Also, most ODI runs in a calendar month, stumped twice in a Test, fastest hundreds by keepers, and brothers in a hat-trick
Steven Lynch11-Nov-2014Sunil Gavaskar was dismissed by the first ball of a Test match three times. Is this unique? asked Melisa Gomes from the UAE
Sunil Gavaskar was indeed dismissed by the first ball of a Test on three occasions – by England’s Geoff Arnold at Edgbaston in 1974, by Malcolm Marshall of West Indies in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1983-84, and by Imran Khan of Pakistan in Jaipur in 1986-87. No one has fallen to the first ball of a Test twice… but, remarkably, there is another person who suffered this fate three times – and he played only 17 Tests to Gavaskar’s 125. This uncertain starter was Hannan Sarkar, of Bangladesh… and perhaps the most amazing stat of all is that Hannan’s three golden ducks were all inflicted by the same bowler, the West Indian left-armer Pedro Collins, in Dhaka in 2002-03, and in successive Tests in St Lucia and in Jamaica in 2004. For the full list, click here.Who has scored the most runs in one-day internationals in a calendar month? asked James Lewcock from England
There’s a rather surprise leader on this list: it’s Hamilton Masakadza, from Zimbabwe, who amassed 595 runs in October 2009, with the help of innings of 156 and 178 not out against Kenya. In all he batted eight times – five against Kenya and three against Bangladesh – during the month, and averaged 85.00. Sachin Tendulkar is next, with 564 runs in April 1998, then come Kumar Sangakkara (533 in July 2013), Michael Bevan (530 in April 1998) and David Gower (528 in January 1983).Has any batsman ever been stumped twice in the same Test? asked Ahson Atif from India
This fate has befallen no fewer than 18 batsmen now, although there have been only four instances since 1955-56. The first to suffer such double trouble was the England captain AN “Monkey” Hornby, against Australia at Old Trafford in 1884, and the most recent victim was Zimbabwe’s Christopher Mpofu, stumped twice on the same day by New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum in Harare in August 2005. Arguably the most distinguished name on the list is England’s Walter Hammond, who was stumped twice in the famous Timeless Test against South Africa in Durban in 1938-39. For the full line-up, click here.Did Sarfraz Ahmed score the fastest Test hundred by a wicketkeeper in Dubai? asked Joel Pojas from the Philippines
Sarfraz Ahmed reached his century for Pakistan against Australia in the recent first Test in Dubai from 80 balls. The only faster hundred by a wicketkeeper, where the number of balls faced are known, was by Adam Gilchrist, from just 57 deliveries, in the Ashes Test at Perth in 2006-07. That was the third-fastest Test hundred of all, one slower than Viv Richards’s 56-ball blast for West Indies against England in his native Antigua in 1985-86, which was equalled by Misbah-ul-Haq recently against Australia in Abu Dhabi. Sarfraz’s fine innings just edged out an 81-ball hundred by another Pakistan keeper, Kamran Akmal, against India in Lahore in 2005-06. For the list of fastest Test hundreds, click here. Is there any obscure reference of three brothers getting out in a hat-trick? asked Zeeshan Mahmood from the United States
I’m not aware of any such instances, although it’s always dangerous to say that something has never happened, given the vast amount of club cricket played around the world! Brett Lee’s hat-trick against Kenya in Durban during the 2003 World Cup included Kennedy Otieno and his brother David Obuya, but the middle victim (Brijal Patel) was unrelated. One rather interesting family hat-trick that I do remember reading about was immortalised in the obituary of King George VI in the 1953 Wisden. It records that: “When Prince Albert he performed the hat-trick on the private ground on the slopes below Windsor Castle, where the sons and grandsons of Edward VII used to play regularly. A left-handed batsman and bowler, the King bowled King Edward VII, King George V and the present Duke of Windsor in three consecutive balls, thus proving himself the best Royal cricketer since Frederick, Prince of Wales, in 1751, took a keen interest in the game. The ball is now mounted in the mess-room of the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.”My great-uncle tells me that VVS Laxman is a descendant of India’s first president, S Radhakrishnan. Is it true? asked Raghu Kerakatty from India
Apart from the fact that Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was India’s second president, succeeding Rajendra Prasad in 1962 after serving as his vice-president, it does seem to be true. An article on the NDTV website stated that VVS Laxman is Radhakrishnan’s great-grand-nephew. Sadly, it’s unlikely that Laxman would remember his distinguished ancestor: he died in April 1975, when VVS was only six months old.
