth recording them all since the first - Scottish-born Robert Neill in 1896/97. Curiously, another early exponent of leg-spin who played for New Zealand, Alister Howden, was also born in Scotland. The full list is:
NZ Career Robert Neill 1896/97 Ken Tucker 1899/00-1906/07 Keith Ollivier 1904/05-1905/06 Alister Howden 1909/10 Caleb Olliff 1909/10 Don Sandman 1909/10-1920/21 George Wilson 1913/14 Rauol Garrard 1922/23 Bill Merritt 1926/27-1935/36 (6 Tests, 12 wickets at 51.42) Doug Freeman 1932/33 (2 Tests, 1 wicket at 169.00) Bernie Griffiths 1935/36 Cec Burke 1945/46-1949 (1 Test, 2 wickets at 15.00) Alex Moir 1950/51-1958/59 (17 Tests, 28 wickets at 50.64) Bill Bell 1953/54 (2 Tests, 2 wickets at 117.50) Jack Alabaster 1955/56-1971/72 (21 Tests, 49 wickets at 38.02) Graham Vivian 1964/65-1971/72 (5 Tests, 1 wicket at 107.00) Greg Loveridge 1995/96 (1 Test, DNB) Brooke Walker 1999-2000/01 (1 Test, 2 wickets at 55.50)
Alabaster and Vivian were selected for overseas tours without having played any previous first-class cricket.
Vivian (who like his father Giff was selected for New Zealand aged 18) played only his first Test as a leg-spinner. His other four matches were as a batsman seven year later in West Indies. By coincidence, this was also Alabaster's last series.
Freeman was still a pupil at Nelson College when selected and remained New Zealand's youngest Test player until Daniel Vettori made his debut.
Howden and Olliff played just once each but in the same game against Australia at Christchurch in 1909/10.
Wilson, who was killed in action in Belgium in 1917, played one game against Arthur Sims' Australians at Dunedin in 1913/14. Sandman was also in the team.
The first instance of two leg-spinners playing in the same Test for New Zealand was Alabaster and Moir against Pakistan at Karachi in 1955/56. They were paired together again against India at Bombay on the same tour.
The list does not, of course, include New Zealand's most famous leg-spinner, Clarrie Grimmett, who played for Wellington prior to the First World War before moving to Australia where he went on to capture 216 wickets in only 37 tests.