Pietersen and Cook waste no time

While browsing through player profiles on Cricinfo the other day, we stumbled upon Alastair Cook's. Does it surprise you that he's already played 52 Tests? Michael Clarke seems to have been around for much longer, and he's only played 58. It got us wondering about who's played a certain number of matches in the quickest time. So we checked on which players raced to 50 and 100 Tests in the shortest span of time, and also on those who took the longest. While we were at it we dug up lists for ODIs too.

Cook's debut came at short notice in March 2006. He was touring West Indies with the A team when an injury-ridden England squad sent him an SOS from India. He responded with 60 in the first innings of the Nagpur Test. Cook's missed only one match since - Mumbai 2006 - and with England playing plenty, he recently picked up his 50th cap during the Boxing Day Test in South Africa, after only three years and 300 days on the international circuit. He was second fastest to the 50-Test landmark.

The quickest to get there is Kevin Pietersen. He missed no England Tests between his debut, against Australia at Lord's in July 2005, and his 50th game - the Trinidad Test in March 2009. He took only three years and 228 days, smashing Marcus Trescothick's record. Trescothick had taken three years and 312 days to play 50 Tests and was the first player to do it inside four years.

Quickest to play 50 Tests in terms of time

Player	Debut	Date	Time			Runs	HS	Bat Av	Wkts	BBI	Bowl Av
KP Pietersen (Eng)	Jul 21, 2005	Mar 6, 2009	3y 228d			4445	226	51.09	4	1/0	129.50
AN Cook (Eng)	Mar 1, 2006	Dec 26, 2009	3y 300d			3654	160	42.98	0	-	-
ME Trescothick (Eng)	Aug 3, 2000	Jun 10, 2004	3y 312d			3663	219	42.59	1	1/34	137.00
AR Border (Aus)	Dec 29, 1978	Jan 2, 1983	4y 4d			3492	162	46.56	14	3/20	35.85
AC Gilchrist (Aus)	Nov 5, 1999	Dec 26, 2003	4y 51d			3159	204*	57.43	0	-	-
AJ Strauss (Eng)	May 20, 2004	Jul 10, 2008	4y 51d			3807	177	42.30	0	-	-
AB de Villiers (SA)	Dec 17, 2004	Feb 26, 2009	4y 71d			3308	217*	42.41	2	2/49	49.50
RR Sarwan (WI)	May 18, 2000	Aug 19, 2004	4y 93d			3401	261*	40.97	20	4/37	39.65
MV Boucher (SA)	Oct 17, 1997	Feb 22, 2002	4y 128d			1761	125	28.86	0	-	-
N Kapil Dev (India)	Oct 16, 1978	Mar 11, 1983	4y 146d			2129	126*	32.25	200	8/85	29.33
SJ Harmison (Eng/ICC)	Aug 8, 2002	Jan 2, 2007	4y 147d			578	42	11.11	189	7/12	30.53
AJ Lamb (Eng)	Jun 10, 1982	Dec 26, 1986	4y 199d			2617	137*	33.12	1	1/6	23.00
RD Jacobs (WI)	Nov 26, 1998	Jun 20, 2003	4y 206d			1984	118	28.34	0	-	-
AW Greig (Eng)	Jun 8, 1972	Jan 14, 1977	4y 220d			3195	148	42.03	126	8/86	32.20
MP Vaughan (Eng)	Nov 25, 1999	Aug 19, 2004	4y 268d			3777	197	45.50	5	2/71	97.40
IA Healy (Aus)	Sep 15, 1988	Jul 1, 1993	4y 289d			1562	102*	22.63	0	-	-
GC Smith (ICC/SA)	Mar 8, 2002	Dec 26, 2006	4y 293d			3969	277	47.81	8	2/145	93.75
ME Waugh (Aus)	Jan 25, 1991	Nov 17, 1995	4y 296d			3222	140	42.39	35	5/40	35.00
MJ Clarke (Aus)	Oct 6, 2004	Jul 30, 2009	4y 297d			3556	151	50.08	19	6/9	38.68
IT Botham (Eng)	Jul 28, 1977	Jun 24, 1982	4y 331d			2625	149*	36.45	229	8/34	22.89

Unless injuries or other unexpected developments interrupt Pietersen's career, he is on course to play 100 Tests in the shortest span of time. Mark Waugh is presently the quickest - eight years and 342 days - and is the only player to do it within nine years. Waugh missed two Tests for Australia in his first 22 and then played 107 in a row - the second longest streak ever, after Border's 153.

Quickest to play 100 Tests in terms of time

Player	Debut	Date	Time			Runs	HS	Bat Av	Wkts	BBI	Bowl Av
ME Waugh (Aus)	Jan 25, 1991	Jan 2, 2000	8y 342d			6403	153*	41.57	50	5/40	39.68
MV Boucher (ICC/SA)	Oct 17, 1997	Jan 11, 2007	9y 86d			3723	125	29.78	1	1/6	6.00
IA Healy (Aus)	Sep 15, 1988	Jan 30, 1998	9y 137d			3741	161*	28.34	0	-	-
R Dravid (ICC/India)	Jun 20, 1996	Mar 18, 2006	9y 271d			8553	270	57.79	1	1/18	39.00
MA Taylor (Aus)	Jan 26, 1989	Nov 20, 1998	9y 298d			7343	334*	44.50	1	1/11	26.00
AR Border (Aus)	Dec 29, 1978	Dec 24, 1988	9y 361d			7670	205	52.17	16	3/20	47.18
RT Ponting (Aus)	Dec 8, 1995	Jan 2, 2006	10y 25d			8253	257	57.71	5	1/0	44.80
DI Gower (Eng)	Jun 1, 1978	Jul 21, 1988	10y 50d			7000	215	44.02	1	1/1	20.00
SK Warne (Aus)	Jan 2, 1992	Mar 8, 2002	10y 65d			2052	99	16.54	444	8/71	26.56
G Kirsten (SA)	Dec 26, 1993	Mar 18, 2004	10y 83d			7212	275	45.35	2	1/0	71.00
JH Kallis (ICC/SA)	Dec 14, 1995	Apr 15, 2006	10y 122d			7940	189*	56.31	197	6/54	31.73
DC Boon (Aus)	Nov 23, 1984	Apr 21, 1995	10y 149d			7094	200	44.33	0	-	-
SM Pollock (SA)	Nov 16, 1995	Apr 15, 2006	10y 150d			3406	111	31.24	391	7/87	23.25
AJ Stewart (Eng)	Feb 24, 1990	Aug 3, 2000	10y 161d			6838	190	40.94	0	-	-
GD McGrath (Aus)	Nov 12, 1993	Oct 26, 2004	10y 349d			468	39	6.50	451	8/38	21.73
MA Atherton (Eng)	Aug 10, 1989	Aug 3, 2000	10y 359d			6742	185*	37.87	2	1/20	151.00
N Kapil Dev (India)	Oct 16, 1978	Nov 15, 1989	11y 30d			4142	163	31.37	354	9/83	28.87
DPMD Jayawardene (SL)	Aug 2, 1997	Jan 3, 2009	11y 154d			7959	374	52.36	4	2/32	58.00
SC Ganguly (India)	Jun 20, 1996	Dec 26, 2007	11y 189d			6429	239	43.14	32	3/28	49.93
M Ntini (SA)	Mar 19, 1998	Dec 16, 2009	11y 272d			692	32*	9.74	390	7/37	28.53

Most of the players quickest to 50 and 100 Tests are from either England or Australia but two Indians head the list of players fastest to 10 Tests. India played plenty of matches between September and December 1979 and it was during this period that Dilip Doshi and Yashpal Sharma made their debuts. Doshi played his first ten Tests in 105 days and Sharma in 111.

England's Freddie Brown, on the other hand, took an eternity to play ten Tests. Born in Lima (any other Test cricketers born in Peru?), Brown made his debut against New Zealand at the Oval in 1931, when he was not yet 21. The second World War interrupted his career and it was only in 1950 - 19 years and 125 days after his debut - that Brown played his tenth Test.

Syd Gregory was the first player to reach 50 Tests and he did it after 19 years and five days. That was surpassed by the second man to play 50 Tests - Wilfred Rhodes, who took 21 years and 227 days and is still the slowest.

Graham Gooch, who spent three years out of the England team between his second and third Test and lost another three years for leading a rebel tour to apartheid South Africa, took the longest time to play 100 Tests. He made his debut as a 21-year-old in 1975 and played his 100th 17 years and 203 days later in 1993. Allan Border, who made his debut in 1979, had played 138 Tests by then.

Gooch was also the slowest to play 100 one-day internationals, taking 15 years and 180 days to get there. MS Dhoni, the quickest to the mark, did it in three years and 51 days. Most of the players who were among the quickest to play 100 ODIs began their careers in the 2000s or around the 1996 World Cup. Inzamam-ul-Haq, who made his debut in 1991 and played 100 games in four years and 102 days, is one of only two players (Nayan Mongia is the other) in the table below to have begun before 1995.

Quickest to play 100 ODIs in terms of time

Player	Debut	Date	Time			Runs	HS	Bat Av	Wkts	BBI	Bowl Av
MS Dhoni (Asia/India)	Dec 23, 2004	Feb 12, 2008	3y 51d			3011	183*	44.94	0	-	-
Shahid Afridi (Pak)	Oct 2, 1996	Feb 4, 2000	3y 125d			2194	109	23.34	64	3/33	48.31
R Dravid (India)	Apr 3, 1996	Sep 26, 1999	3y 176d			3158	145	37.15	1	1/21	102.00
Saqlain Mushtaq (Pak)	Sep 29, 1995	May 20, 1999	3y 233d			471	30*	12.72	189	5/29	19.57
KC Sangakkara (SL)	Jul 5, 2000	Feb 27, 2004	3y 237d			2383	103*	29.78	0	-	-
MV Boucher (SA)	Jan 16, 1998	Oct 22, 2001	3y 279d			1077	68	22.43	0	-	-
M Kaif (India)	Jan 28, 2002	Nov 16, 2005	3y 292d			2369	111*	34.83	0	-	-
Yuvraj Singh (India)	Oct 3, 2000	Aug 1, 2004	3y 303d			2367	139	30.74	26	4/6	37.61
Mohammad Yousuf (Pak)	Mar 28, 1998	Apr 17, 2002	4y 20d			3183	129	39.29	0	-	-
MJ Clarke (Aus)	Jan 19, 2003	Feb 9, 2007	4y 21d			2893	105*	43.17	30	5/35	36.73
Younis Khan (Pak)	Feb 13, 2000	Mar 21, 2004	4y 37d			2636	90	31.75	1	1/24	99.00
AC Gilchrist (Aus)	Oct 25, 1996	Jan 11, 2001	4y 78d			3109	154	33.07	0	-	-
SM Pollock (SA)	Jan 9, 1996	Apr 16, 2000	4y 98d			1267	75	25.85	146	6/35	23.15
AB Agarkar (India)	Apr 1, 1998	Jul 9, 2002	4y 99d			665	67*	16.62	154	4/25	28.43
Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pak)	Nov 22, 1991	Mar 3, 1996	4y 102d			3400	137*	41.97	2	1/4	21.00
NR Mongia (India)	Feb 15, 1994	Jun 23, 1998	4y 128d			872	69	19.37	0	-	-
DPMD Jayawardene (SL)	Jan 24, 1998	Jun 27, 2002	4y 154d			2771	128	32.22	7	2/56	66.85
Azhar Mahmood (Pak)	Sep 16, 1996	Feb 22, 2001	4y 159d			1090	67	18.47	102	6/18	32.94
IK Pathan (India)	Jan 9, 2004	Jul 3, 2008	4y 176d			1339	83	24.34	143	5/27	29.38
JH Kallis (SA)	Jan 9, 1996	Jul 14, 2000	4y 187d			3392	113*	42.40	84	5/30	30.25

It's a little over five years since Dhoni made his ODI debut in December 2004 and he's played 162 ODIs to date. India have seven ODIs against Australia later this year, some other series which the BCCI will cook up, and the World Cup in early 2011, so Dhoni stands a good chance to get to 200 ODIs quicker than Kumar Sangakkara did - in six years and 297 days.

Quickest to play 200 ODIs in terms of time

Player	Debut	Date	Time			Runs	HS	Bat Av	Wkts	BBI	Bowl Av
KC Sangakkara (Asia/ICC/SL)	Jul 5, 2000	Apr 28, 2007	6y 297d			5826	138*	36.18	0	-	-
R Dravid (India)	Apr 3, 1996	Feb 23, 2003	6y 326d			6242	153	38.29	4	2/43	42.50
Yuvraj Singh (Asia/India)	Oct 3, 2000	Feb 19, 2008	7y 139d			5686	139	36.44	54	4/6	40.27
Mohammad Yousuf (Asia/Pak)	Mar 28, 1998	Aug 17, 2005	7y 142d			6719	141*	41.22	0	-	-
SM Pollock (SA)	Jan 9, 1996	Oct 5, 2003	7y 269d			1988	75	23.38	282	6/35	23.29
MV Boucher (Afr/SA)	Jan 16, 1998	Nov 6, 2005	7y 294d			2744	70	25.64	0	-	-
Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pak)	Nov 22, 1991	Oct 22, 1999	7y 334d			6475	137*	39.48	2	1/4	26.00
DPMD Jayawardene (Asia/SL)	Jan 24, 1998	Jan 24, 2006	8y 0d			5178	128	31.00	7	2/56	74.85
AC Gilchrist (Aus/ICC)	Oct 25, 1996	Jan 14, 2005	8y 81d			6685	172	35.74	0	-	-
Shahid Afridi (Pak)	Oct 2, 1996	Apr 2, 2005	8y 182d			4364	109	23.97	163	5/11	36.77
JH Kallis (SA)	Jan 9, 1996	Aug 28, 2004	8y 232d			7110	139	45.57	189	5/30	30.99
SR Tendulkar (India)	Dec 18, 1989	Sep 30, 1998	8y 286d			7305	143	41.74	65	5/32	52.78
WPUJC Vaas (SL)	Feb 15, 1994	Dec 1, 2002	8y 289d			1318	50*	14.97	245	8/19	27.68
MG Bevan (Aus)	Apr 14, 1994	Feb 27, 2003	8y 319d			6045	108*	54.45	36	3/36	45.97
Abdul Razzaq (Asia/Pak)	Nov 1, 1996	Dec 19, 2005	9y 48d			3944	112	30.10	222	6/35	29.77
M Muralitharan (SL)	Aug 12, 1993	Sep 30, 2002	9y 49d			302	18	5.80	297	7/30	23.28
SP Fleming (NZ)	Mar 25, 1994	May 19, 2003	9y 55d			5441	134*	30.91	1	1/8	28.00
JN Rhodes (SA)	Feb 26, 1992	May 16, 2001	9y 79d			4677	121	32.93	0	-	-
RT Ponting (Aus)	Feb 15, 1995	May 27, 2004	9y 102d			7255	145	42.42	3	1/12	34.66
CH Gayle (ICC/WI)	Sep 11, 1999	May 24, 2009	9y 255d			7290	153*	40.27	151	5/46	33.48