Captains keeping and scoring hundreds; and most runs scored in the first and last 10 overs
Steven Lynch23-Oct-2007The regular Tuesday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket:
VVS Laxman has scored the most ODI runs for a batsman without a World Cup appearance © AFP
What is the Test batting average? I mean runs scored by batsmenin Test cricket divided by total dismissals. I’m guessing it’s around 30,but the idea has been pinging around in my head for a while and it needsto get out! And while you’re at it, what’s the overall bowlingaverage? asked Kieran O’Leary from Australia
Your guess was remarkably close: the overall Test batting average (runsscored divided by completed innings) is 29.84 since the first Test in1876-77. The overall bowling average is slightly higher – 31.43 – becauseof run-outs and the recent counting of wides and no-balls against thebowler.Who has scored the most runs and taken the most wickets without everappearing in a World Cup? My guess for the batsman is VVS Laxman – am Iright? asked Satyakant from India
There’s some fine guessing going on this week, because the batsman withthe most ODI runs who has never appeared in a World Cup is indeed VVS Laxman, who has made 2338.The leading wicket-taker is another Indian, Irfan Pathan, who has so fartaken 122 one-day wickets. He’s just ahead of Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Zoysa, who has taken 108wickets in 95 matches, and holds the record for the most ODIs playedwithout appearing in the World Cup.Was the Test between India and New Zealand at Hamilton in 2002-03 theonly one in which part of all four innings took place on the same day?asked Ashwin Sundar from India
The match you’re talking about is this one. India started the third day(the first was washed out) at 92 for 8 in their first innings, and weresoon all out for 99; New Zealand were bowled out for 94; India went in andout again for 154; and by the end of the day New Zealand, chasing 160 towin, were 24 without loss (they completed a four-wicket victory nextmorning). This was the second occasion that part of all four innings hadtaken place on the same day of a Test: it also happened on the second dayof the 2000 Lord’s Test betweenEngland and West Indies (one ball of West Indies’ first innings, wholeinnings by England and West Indies, then seven balls of England’s second).What is the highest number of ducks in an ODI? I only ask because therewere seven in one of the India-Australia matches … asked Ed Dixonfrom England
Michael Clarke was the first of seven ducks during the seventh ODI between India and Australia at Mumbai © AFP
The match you’re talking about was the seventh one of the recent seriesbetween India and Australia, at Mumbai last week, andthere were indeed seven ducks (three golden ones), four by Australia andthree by India. That was the sixth instance of seven dismissals for 0 inthe same ODI – but the record is eight, shared by England (5) and WestIndies (3) in the 1979 World Cup final at Lord’s. For a list of the othersevens, click here.Who has taken the most wickets against England in Tests and ODIs?asked James Hamilton from Dundee
In Tests it’s a familiar name leading the way: Shane Warne took 195 Englandwickets in 36 Tests. Another Australian, Dennis Lillee, lies second with167, just ahead of CurtlyAmbrose of West Indies (164). Overall 17 bowlers have taken 100 ormore wickets against England in Tests. In ODIs the leader is anotherfamiliar Aussie – GlennMcGrath, with 53 wickets. Next come Malcolm Marshall (41) and Shaun Pollock (40).Which cricketer called his autobiography Retired Hurt?asked Max Hayes from Brisbane
This was Roshan Mahanama, theSri Lankan batsman who played 52 Tests between 1985-86 and 1997-98scoring 2576 runs including 225 in the Test-record total of 952 for 6against India in Colombo in1997. Mahanama’s book was privately published in Australia in 2001, and hecalled it that because he was upset at his treatment by the selectors,especially towards the end of his career.And there’s an update on the recent question about thehighest score in the last ten overs of an ODI, from Sreeram in India
“I believe that the most runs scored in the final ten overs of an ODIinnings is actually 146, by South Africa against Pakistan at Centurion earlier this year. They were 246 for 4 after 40 overs, but finished up with 392 for 6 – Mark Boucher made 78 in 38 balls.” That just beats a match several other people notified us about, Pakistan against Zimbabwe at Multan in 2004-05 – in that match Pakistan were147 for 6 at the end of the 40th over but, with Abdul Razzaq and ShahidAfridi going ballistic, they finished up with 292 for 7.
