Ask Bearders #153
Welcome to Ask Bearders, where statistician answers your questions on all things cricket.
Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column, and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry and he might answer it in his next piece.
Bill isnât able to answer all of your questions, however. ±«Óătv Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.
Q: Now Anil Kumble has achieved the unique distinction of having taken all 10 wickets in an innings and scored a century in Test cricket, has anyone achieved a similar feat in the same first -class match?
Gareth S
Bearders' answer: Four players have scored a century and taken ten wickets in an innings of a first-class match: V.E. Walker for England v Surrey at The Oval in 1859, E.M.Grace for MCC v Gentlemen of Kent at Canterbury in 1862 (in a 12-a-side match but with one Kent player absent), W.G. Grace for MCC v Oxford University at Oxford in 1886, and F.A.Tarrant for the Maharaja of Cooch Beharâs XI v Lord Willingdonâs XI at Poona in 1918-19.
Q: Surrey won their recent championship match against Kent at Canterbury inside two days. Watching the Test at The Oval, Surrey's home ground of course, one is struck with the idea that it would be extremely difficult to get a result inside two days at the venue. Has a first-class match ever been completed at the Oval, in fewer than three days? If so, was light/weather a factor, and/or were declarations involved?
PortlandOR Browncaps
Bearders' answer: Two first-class matches at Kennington Oval have been concluded on the opening day and without the aid of declarations.
On 16 July 1857, Surrey (166) beat Sussex (35 and 31) by an innings and 100 runs in a match scheduled to last two days. W. (âBillyâ) Caffyn (5-14 and 4-14) and George Griffith (5-19 and 5-15) bowled unchanged throughout both innings.
Then, on 16 May 1953, during their record run of seven successive titles, Surrey (146) beat Warwickshire (45 and 52) by an innings and 49 runs in their opening three-day home fixture of the season. Alec Bedser returned figures of 12-35 and Jim Laker took a hat-trick. Play began 30 minutes late after overnight rain and extended ten minutes into the extra half-hour.
Q: The first Test match I saw as a small boy was England v West Indies at Sabina Park circa 1948. One of the English players who stuck in my memory was a tall, blond, fast bowler named Tremlett. Is he a relative of the Tremlett now playing for England?
Ronald Blake
Bearders' answer: Yes, Maurice Tremlett was Chris Tremlettâs grandfather. Six inches shorter than his 6â7â grandson, Maurice played for Somerset from 1947 to 1960 and became their first professional captain. You saw the last of his three appearances for England, all on the 1947-48 tour. By 1950 his bowling had fallen away completely and he concentrated on his batting for the last decade of his career, specialising in lofted straight hitting.
Q: I'm confused. How can a player have an average higher than their highest score? Surely, even scoring exactly 26 in each of eight innings is still an average of 26!
doneBadThings
Bearders' answer: Not out (*) innings are ignored when batting averages are calculated. Ryan Sidebottomâs scores before the recent Test at The Oval were: 4, 15, 8*, 26*, 1, 9, 18* and 25*. That sequence gives a tally of 106 for four dismissals and an average of 26.50. He reduced his average to 22.20 by registering 2 and 3* at The Oval.
Q: Which batsmen have the highest scores for a losing cause in a Test match and a limited-overs international? Possibly they are Ponting who scored 250 odd in a Test match against India and yet lost and Hayden's 180 odd for a losing cause against New Zealand.
Shammi
Bearders' answer: You have answered your own question, Shammi! Yes, Australians hold both those ârecordsâ.
Ricky Pontingâs 242 against India at Adelaide in December 2003, when the visitors won by four wickets, is the highest score for a losing side in Tests.
The similar record for internationals is indeed Matthew Haydenâs undefeated 181 off 166 balls against New Zealand at Hamilton on 20 February 2007.
Q: When was the last time a number 8 batsman scored a Test hundred? Who was the last Englishman to perform the feat?
Peter Brett
Bearders' answer: Anil Kumble achieved the 56th instance of a no. 8 batsman scoring a century in a Test match. Chaminda Vaas (100* for Sri Lanka v Bangladesh at SSC, Colombo in June 2007) was the last to achieve this before Kumble.
Peter Willey, batting two places lower than he had in the first innings, was the last no. 8 to score a century for England. His undefeated match-saving 100 against West Indies at The Oval in July 1980 was the first of his two Test hundreds. Only five others have scored hundreds for England at no. 8: H.Wood (1891-92), T.G.Evans (1950), J.M.Parks (1959-60), M.C.Cowdrey (1962-63) and R.Illingworth (1969).
Q: There was a Test match in Pakistan in the early 1970s when three batsmen were dismissed for 99. Who were they and were there any centurions in that match?
Joe Ezekiel
Bearders' answer: That Test, the last of Englandâs three-match series in Pakistan, at Karachiâs National Stadium in March 1973, saw Majid Khan, Mushtaq Mohammed and Dennis Amiss dismissed for 99. No one scored a century, Sadiq Mohammed made 89, Tony Lewis 88, and the Test was drawn.
Q: Which player has got out the most times in Test matches when they are on 99 or 199?
Dom Lee
Bearders' answer: There have been 71 dismissals for a score of 99 and no batsmen has suffered that fate more than twice; That unhappy club has seven members: M.A.Atherton and M.J.K.Smith (England), G.S.Blewett (Australia), R.B.Richardson (West Indies), J.G.Wright (New Zealand), S.C.Ganguly (India) and Salim Malik (Pakistan). G.Boycott is alone in scoring a 99 and a 99 not out.
Five batsmen have been out for 199 (none has done so a second time): M.T.G.Elliott and S.R.Waugh (Australia), M.Azharuddin (India), Mudassar Nazar (Pakistan), and S.T.Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka).
Q: Is it allowed for a team to change their wicket-keeper during the game with another member on the field (without him being injured)? So the two switch places. If âyesâ, has there been an instance of the switched wicket-keeper coming on to bowl?
Mark, San Francisco
Bearders' answer: It most certainly is permitted and has occurred many times at all levels of cricket.
The Honourable Alfred Lyttelton returned the best analysis in Test cricket by a keeper coming on to bowl when he took 4 for 19 from 48 balls for England v Australia at The Oval in August 1884.
Two keepers have shed their pads and taken hat-tricks in first-class cricket. Probir Sen was the first to do so, for Bengal v Orissa at Cuttack in 1954-55. A.C. (Alan) Smith emulated his feat for Warwickshire v Essex at Clacton in 1965.
As recently as 22 August, in a semi-final of the Portman Building Society Under-15 National Club Cricket Championships at Bournemouth Sports Club, I saw the reverse of this when Adam Dobb, captain of Mansfield Hosiery Mills, bowled his permitted allowance of four overs before replacing the original keeper and claiming a stumping and a catch.
Q: Gloucestershireâs opening bowlers both bowled unchanged throughout the Essex first innings at Southend in August. Whilst this may be rare as opposed to unique, both Jon Lewis and Steve Kirby had identical figures of 5 for 41. Has this happened before?
David Jones
Bearders' answer: It is far rarer for a pair of bowlers to bowl unchanged throughout BOTH innings of a first-class match. My records of that feat extend to four pages of the Wisden Book of Cricket Records and list only match figures (without runs conceded for most instances prior to 1854). There is just one instance of bowlers returning identical match figures, having operated unchanged: John Beaumont and George Lohmann each took 10 for 49 for Surrey v Kent at The Oval in 1889.
Q: Extra runs (byes, leg byes, wides and no balls) make a small portion of the total runs in an innings. What is the largest number of extras in an innings? What was the final score?
Ashok
Bearders' answer: The Test record is 71 (21 byes, 8 leg byes, 4 wides and 38 no balls) conceded by West Indies in Pakistanâs first innings tally of 435 at Bourda, Georgetown, in April 1988.
The most in a first-class innings is 98 (17 byes, 17 leg byes, 16 wides and 48 no balls) conceded by Essex v Northamptonshire (579) at Northampton in 1999. Under ECB regulations two penalty runs were scored for each wide and no ball.
Q: Which England Test team contained the most players from a single county?
David Wright
Bearders' answer: Nottinghamshire holds that record, contributing six players (W.Barnes, W.Flowers, W.Gunn, W.H.Scotton, M.Sherwin and A.Shrewsbury) when England beat Australia by 13 runs at Sydney in January 1887.
Q: Listening to the commentary for England's second ODI against India, when 10 runs were required from the last ball the commentator said 'I'm sure that's been achieved in some form of cricket somewhere'. My question is, has it? Including wides and no balls scored after the penultimate legal delivery.
Complain about this postHi Bill, I remember once David Boon scored a hundred but his average actually went down. Is this possible? Iâve never heard of it sinceâŠ
Complain about this postWhat is the difference in Alec Stewarts batting average when he is wearing a white helmet and when he wears a blue helmet?
Complain about this postPlease refresh my memory! I was four when I went to my first Test match - at Headingly in 1930. My Father, Mother and brother took me and all have since died. It was the second day. In my memory , Bradman was not out , having scored 304 on the first day. Soon after play started,(perhaps in the first over) he was clean bowled by Bill Bowes and some time later there was a cloudburst over the ground and play was either washed out for the day or for the rest of the match. Which was it , please , and is it my imagination or did the above happen as my fading memory would have me believe ?
Complain about this postBearders
Complain about this postI think I was very lucky to witness to the most unique hat trick in Test Cricket. Merv Hughes against West Indies in about 88 in Perth.
3 wickets- 3 different overs - 2 innings - no's 2 & 3 I think about 3 days apart. I am sure you will know the exact details. Obviously the uniquenes of this is only my opinion, but I would be pleased to hear of any better.
Regards
Adam Lloyd
could you tell me what the highest test score, for an individual or team is, without a boundary being scored?
Complain about this postI would really like to know if any records of the number of sixes hit in a Test series are kept by you statisticians. If so, would the Ashes 2005 be up there with the best of them?
Complain about this postQ. The Surrey v Sussex match ended in a draw without a ball being bowled last week with the teams being awarded 4 points each.
Complain about this postCould the captains not have agreed to declare each innings closed at 0-0 and then tie the match, receiving 7 points each?
Had any number eleven batsman ever scored a hundred in first class cricket and what is the record partnership for the last wicket with number ten and eleven batsmen in first class cricket??
Complain about this postZaheer Abbas was a outstanding batsman, how well he performed in English county.
Complain about this postWhen Andrew Flintoff took 5 for 56 in his last ODI, these figures became his "best bowling," superceding the 4-14 figures which had previously been his best. My question is, why is this stat called "best" bowling and not "most wickets" or something. I'm sure most captains woudl rather have 4-14 than 5-56. If Steve Harmison took, say, 8-120 in an innings, would this really be "better" than 7-12?!
Complain about this postHello,
You kindly answered a question for me last year and I am hoping you could do so again.
If a bowler bowls a legal delivery, the batsman hits the ball and the bowler takes the catch for a caught and bowled, can the bowler then, if the non-facing batsman is out of his crease, run out the non facing batsman, taking two wickets with one delivery?
Now, there is 5 Euro resting on your answer to this one as I have a little wager on this, so feel free to agree with me and say no, it's not allowed.
Thanks and kind regards
Complain about this postMike
Bill, I'm interested to know the lowest score which has never been posted by any individual playing Test Cricket. If I had to guess, I'd say it was somewhere in the high 200's. Possibly more difficult to answer, but do you know the answer to the same question for first class cricket?
Complain about this postFollowing on from previous queries, has there been an occasion when Mr Extras has top-scored in a Test, ODI or first-class innings? If so, has a side ever won a game where Extras have top-scored?
Complain about this postBill
We often hear that so and so players are of the Indian origin. e.g players from some other countries (e.g. England, Kenya).
How do we categorize this 'origin'. Is it like, if at least one of the current player's parents or grandparents is(was) a citizen of India. The player should be easily qualified for a dual citizenship!
Thanks
Complain about this posta friend of mine recently took three wickets in one over, however it was fairly unique in that it was not a hatrick, indeed none of the wickets were back to back, being taken with the first, fourth and sixth balls of the over. could you tell on how many occassions, and who the lucky bowlers where, when this has occured at first class level?
Complain about this postPlease explain the 20/20 concept to a Brit abroad.
Thanks
Complain about this postHi Bill,
A question that has been puzzling the local team i play for and myself regards run outs. When the stumps have been broken and the bails removed by a direct hit and the batsmen is in their ground, if they choose to run again due to the deflected ball then for a run out at the same end one stump has to be lifted out of the ground with the ball in hand. What happens if, when the ball initially hits the stumps only one bail is dislodged, leaving the second bail still perched on top of its two stumps, would the field ing team have to break the stumps again or lift the stump out of the ground for the run out to effective?
Complain about this postBill
It is relatively unusual for a team's innings to have all 11 players reaching double figures. My question is: has there ever been a first class game in which all 22 players in the match reached double figures in both innings?
Complain about this postReading one of your previous "Ask Bearders" from a few years ago, I was wondering if you can help answer this scenario regarding wides and stumpings.
You mentioned that if a batsmen is out stumped to a wide, the run is added to the batting teams score whilst they also lose a wicket.
What happens in this hypothetical one-day situation. Team A scores 240 off their allotted overs, and Team B are 240-9, when their last batsman is stumped off a wide.
Do Team B win, and if so how is recorded as a result? Theoretically, Team B would be all out for 241 chasing 240.
Complain about this postMike Kimber, the answer is no, it is not possible to dismiss two batsman with one ball. In your example, the ball becomes dead the moment the bowler takes the catch (unless you're Herschell Gibbs, of course), so it is impossible for the runner to be run out. This is noted in 23(iii) of the Laws of Cricket. What is possible, is if the bowler drops the catch and the ball subsequently hits the stumps at the bowlers end with the non-strikers end with the batsman out of his ground. That would be a run out. It is not necessary to be deliberately playing for a run or stumping for the dismissal to be affected. A batsman may be stumped if the ball is missed by the wicketkeeper, hits the 'keeper on the chest and rebounds onto the stumps with the batsman out of his ground.
Complain about this postIn the second one day game Tendulkar was given out while he was actualy not out.My question is how many times Tendulkar was given out while he was not out in test and one day game.I have asked this q.two times before but you have not answered my question so for.If you do not have record no problem.
Complain about this postHi,
When was the last time an England side (either Test or ODI) fielded three Hampshiremen? Has it ever happened.
Complain about this postHi Bill,
I seem to remember from a now well out of date book of stats that the ever elegant Vic Marks once held the best bowling figures for any Englishman in the CWC (it may even have been all ODI's). Is this correct and how on earth did it happen?
Complain about this postYou often refer to a test series as a 'rubber'. Can you tell me what is the origin of this terminology?
Complain about this postHi Bill
In the last Cricket World Cup, England reached 8-0 angainst Bangladesh before either batsman had scored a run. What is the highest total reached in ODIs and test Matches before either batsman has scored a run?
Roger
Complain about this postBill
Is there any statistical evidence that a wicket is more likely to fall on a particular ball in an over (e.g. the first or last ball of the over)?
Complain about this postShould Pakistani leg spinner get his work permit,
Yorkshire will have opportunity of fielding three leggies in the same side (Rashid and Lawson being the others)
Has this ever happened before in first class cricket?
Complain about this postIn response to Paul, I remember a match between Transvaal & Natal some 20 years ago when Natal needed 7 (or 8?) off the last ball. Jonty Rhodes hit it (a no ball) for 6, then hit the next for 6 as well! My friends think the bowler was Richard Snell, I believe it might have been Brian Ehret?
Complain about this postHave there been any test, or first class players who have batted or bowled regularly left and right handed. Its a regular feature in basebell (switch hitting) and surprised not to see it in cricket. It'd be an interesting and confusing tactic!
Complain about this postHi Bill, I was just wondering what is the shortest Test Match played in history (given 4 completed innings)? Also back in the days of timeless tests, which was the longest match in test history?
Complain about this postQ: If Team A scores 250 all out in their allotted 50 overs and Team B are 250-9 with one ball remaining, and the bowler bowls a wide, but the batsman is stumped off the wide. What happens? Team B surely has 251 runs but are also all out with a ball to spare!! Who wins?!
Complain about this postAfter reading in #152 about Boycott's arduous 77 and Thorpe's one-boundary century, I was wondering what is the largest number of boundaries, and hence the fewest runs between the wicket, hit in the compiling of a Test match century? Has any player ever reached even a half-century purely through finding the ropes?
Complain about this postCan a player be sent off as in football ?
Complain about this postHas this ever happened ?
Also please tell the team that English money
is pence not pee.
Thank you.
Why is it that England Test players numbers on caps, sweaters etc is in the 600's when I believe the Ausies are only in 100's and other countries similar. Surely there are not six times as many players played for England?
Complain about this postHi Bearders,
I am a big fan of yours. As a kid I used to cling on to a rickety transistor radio set in faraway Kerala India to listen to the the likes of Brian Johnston, Trevor Bailey, Fred Trueman, Henry Blofeld and offcourse you. You were so good with numbers even in those days without the computing technology that present day statitstians have access to.
Complain about this postMy question is how has technology affected people like you. Has it made your job less charming now that so much of stats is available at the click of a button?
William Hullah, scorecard for the match is at You saw the secnod day - a lot of runs was scored in that day so I would be surprised if there was rain. The thrid day saw only 30 runs and so would have been significantly affected by rain. The final day saw England bat out the draw.
Ralph Brooker, the second ODI between England and India in Bristol saw Pietersen, Tremlett and Mascarenhas all play - so not that long ago really.
Complain about this postBearders,
How did you become a sports statistician and how should I go about becoming one?
Chris
Complain about this postQ Why aren't leg-byes recorded against a bowler's figures? I understand that byes are classed as the "fault" of the wicket keeper, but surely leg-byes, the ball having been deflected by the batsman, cannot be the wicket keeper's fault. It makes scoring so much more intricate.
Complain about this postWhen I was younger, scorecards on TV always used to read simply "run out" when a player failed to make his ground, but then came the introduction of a person's name in brackets: "run out (Panesar)" [!], for instance. Have scorebooks always done this, and do you know who the person accredited with the most run outs in Test cricket is? Is it, as one might expect, Jonty Rhodes or another such "specialist fielder"?
Complain about this postralph brooker, post 24.
The last time England fielded three hampshiremen was the 2nd odi against india
Peterson Tremlett Mascarenhas....
Complain about this postEveryone remembers the England - Australia match at Headingly in 1981, when England successfully defended a small total. What is the smallest total successfully defended, as opposed to drawing or saving the game?
Complain about this postDear Bill,
How would one attempt to get into professional scoring for a county team?
Complain about this postWhich of the 18 counties moving back in time was the last to supply a player for England. I think the answer is Derbyshire but cannot get confirmation anywhere!
Complain about this postAfternoon Bill.
Could you tell me whether a test batsmen (any country) has scored the winning run/s on all of their test match ground's? if this as not been achieved then the next best if possible i.e. 4 out of 5 test match grounds please.
Regards
Dean.
Complain about this postI saw Glamorgan play Australia in the early 1960s. Unlike today, the tourist fixtures were the highlight of a county side's season. Glamorgan always had two matches against the tourists, at Cardiff over the Whit Bank Holiday and at Swansea over the August Bank Holiday. Why did the (then) most junior county have the plum fixtures?
Complain about this postHello, I've a question which has been bugging me for ages, has there ever being an innings, where the team where all out, where every batsman has got into double figures? I have checked the highest test scores i.e. Sri Lankas 952, and yet still havent found an innings where evryone has got into double figures. Thanks,
Andrei
Complain about this postBearders,
I would be interested to know since the last ball of the Oval Test agaignst Australia which batsman has scored the most runs, most centuries and best average and which bowler has taken the most wickets and which has the best average foe England in Test matches?
David Walker
Complain about this postBefore Ottis Gibson, who was the last Durham player to collect a 10 wicket haul in domestic cricket?
Complain about this postWas Anil Kumble the first No. 8 batsman to make the first test century for his side in a test series or has that feat been previously acheived?
Complain about this postIs it completely the players choice what number they wear on their back in ODIs?
Complain about this postI missed the blog no. 152. How can I get it? pls guide me. I request you if possible pls reply on my email id
Complain about this postThanks
Regards
Tushar
Has there ever been a completed innings without a legitimate delivery involved? As in say, 1 run to win after a follow-on and the bowler bowls a no-ball?
Complain about this postHi,
Do you keep records/stats of the Twenty20 matches (both first class and internationals)? If yes, then will you be keeping records of the 20-20 series planned by the ICL? In that case will they be added to the player's current record or will it be treated as separate?
Regards
Complain about this postShyam
Bill,
In this blog you answered a question about number 8 batsman scoring lots of runs, but I was wondering what the highest score is for a final batting partnership (Between 9 and 10) at both ODI and Test level? I quite like those last wicket stands as they can often really frustrate the bowling attack.
Many thanks,
Ben
Complain about this postIf a bowler takes two wickets of the first two balls and then bowls a wide bal and takes a wicket again of his next ball, Is that a hattrick as wide ball is not a legitimate ball and is not counted..Pls clarify
Complain about this postIs there any batsman in test history who played for more than three days in an innings?
Complain about this postThere was a feller called Vince Broderick who used to drink at the pub I used to work in in Winchester, who I believe was a county cricketer in the 30s and 40s or some time around then. There was an article about him on the wall which suggested he was one of the only men to be hit either for 7 or 9 (i can't recall which) off a single ball, and I always wanted to ask him about it, but he was a bit scary, so I never did.
Basically, I would love to know the circumstances, and how it was possible, and whether it still is possible to be hit for more than six off a single ball. Thanks.
Complain about this postHas the dismissal "hit wicket"occured frequently in Test matches,and can you confirm that Len Hutton wasout in this manner.I can recall as a small schoolboy being taken to the Oval to watch England v South Africa,when I think this type of dismissal happened.
Complain about this postThere was a feller called Vince Broderick who used to drink at the pub I used to work in in Winchester, who I believe was a county cricketer in the 30s and 40s or some time around then. There was an article about him on the wall which suggested he was one of the only men to be hit either for 7 or 9 (i can't recall which) off a single ball, and I always wanted to ask him about it, but he was a bit scary, so I never did.
Basically, I would love to know the circumstances, and how it was possible, and whether it still is possible to be hit for more than six off a single ball. Thanks.
Complain about this postWhat is the lowest amount of extras scored in a match
Complain about this postWhat are the record number of dismissals of each type in a single first class innings, e.g. has there ever been an occasion when all 10 wickets have been out caught (quite likely I would guess..) or LBW (less likely)?
Bruce Burton,
Complain about this postDundee
HOW IS IT THAT A SIDE IS BOWLED OUT WHEN ONE BATSMAN IS LABELLED NOT OUT ?
Complain about this postRE Charles Lane, surely then you would have to take into account the pitch and the weather as the next stage, it would all get too complicated, thats y they do it like they do
Complain about this postbill, this thursday, Marcus Trescothick and Nicky Edwards, the openers for Somerset both hit 52. is this rare and if so, which opening basmen, first class and International have both bit the same score (not including 0) in the same innings?
Craig King
Complain about this postUntil a recent match proved the opposite, I always thought you could be stumped off a no-ball. I do know that you can be run out off a no-ball, so where is the line drawn between a stumping and a run-out, e.g. if a batsman takes 2 or 3 strides down the pitch to a no-ball would this still be classed as a stumping chance?
Complain about this postafter telling my 7 year old son, william, about the tree at Canterbury and if it hits it it is a boundary he asked what if a fielder threw in from the boundary and hit the tree ?
Complain about this postThanks for the info on test batsmen who have scored a hundred at number 8. What about number 9? I remember John Murray scoring 112 at the Oval in 1966, batting with Tom Graveney.
Complain about this posthas an england team ever taken the field with a majority of its members born outside England?
Complain about this postI know Adam Gilchrist was out first ball in both innings against at Eden Gardens in 2001, but how many 'golden pairs' have there been in Test Cricket?
Complain about this postHere is an interesting one. Before this summer's test series has there ever been a test team which had in it three batsmen (Strauss, Cook and Prior) who all scored a century on debut?
Complain about this postDear Bill,
Whilst playing in match the other evening an opposition batsman was running his bat in to the crease at the end of a quick single when our fielder's throw struck the bat and deflected on to the stumps. The batsman was not out because he had just made his ground when the ball struck his bat. However, my question is would he have been out if the ball had struck his bat and then hit the stumps before he had recovered his ground?
Best wishes
Complain about this postSimon White
What are the stats of England winning ODI's when they bat second? My impression is that England rarely win when chasing, and more often win when they bat first. Do the Stats back me up?
Complain about this postIs there a priority when both batsmen are out?e.g. the batsmen lobs a catch back to a slow bowler who is standing at the stumps. The backing up batsman has gone well down the wicket. The bowler catches the ball with his hand in contact with the stumps. Obviously there is a run out and a catch. Whilst the catch may have been made first, it is not 'established' until the bowler has demonstrated that he has control of the ball which will be after the bails have been dislodged?
Complain about this postFor some time now I have thought that there must be a fairer way of deciding who has the decision on who bats first in the crickets series.
Rather than each match being started by the toss of a coin where it is possible for same team to win each toss, would it not be fairer to toss once at the begining of the series and then be given alternate options on who bats first, this would still give the 1st team an advantage in an odd number of matches but would eliminate some of the luck if all tosses were won by one team as is the case so far in this one day series.
Is there any reason for this not to be applied.
Complain about this postwith india winning 4 tosses out of 4 in odi what was the toss score in the tests
Complain about this postQ: Which player hold the record for running out his partners?
Complain about this postThe most in a first-class innings is 98 (17 byes, 17 leg byes, 16 wides and 48 no balls) conceded by Essex v Northamptonshire (579) at Northampton in 1999. Under ECB regulations two penalty runs were scored for each wide and no ball.
is it me or is there a math error here? if two runs were scored for a no ball thats 96 in itself plus the 32 for the wides thats already smashed your total of 98 or am i being stupid?
James
Complain about this postWhat is the percentage of wins for the side batting first in one day internationals?
Complain about this postA few answers
post 9 -Surrey & Sussex couldn't agree a forfeit until the game had officially started, and the game doesn't officially start until the teams are on the field and the umpire calls 'play'. Therefore they had to settle for 4pts each.
post 21 - this is an unusual occurence (it's never happened that I've heard of) but if it were to happen, then what you surmise would indeed be the case, the side batting second would win: I'm assuming they would win by 1 wicket, as the wide would be awarded before the batsman was given out, and this would be made clear on the scorecard. I do stand to be corrected on this however!
post 25 - Vic Marks did indeed hold the best bowling figures for England in ODIs for many years by virtue of taking 5-20 against NZ in one of the early triangular series in Aus (I think 82-83 season). His record stood for many years until Mark Ealham took 5-17 against Zimbabwe (I think) a few years ago. I also seem to recall they were all lbw or something unusual. Sorry for the hazy recall but no record book to hand, cricinfo will have all the stats somewhere.
post 27 - don't know about the highest team score reached by extras before either batsman has scored, but I do recall a game in a triangular series between SL, Pak & Ind in 1995-6 where SL played Pak. Jayasuriya & Kaluwitharana opened for SL, and Kalu was out for 0 in the 6th over, by which time the score was 70! Jayasuriya had gone beserk and was eventually out for 76 off 28 balls!
Complain about this post1. A feat can not be "fairly unique" or "the most unique". It is either unique, or not. Don't you all proof-read your posts carefully?
2. David Richardson - regarding 'the 20/20 concept'... As I understand it, 20/20 cricket is just a match limited to one innings of 20 overs for each side. Does that answer your question?
Complain about this postA lot of answers...sorry for the long post
Answer to 20
Marc J
The batting team wins as the wide is counted before the stumping, so the game ends before the stumping
Answer to 59
John Slade-Baker
Len Hutton was indeed out hit wicket once, but it wasn't against SA, it was AUS as the bowler was Miller (the 2nd test in AUS Dec 1946)
i'm not sure how rare this is but it can't be as rare as handled ball or obstructed field as the record for one bowler is 4 hit wickets by G McKenzie...there have only been 7 handled ball and 1 obs field in all TESTS, interestingly Hutton was the one!
In a similar vein Answer to 62
Bruce Burton
there have been 10 all caught in a TEST innings, in fact this has happened more than 20 times, the last 2 times being the 1st and 3rd tests with SA vs Pak 2007, both times in Pak 1st innings
it has never happened for any other type of dismissal, the other records being
9 bwl (2 times)
7 lbw (2 times)
5 stumped (once)
4 run out (2 times)
see
Answer to 74
Jonathan Custance Baker
there is in indeed an order of presidence, the first is bowled, then caught, etc...
in your example the batsman is out caught
from Law 32 part 2
if the criteria of 1 above are met and the striker is not out Bowled, then he is out Caught, even though a decision against either batsman for another method of dismissal would be justified
see for all the laws
answer to 66
Ray Parker
stumped implies the batsman was NOT attempting a run, just playing his shot, a run out is when he is attempting a run....so you can not be stumped off a no-ball but if you were trying to run you would be run out
(a) The striker is out Stumped if
(i) he is out of his ground and
(ii) he is receiving a ball which is not a No ball and (iii) he is not attempting a run and
(iv) his wicket is fairly put down by the wicket-keeper without the intervention of another member of the fielding side.
see law 39 (the link above)
Complain about this postWhy do we play day/night games in England. The lights are rarely up to the job and we are not short of daylight. If the authorities aren't willing to spend the money, they shouldn't be allowed to play at night.
Complain about this postA few replies.
(Post 18)- James pickering
Law 28.2 refers to exactly this problem. It states "If one bail is off, it shall be sufficient for the purpose of putting the wicket down to remove the remaining bail, or to strike or pull any of the three stumps out of the ground..."
(Post 24) - Charles Sheldrick
Although his overall record for England has been broken, (see post 77- james) Vic Marks STILL holds the record for best analysis by an Englishman in the World Cup - 5/39 vs Sri Lanka
(Post 25) John Dunster
The Oxford Dictionary online has "rubber" in the sporting sense of a series as being used from the sixteenth century with reference to a game of bowls. The origin is listed as unknown
(Post 31) - Angus Burns
The shortest completed matches are actually three-innings matches (one side won by an innings). In terms of total balls bowled the shortest match was Australia v. South Africa in 1932 at Melbourne- just 109.2 overs over 2 days.
The longest match both in terms of time and balls bowled was a 10-day South Africa v
England match at Durban- 680.7 8 ball overs.It was drawn because England's ship was leaving.
(Post 35) Jay Hayes
Yes, England has had over 600 Test players, much more than any other country. Playing many more Tests and trying out lots of players, especially in the early years has made this possible.
(post 42) Graham Whitehead
The lowest total that a team has failed to chase down in the fourth innings was in the match that gave rise to the term "the Ashes". In 1882 England failed to chase 82 to win against Australia at the Oval, being all out for 77.
(post 47) Andrei Rhodes
The complete list of all 11 instances of 11 batsmen having reached double figures is here
(post 62) Bruce Burton
I don't know first class records for types of dismissals in an innings, but here are the Test records
Caught- 10 batsmen- 52 occurrences
Bowled - 9
LBW - 7
Stumped - 5
Run out- 4
Full list at
(post 66) Ray Parker
Under Law 39.1a (iii), in order to be stumped the batsman must not be "attempting a run". If he is attempting a run, it's a run-out, which can be effected off a no-ball. Whether the batsman was attempting a run is a decision is left to the umpire.
(post 71 - trevor fox)
Pakistan have fielded a team against South Africa in 1997 with Mohammad Wazim, Azhar Mahmood and Syed Naqvi all of whom had debut centuries.
(post 74 -jonathan baker)
Complain about this postUnder Law 32.2 "caught" has priority over everything else except bowled. The striker is "out caught even though a decision against either batsman for another method of dismissal would be justified"
who was the last player to score 1000 runs and take 100 wickets in a county season
Complain about this postI was wandering if any team have ever had the sucess on running out a whole team in one innings?
Complain about this postHi Bill,
How does Derek Underwoods career stack up against Monty Panesar, he Monty seems to be on a record breaking pace, is he? They have a similar style and I would interested to know.
Thanks
Peter
Complain about this postgolly gosh, what a clever chap you are bearders!
Complain about this postQ. Is there any instance where an umpire declared a batsman out without being appealed for LBW by either bowler or wicketkeeper?
Complain about this postQ. Like the Bowlers change sides from over the wicket to round the wicket depends on the batting style. Can any batsman too have freedom to bat according to his wish like either left or right hand (presume that he knows batting by both hands). then what the rule book says if the batsman & bowler have clash of sticking to the batting style and bowling angle for one particular over/delivery? Is there any instance in test cricket/one day game where a batsman scored considerble high score by batting both right handed and left handed?
Complain about this postI have read in Wisden of several players having long careers such as WG Grace (1865-1908) and GH Hurst (1891 - 1929) but is there any player who was playing first class cricket prior to World War 1 and after World War 2? The closest I have found is H Sutcliffe from 1919 - 1945.
Complain about this postHi Bill,
what is the highest number of runs conceded from a single over? With no balls there is potential for more than 36, but has this every happened?
Regards,
Complain about this postChris Dingle
Given the decision to standardize the replacement of the white ball after 35 overs in future ODIs I was just wondering how the replacement balls are conditioned to 35 overs? Do they come from previous matches or have they been aged in the nets?
Complain about this postTwo or three years ago, there was much trumpeting about Glenn McGrath having dismissed the most batsman for a duck in tests. Surely it is more impressive to have the record for dismissing the most test batsmen for 100 or more (i.e.in form & with their eye in). Can you tell me who holds this particular record?
Complain about this postVilas
I would suggest this is impossible to answer because of the level of subjectivity involved. There is no conclusive way of proving LBWs etc. Similarly there is no way of proving when Tendulkar should have been given out but wasn't - you never know, he might be in credit!
Complain about this postHi, Are there any past editions of "Wisden" which are particularly rarer than others
Complain about this postIs Sachin Tendulkar the only "lucky" cricketer to be dismissed in all the 90s(90 to 99) figure in ODIS?
Complain about this postWe believe that Tim Zoehrer might be the only Test Cricketer to have Austrian heritage - much as one might have hoped that Andrew Strauss might have had some Danubian blood in him. Can you verify this. Is Len Pascoe the only Test Cricketer of Croatian origins?
Complain about this postWe believe that Tim Zoehrer might be the only Test Cricketer to have Austrian heritage - much as one might have hoped that Andrew Strauss might have had some Danubian blood in him. Can you verify this. Is Len Pascoe the only Test Cricketer of Croatian origins?
Complain about this postHas there ever been an instance in Test cricket where all the batsmen in an innings have been out in the order in which they came in, with no 11 not out? That is, has the fall of wickets ever matched the batting order?
By my reckoning the chance of this is about 1 in 10000 (given that the new batsman is slightly more likely to be dismissed), and since there's been about 10000 test innings so far there's a good chance it has and a good chance it hasn't.
Complain about this postThis season we saw two lefthanders,Strauss and Cook, opening on several occasions for England. When else have England had two lefthanded openers? The regular presence of Stewart, Atherton and Gooch in the side suggests it has not been for sometime.
Complain about this postI was at England's defeat of India in the ODI at Old Trafford.
When Broad hit the winning run the fielder's vain throw at the non striker's stumps ran to the other side of the ground and crossed the boundary rope.
The umpire at the non striker's end very carefully followed the ball's route to the boundary and then very clearly signalled to the scorers a 4.
However, in everything I have read Broad was credited with only one run rather than five and the partnership was credited as being only of 99 and not 103.
What is Broad's and England's correct final scores?
Complain about this postin answer to 92
Chris Dingle
In first class cricket the record is 77
In a match against Canterbury at Christchurch in 1989-90, RH Vance (Wellington) deliberately conceded 77 runs in an over of full tosses which contained 17 no-balls and, owing to the umpire's understandable miscalculation, only five legitimate deliveries.
in answer to 89
Janardhan Gumpula
there shouldn't have been, a wicket can only be given after an appeal, law 27
"Neither umpire shall give a batsman out, even though he may be out under the Laws, unless appealed to by the fielding side. This shall not debar a batsman who is out under any of the Laws from leaving his wicket without an appeal having been made"
in answer to 97
ranjan dutta
tendulkar is the only batsman is ODIs to score all the 90s, the next 3 batsmen only (!) have 9 nineties each, so they can't have all the numbers
they are
GW Flower
N.Astle
PA Da Silva
answer to 102
David Bowcock
as they had completed their run before the ball crossed the boundary for overthrows the game ended, the ball became dead and the overthtows didn't count
Complain about this postlaw 21 part 6
"Winning hit or extras
(a) As soon as a result is reached, as defined in 1, 2, 3 or 4 above, the match is at an end. Nothing that happens thereafter,..., shall be regarded as part of it"
Answer to 97 ranjan datta
Sachin Tendulkar himself has not made all the 90s (90-99) - he has never scored 92, 94 or 96 in ODIs.
As Porto Ian (post 103) correctly pointed out, no other batsman could have scored in all the 90s in ODIs.
Complain about this postWhat are the lowest and highest scores when a match has ended in a tie?
I'm curious as a few years ago in the now disbanded Leeds League there was a 36 run a side tie at the Caribbean Cricket Club (50 overs a side but I doubt that any where near that number were used).
On 1st September 2007 in the Airedale and Wharfedale Senior Cricket League there was a tie in the game between Steeton and Green Lane where both sides scored 371 runs (50 overs) producing a league record aggregate of 742 runs in 100 overs.
Have you any record of a lowesr or higher tied scores?
Complain about this postI think everyone acknowledges that Duckworth-Lewis is better than what went before, but there still seem to be problems. In the England v India one-day match at Headingley, India scored more than 6 an over.
Yet after the first rain interruption, 5 overs were deducted from the game but England's target was only reduced by 13 runs! No matter how many "resources" England had left, this doesn't seem very fair?
Complain about this postin answer to 105
Richard Wilkinson
there have only been 22 tied games in ODIs (out of more than 2600 games), all of them found here
the lowest tie was 126 Ind vs WI in Dec 91
the highest 270 SA vs Eng Feb 2005
of course in tests (which i realize you didn't mean) the criteria for a TIE is very different, so in 1800+ matches there have only been the 2 famous tied tests
Aus vs WI in Dec 1960, both scoring 737
Ind vs Aus in Sep 1986, both scoring 744
i feel the closeness of the scores tells us something fundamental about test cricket, but don't ask me what
Complain about this postJohn Everett, this is fair. There a re a couple of factors.
1. England had already lost four wickets and so statistically there is a very good chance they would fail to bat out all 50 overs from that point or would have lost 8 or 9 wickets and thus be able to bat more cautiously. So losing five overs means not much resource is lost.
2. Run rate isn't even over the match. India's high run rate was aided by scoring at over 10 an over at the end of the game and at a lowish rate early in the game. England lost early overs where they would have to play cautiously due to the amount of time left so wouldn't neccessarily be expected to score many runs in those overs.
Complain about this postHello Bill,
Please can you help settle a post-club match beer fuelled debate on whether Robin Smith ever achieved his Quest For Number One (ref. autobiography title) in the world rankings. I think he only made it to number 2 which wouldn't be such a catchy title, but my teamates think he got to the top of the world rankings.
I hope you have the definitive answer otherwise l'll have to contact The Judge himself.
Thanks,
Complain about this postJames
Responses to: post 60
it is possible to score 7 of a ball, either a pair could run 3 and then the ball could go for 4 overthrows, or really fast batsmen and slow fielders could allow an all run 7!
In fact, I can remember reading about one match in Australian grade cricket a long time ago when the ball got stuck in a tree, allowing the batsman to make more than 100 before they got it back (at the time the tree was not classified as part of the boundary like the one at canterbury is!)
post 63
as batsmen bat in partnerships, you need 2 people at the wicket. therefore when 10 people are out the 11th hasn't got another partner so the team's innings is over.
Complain about this postReply to 109 James Hope
You are correct, Robin Smith never made it higher than second in the world Test batting rankings and third in the one-day batting rankings.
Complain about this postYou can prove it to your teammmates by looking him up at www.lgiccrankings.com
Hi Bearders,
Love the column, I've read sixty odd in the last week, you're helping me through a very boring summer.
My question is, which pace bowler has caught the most batsmen off his own bowling?
Complain about this postIf a bowler could create such extraordinary swing, that enabled him to pitch the ball and swing it round the stumps (behind the wicketkeeper, like a boomerang) and come back like a normal delivery, would it still be called a no ball?
Complain about this postIn my humble opinion I find that the reverse sweep is one of the most ungainly of shots but sometimes produces suprise results. I seem to remember that somebody once scored a six off such a shot and I think it could have been the great Sir Ian Botham. Please let me know if this is possible or has, indeed, been accomplished.
Complain about this postanswer to question 112
alex mount
generally c&b are taken by spinners, and the leader for this dismissal in tests is Murali (30) In fact of all bowlers with 10 or more of this dismissal in Tests but 2 are spinners (albeit 2 of them, T.Greig and D.Underwood, occasionally bowled slow medium pace)
The only 2 non specialist spinners are G.Griffen (10) who bowled Right Arm Medium and Richard Hadlee (10) the only genuine paceman with double figure c&b
in ODI the picture is a little different, spinners still hold a lot of the top of the table (Murali 2nd) but in 1st place is Chris Harris of NZ, with 29 c&b off his (slowish) medium pace
in answer to 114
Victor Ward
I can't say if Beefy did in fact hit a reverse 6 but the famous one is Kevin Pietersen against Murali in the 2nd Test against SL in 2006
you can see the video of it here
i don't like the shot either, not 'cos its ugly (KPs certainly isn't an ugly shot) but it seems much too risky...England batsmen since "discovering" the shot seem to be able to get out using it at will!
Complain about this postJust going back to the stumping / run out rule for a minute.
You guys are saying that if the batsman is NOT attempting a run, he can be stumped by the wicket-keeper (except off a no ball), but if he IS attempting a run, then he cannot be stumped - however, he can instead be run out by any player (no ball or not).
So my question is, what happens if the batsman (on strike) is NOT attempting a run, but he is out of his ground from playing his shot (or attempted shot) when a fielder (not the wicket-keeper) knocks the bails off with the ball.
Is the batsman run out? Does it make any difference whether the batsman hit the ball or not? Does it make any difference whether it was a no ball or not?
Complain about this post"# 75 At 02:34 PM on 30 Aug 2007, Brian Lakin wrote:
For some time now I have thought that there must be a fairer way of deciding who has the decision on who bats first in the crickets series.
Rather than each match being started by the toss of a coin where it is possible for same team to win each toss, would it not be fairer to toss once at the begining of the series and then be given alternate options on who bats first, this would still give the 1st team an advantage in an odd number of matches but would eliminate some of the luck if all tosses were won by one team as is the case so far in this one day series.
Is there any reason for this not to be applied."
I suggest the reason is that this arrangement would give the hom team too much of an advantage. If they knew (especially several weeks) in advance that they would have the choice of batting or bowling, they could prepare the wicket accordingly for those matches.
Complain about this postReply to No. 116 - Paddy Q
A stumping can only be done by the wicketkeeper alone. Law 39.1(a) states that the batsman is out stumped if "his wicket is fairly put down by the wicketkeeper without the intervention of any other member of the fielding side"
If the ball has touched any other fielder and the batsman fairly out of his ground, then he is run out. It is now irrelevant whether he was attempting a run, or the ball was a no-ball, or whether he hit the ball or not.
Complain about this postI am arguing with a colleague in Newport Cricket Club who's claiming a hat trick.
He took two wickets with two balls and then bowled the third. It hit the batsman on the pad and ran away from the wicket. The wicket keeper ran around, picked up the ball and broke the stumps with the striker out of his crease.
As a scorer, I'm sure that it was a run out - which is what the Umpire gave. The bowler is claiming that it was stumped .... and wants his hat trick!
Can you confirm that I'm right, please? Thanks!
Complain about this postReply to 119 Philip Stallard
Law 39.1 states
"(a) The striker is out Stumped if
(i) he is out of his ground
and (ii) he is receiving a ball which is not a No ball
and (iii) he is not attempting a run
and (iv) his wicket is fairly put down by the wicket-keeper without the intervention of another member of the fielding side. Note Law 40.3 (Position of wicket-keeper).
(b) The striker is out Stumped if all the conditions of (a) above are satisfied, even though a decision of Run out would be justified. "
Your case, therefore, hinges on whether the striker was attempting a run or not.
If the striker was attempting a run, he is run out. If he was not, then it's a stumping.
Complain about this postQuestion - a fielder fields the ball cleanly just inside the boundary. In the process of throwing in, he accidentally throws it over the boundary (first bounce outside the ropes)
Complain about this post- is that scored as overthrow or as a misfielded boundary
- if scored as ovethrow how much?
What was the largest number of deliveries it took for any batsman to get off the mark
Complain about this postBearders,
Complain about this postHave there been any English first class games that have seen all 40 wickets fall on the first day?
Should a batsman retire hurt when in the middle of a fruitful partnership, for example the second wicket, do the runs scored for that wicket count toward the partnership established with the incoming batsman? Example: If Alistair Cook and Ian Bell put on 100 for the second wicket and then Cook retired hurt, would the runs scored by Kevin Pietersen and Bell still count as a combined second wicket partnership with those scored between Cook and Bell? If so do any three (or more) batsmen hold records for single wicket partnerships?
Complain about this postWhen was the last time England fielded 11 genuine born and bred players (not through
Complain about this postany form of relationship or qualification) in the same test or one day team. Got to be born in
Enland with full British citezenship. ????
Which bowler has taken the highest proportion of his side's wickets to fall in a test series? - I am sure it would have to be Harbhajan Singh's 32 out of 50 wickest aganst Australia in 2001, but has anyone bettered that?
Complain about this postWith all the sixes in the 20/20 world cup, i was wondering if anyone has ever hit a six from the opening ball of a sides innings?
Complain about this postUnlikely I know but I suppose it could have happened.
Hi Bearders.
A question on the Laws of Cricket. In England's Twenty20 match against Zimbabwe, much was made of Flintoff reverse sweeping on several occasions, however I question the legality of Flintoff's technique. I understood that it was permissible to play the reverse sweep etc. on the condition that the batsmans' hands do not change position - that the top had remains the top hand, and the bottom hand the bottom.
Watching that match, it appeared to me that Flintoff was reversing his hands - that is moving the top hand to the bottom of the bat and vice virca- after the bowler delivered the ball, thereby standing as a right hand batsman at the moment of delivery, but batting as a legitimate left hander after the ball was bowled. To my mind, this is illegal. Can you confirm the Law to me please and, if I'm correct, what penalty the umpire can impose?
Complain about this postReply to 128 Stuart
You are probably correct about Flintoff changing the position of his hands - look at the clip of Kevin Pietersen's reverse sweep off murali on youtube, he does exactly the same thing. There is no Law preventing the batsman from doing so, or indeed changing his grip in any manner. It's a perfectly legal action under the laws as they currently stand.
Complain about this postOnly bowlers are required to declare if they are bowling left-or right handed and over or round the wicket and of any change in this, under Law 24.1