Matches (14)
IPL (2)
PSL (3)
Women's Tri-Series (SL) (1)
Women's One-Day Cup (1)
County DIV1 (3)
County DIV2 (4)
Miscellaneous

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:
  1. We are merely recording facts
  2. 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.