Plus, lowest total to include a double-ton, youngest Championship centurion, and most World Cup runs without a fifty
Steven Lynch13-Jan-2015Virat Kohli scored four centuries in the series against Australia. How many people have done this? asked Chris Wakefield from Ireland
There have been only 20 instances of a batsman scoring four centuries in a Test series, two of them in this current one: Virat Kohli and Steven Smith both scored four, the first time this has happened on opposite sides in the same series. Kohli is only the second Indian name on the list, after Sunil Gavaskar who did it twice (in West Indies in his debut series in 1970-71, and against them at home in 1978-79). Only Clyde Walcott, with a record five for West Indies in 1954-55, Herbert Sutcliffe (four for England in 1924-25) and Wally Hammond (four for England in 1928-29) have previously done it against Australia. Don Bradman managed it three times, while Mohammad Yousuf uniquely achieved it in a three-Test series, for Pakistan against West Indies in 2006-07. For the full list, click here.Was Sri Lanka’s 356 the lowest Test total to include a double-century? asked Joel Pojas from the Philippines
Sri Lanka’s 356 in Wellington – which included 203 from Kumar Sangakkara – actually lies fifth on this particular list, which is headed by Virender Sehwag, who carried his bat for 201 out of India’s 329 against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2008. Len Hutton also carried his bat for 202 of England’s 344 against West Indies at The Oval in 1950, while Gordon Greenidge contributed an undefeated 214 as West Indies raced to a match-winning 344 for 1 against England at Lord’s in 1984. And Graeme Pollock made 209 of South Africa’s 353 against Australia in Cape Town in 1966-67.Who is the youngest batsman to make a century in the County Championship? Was it Surrey’s Dominic Sibley? asked Charlie Rees from Surrey
Dominic Sibley is the fourth-youngest centurion in County Championship history: he was 18 years 21 days old when he reached three figures against Yorkshire at The Oval in September 2013 – and he extended that innings to 242, breaking David Sales’ 1996 record as the youngest Championship double-centurion. Sibley edged Denis Compton out of fourth place on the century-makers’ list by just four days (and Len Hutton by seven more), but remained behind Leicestershire’s Josh Cobb (18 years 3 days in 2008), Dipak Patel of Worcestershire (17 years 270 days in 1976), and Kent’s Godfrey Bryan, the youngest Championship century-maker of all – he was just 17 years 245 days old when he made 124 against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 1920.Who has scored the most runs in the World Cup without ever reaching 50? asked Amit Kumar from India
First on this particular list is Wasim Akram, who made 426 runs in 38 World Cup games for Pakistan with a highest score of 43, against West Indies in Bristol in 1999. I suppose you might expect an allrounder like Wasim to be high on this list – but in second place is a specialist batsman, in the shape of Jonty Rhodes. He scored 354 runs in 24 World Cup matches for South Africa, also with a highest score of 43, against Australia in the famous semi-final at Edgbaston in 1999. He did save a lot of runs in the field, though! Guy Whittall of Zimbabwe (246), Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas (219) and Shahid Afridi of Pakistan (209) have also made more than 200 World Cup runs without a half-century.Who has taken the most catches in a single Test series? asked Richard le Vaillant from England
This is a very long-standing record, which I’m surprised has lasted as long as it has. Back in the 1920-21 Ashes series, which Australia won 5-0, the fine allrounder Jack Gregory held on to 15 catches, mostly at slip. Greg Chappell came close to beating that in 1974-75, with 14 in a six-match Ashes series. There have been five instances of 13 catches in a Test series, two of them by Bob Simpson and two more by Brian Lara. Simpson, a legendarily good slip fielder, clasped 13 in South Africa in 1957-58, and repeated that at home to West Indies in 1960-61. Lara did it in just four matches at home to India in 2006, and in six matches at home to England in 1997-98. Rahul Dravid also took 13 in four matches, at home to Australia in 2004-05. England’s Jack Ikin held 12 catches in just three matches at home to South Africa in 1951, although that was a five-Test series.I noticed that the South African fast bowler Garth Le Roux scored 26 first-class half-centuries without ever making a hundred. Who holds the first-class and Test records in this category? asked Gulu Ezekiel from India
My first thought was that the answer would be Tony Lock, the only man to finish his career with more than 10,000 first-class runs but no centuries – Lock made 10,342 with a highest score of 89, in his final Test for England, against West Indies in Georgetown in 1967-68. However, Wisden‘s statistician Philip Bailey came up with another name: Gordon Parsons, the old Leicestershire seamer, made 29 half-centuries, with a highest of 76. Daminda Ranaweera, a Sri Lankan wicketkeeper, has made 27 half-centuries in domestic cricket, with a highest of 99. His last match (to date) was at the end of the 2012-13 season. Level with Le Roux on 26 half-centuries is the old Cambridge, Worcestershire and Warwickshire batsman Allan White, whose highest score in 142 first-class matches was 95. The Test record is held by the Indian opener Chetan Chauhan, who reached 50 on 16 occasions but ended up with a highest score of 97. Misbah-ul-Haq holds the corresponding record in ODIs – he has reached 50 on no fewer than 37 occasions now, but his highest score remains 96 not out.
