The Bearded Wonder's new home
From now on our popular "Stump the Bearded Wonder" feature will live on this blog. It's an overdue move - Test Match Special statistician Bill Frindall, aka the Bearded Wonder, sits alongside his colleagues such as Jonathan Agnew in the commentary box, and now joins them in this virtual TMS world too.
So you can see the answers to last week's questions over on our main cricket section, but if you want to set Bill a tester for next week, you need to add it on this blog.
It's important to remind everyone that Bill can only answer a small selection of your questions, and will select a handful from this blog when he comes to give next week's answers. So feel free - if you can provide an answer to a simple question posed by another poster - to jump in and help. But probably best to leave the toughest questions to the man himself!
Bill
In terms of total caps won at the start of the match, in which Test did the most experienced Test team ever take the field ?
I'm guessing it might be a recent Australian side, but I'm not sure.
Nick
Complain about this postBill,
Following the woeful weather this summer, where statistically, is the best place to buy sawdust for the pitch?
My own attempt is recorded at the web site address attached.
Thanks in advance.
Complain about this postHi Bill; as a fellow pogonophile, let me attempt to test you with this.
Complain about this postIn which first-class match were the greatest number of dismissals by "unusual" means? That is, not bowled, caught, LBW, run out or stumped.
Any match with more than a couple of the others must have been interesting!
Following the recent match of Notts v Essex - when both wicketkeepers Foster and Read both scored double centuries in the same match. I am sure this must be the first time that this has been achieved in the same first class match.
Complain about this postBill what is the record for the most consecutive innings in which a particular batsman failed to trouble the scorer
Complain about this postNotts recently scored 791 in reply to Essex's 700. Is the Essex total the largest first innings score when the side has not led on first innings? If so what was the previous?
Complain about this postHi Bill,
Are there any instances in 1st class cricket where batsmen have been timed out?
I've been playing in the "locals" for 15 years and I've never seen this once.
R
DF
Complain about this postBill
Whatis the highest score ever recorded by a batsman without hitting a boundary
Complain about this postBill,
Which England batsman had the lowest first class batting average when selected for the national side? I know Brearley had a fairly modest average when selected...
Complain about this postBill,
We all know that Sir Garfield Sobers and Herchelle Gibbs both hit six sixes in an over. But what is the record for the most consequetive sixes? My mate said that Kim Barnett hit nine sixes over two overs for the minor counties, but what is the record for first class cricket?
Complain about this postHi Bill, can you tell me please whether or not any player has ever taken a hattrick with the first 3 balls of a match or innings?
Thanks, Steve.
Complain about this postThis is not a statisical question, but thought you'd have a view on it.....
Scenario:
The bowler bowls a ball and hits the batsman's pad in front of the wicket. The ball goes straight into the hands of a fielder. The umpire thinks the ball may have hit the bat on the way through (before pad) but is not sure.
What decision does the umpire give, and why?
Complain about this postAlistair Cook is a prolific test match batsman but I do not recall him ever hitting a six, has he whilst playing for England
Complain about this postBill,
Shiv Chanderpaul holds the record for most time batted between dismissals with 1513 minutes, but does this effort also give him the record for most test runs scored between dismissals?
Thanks,
Complain about this postTim
In Answer to Andrew's question the umpire would have to give him out caught as you cannot be out LBW if the ball hits the bat before the pad.
Complain about this postAll the best
mark
Hi Bill
Complain about this postI seem to remember Alvin Kallicharran scoring a double century and then taking 5 wickets in a limited overs game against Oxford in the Nat West Trophy. Is he the only player to have achieved this feat in a first class limited overs game?
Cheers Mark
reference the laws on Run Out / Appeals / Dead Ball / and probably several others. Striker hits a difficult return catch, which the bowler fails to hold but deflects it, on the full, onto the stumps. The non-striker, backing up, was out of his ground and there is an appeal from somewhere on the fielding side. Meanwhile the ball is deflected gently upwards off the stumps and is caught.
Complain about this postQuestion: is the non-stricker run out; did the ball become dead at that point, or is the striker caught; or can the fielding captain effectively choose which batsman he wants out, by rescinding any runout appeal and going for the 'caught' ?
In the '60s as a teenager I was the scorer for Bradford in the Bradford League. It is the only time in my life I have had a chance to personally know past or future test and other first class cricketers. Back then we all used the box method. Now you talk about the linear method. Can you explain the main differences?
Complain about this postTo David Cousins: if the batsman is given run out, then the ball is dead immediately, and any subsequent action is irrelevant.
Complain about this postI was coached as a youngster by the Kent and England Leg Spin Bowler Doug Wright, I remember him relating a story that he was bowling to Don Bradman and dropped a caught and bowled chance, and Bradman went on to score 300 in a day, do you know when this might have been, and how many Bradman was on when Doug dropped him?
Complain about this postIn teh recent Essex v Notts game both wicket-keepers scored double hundreds. Has this ever happened in a first-class match before?
Complain about this postHi Bill,
Welcome to your new 'home'!
Last week's high-scoring championship match at Chelmsford between Essex and Notts, produced a double hundred from each of the two wicket keepers. I wonder if this is the first such instance of both wicket keepers hoitting a double hundred in the same first class match.
Regards.
Bob
Complain about this postMany moons ago I was no-balled, as a wicket-keeper, by the square-leg umpire who was the only person in the ground who knew what was going on.
Complain about this postMy question is - has any wicket-keeper been no-balled in a test, or first-class, cricket match?
Bill,
My college friend Lewis Dingle made an uncharacteristic 25 ball duck for Oxford in the Varsity Match, which got me wondering, we hear a lot about fastest hundreds and half centuries, who holds the dubious records for the longest ducks in Test and limit Overs cricket?
Marc, Oxford
Complain about this postWho was responsible for the most run outs in his career? And what is the record for most run outs in one match (ODI)?
Complain about this postA few weeks ago I hope I sent this question: Who has played Test cricket for South Africa and also played (cricket) for the West Indies ? I haven't had an answer yet, but am still hoping...
Could you at least confirm that Bill received my message, please.
Thanks.
Complain about this postif a bowler comes up to bowl but instead spots the non-striker out of his ground, can he run the non-striker out by 'stumping' him? Similary if the striker is out of his crease, can the bowler intead of bowling it, he throws it at the stumps and run the striker out? (it might also be a no-ball)
Complain about this postIn answer to Andrew Ward's question surely the answer is not out because the umpire is not sure if the ball hit the bat or not, so benefit of doubt goes to the batsman.
Complain about this postIs it true Bob Willis never took 10 wickets in a Test match?
Complain about this postTo no.23 Graham Bartram
You were probably no-balled for having your gloves in front of the stumps.
Complain about this postIn answer to Pete Wainwright's question, I have seen Alastair Cook hit a six, although it was against Sussex whilst he was playing for Essex in a 20-20 game.
Complain about this postTry as I might to forget it, I remember one time in the last woeful Ashes series (I think it was the last test in Sydney) when Andrew Strauss took a bouncer to the head from Brett Lee and understandably fell down, being a bit dazed by this. He was of course OK to get up and carry on playing, but what would have been the official policy if the ball had been going any faster and had actually knocked him out? Would England have been given some bonus runs, or would Lee have been fined for bowling with malicious intent or whatever - or would Strauss have been given out, having been knocked unconscious? Seems unlikely, I know, with the helmet, but I'm just wondering . . .
Complain about this postDear Bill,
I am a volunteer commentator for the RNIB and have just finished commentary on the MCC v. Sri Lanka 'A' match at Arundel (10th-12th July 07)
In this game I saw Mohammed Nabi (MCC Young Crickets & Afghanistan) playing for the MCC. In both the first and second innings Nabi got "off the mark" with remarkable sixes.
I am reliably informed that it was his first-class cricket debut as the game held first-class status and so wished to know if anyone had ever got off the mark twice with sixes on their first-class debut?
Yours sincerely,
Joe Packer
Complain about this postBill
Complain about this postCan you tell me who said "the bowler's Holding the batsman's Willey" and at what match?
Just love to read your column and wanted to know that it will always be there.
Complain about this postFor Bearders,
I once was playing in a local village friendly on Bank Holiday Monday between Everton and Wiseton (Notts) which was a timed 2 innings game. I went to the wicket needing 10 to win and one ball to go, if no more overs were bowled, with the clock just a minute or so before the end of the game.
The Everton captain was bowling and to extend the length of his over so that it was the last, he bowled 4 wides, then a wide and then another wide. The village church clock then struck the hour (7.00pm) and so he then bowled one I could reach, which I skied over point for four to win the match. Is this a record?
The local Retford, Worksop and Gainsborough Times recorded the feat under "Wright hits 10 of last ball to win match" (not strictly true of course!)
Complain about this postHi Bill
Owais Shah has played first class cricket for four sides this summer: MCC, Middlesex, England and England Lions. This must be a record!
Murdo
Complain about this postHi, Bill
I play for a village team in Wiltshire called Dinton, you may know it Bill?
I compile are club averages every year and this Wednesday I was unfortunate enough to have to retire hurt having top edged a sweep into my mouth knocking two teeth out!!
I was opening the innings and the first wicket proper didn't go down until 96 runs had been scored.
My two questions are do I get credited in this partnership so it involves three people? Also as I didn't return to the wicket am I classed as not out?
Complain about this postRe Stump Bearders 150
Regarding Bob Willis batting record, isn't the unbroken 117 he shared with Peter Willey against the W. Indies at the Oval the highest partnership he shared in? it was a 10th wicket record for the series and included his top score of 28no. I remember watching it and when the 9th wicket went down not long after lunch on the last day England were only 197 ahead, yet shortly into the partnership the W Indies seemed to give up and settle for the draw even though there was one test left for England to tie the series.
Contrast that with the last test of 2005 when the Aussies were still chasing the match at tea on the last day when England were 227 ahead.
Complain about this postto the guy who hit 10 off the last ball coz he was bowled 6 deliberate wides then hit a 4. shouldnt the umpire have stepped in and declared the bowling against the spirit of the game?
if the bowler was gonna act like that, he shouldve tried this tactic: for the last ball, commence the run up but keep weaving around the outfield for a few minutes until the clock struck 7, then deliver it.
Complain about this postdear bill
as a member of warwickshire i noticed that our recent county match against lancashire was shown on the wccc web site as the 49,875 first class game, therefore how will the 50,000 match be determined if it is within a round of county matches, many thanks, Martin
Complain about this postBill
Last season, whilst playing for my local village team (Priory Panthers), during one over we scored a single, a two, a three, a four, a five (a single plus 4 overthrows) and a six. Have you ever seen this before?
P.S. I once faced your fearsome bowling back in around 1971 at 14 years of age playing for Addington 1743. Had the bruises to prove it for a couple of weeks LOL.
Cheers, Steve.
Complain about this postHas anyone every scored a test century without hitting a single boundary? Surely there must have been a few when the likes of Bapu Nadkarni bowled twenty plus maiden overs on the trot.
Complain about this postAs far as I can I ascertain my beloved Glamorgan are the only team to set their record wicket stand,Dale and Richards,in a losing cause is this the case.
Complain about this postIt is well known that we have had a Welsh captain of England (A.R. Lewis), and a Scottish one (M. H. Denness). Can you please tell me if an Irishman has ever captained England ?
Complain about this postPlease can you tell me of the current players playing county cricket, who has scored the most 50's. I believe it to be Graeme Hick. Am I right?
Complain about this postHas anybody ever made more innings than Michael Vaughan in the top 4 of an ODI without recording a century?
Complain about this postI'd like to answer 3 questions which have been posed here:
Firstly, Darrell Frith's question (comment 7):
Yes, four have been:
1. Andrew Jordaan - Eastern Province v Transvaal at Port Elizabeth in 1987–88
2. Hemulal Yadav - Tripura v Orissa at Cuttack in 1997
3. Vasbert Drakes - Border v Free State at East London in 2002
4. AJ Harris - Nottinghamshire v Durham UCCE at Nottingham in 2003
Secondly, andrew's question (comment 27) is actually quite interesting, and the answer is in two parts.
1) A bowler can run-out (note it wouldn't be stumped, as this is something can only be done by the wicketkeeper to the striker) the non-striker before bowling the ball. However he has to do so before entering his "delivery stride". That is to say the moment at which his back foot lands in his delivery action. If the striker is out of the ground then he will be given out, if not or the bowler simply misses the stumps then the umpire calls Dead Ball (the ball doesn't count in the over, as the striker hasn't had the opportunity to play it).
2) Right, this is where it gets a little more complicated. Andrew poses a second question regarding running out a batsman who's stance means he is standing outside of his crease. Simple answer is yes (now I wonder how many people have seen this!). Right what should happen is this:
a) Umpire calls no ball for bowler throwing ball.
b) If ball hits stumps directly and striker still out of his ground then he is out Run Out (note to be out Run Out there is no requirement the batsmen are running!)
c) If the ball misses the stumps but the keeper collects the ball and breaks the stumps the batsman is not out. This is due to the fact that he can't be stumped (due to it being a No Ball) and under Law 38.2(e) he has to be attempting a run in this circumstance to be given out Run Out.
d) If the ball misses the stumps but goes to any fielder bar the keeper and then gets thrown onto the stumps then (assuming batsman still out of his ground) he would be out Run Out.
Also worth noting that the normal warning procedure regarding a bowler throwing the ball is not applied in this circumstance (as it is specifically legislated for in the laws, so some bowler has clearly tried this in a match!)
Finally, Philip Bann's question (comment 34): who knows!? No recording of the comment survives and there is debate as to whether it was ever said on air (or off it!). If it was said on air it would have either been Don Mosey or Brian Johnston who were commenting for BBC World Service at the time.
Hope that helps, and now to think up a question for Bill!
Complain about this postDuring TMS brosdcast recently I heard the term KOLPAK used to describe conterminous European cricketers playing in the UK. Is this a word or an acronym. If the latter is correcy can you tell me what it stands for.
Thanks
Complain about this postKissoon, Toronto, Canada
This format doesn't work . This worked better as a straight question and answer format. Could the BBC please change this so that we can see the question and the associated answer together?
I appreciate that this could make it difficult to set out as a blog.
As it stands you need to look for Bill's answer and then refer back to the question(s) associated with it. Sometimes questions don't seem to get answers for some time, which makes The Great Bearded One look a little foolish
Complain about this postBill,
Can you please advise if anyone else has scored 2 successive double centruies as Sri Lankan batsman Sangakkara has just achieved in the test series against Bangladesh, has anyone ever scored 3 double centuries in successive tests.
Complain about this postIn response to question 13:
Alistair Cook has hit 158 fours but no sixes in his 15 Test appearances to date.
Complain about this posthttp://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/11728.html
CORRECTION!
In response to question 13:
Alistair Cook has hit 158 fours but no sixes in his 18 Test appearances to date.
Complain about this posthttp://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/11728.html
Bill,
Complain about this postIn the ongoing third test match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Muralitharan stands out because he has taken more wickets in his test career compared to the total tally of wickets taken by the other 21 players. How rare is this feat?
Rajan
To answer 49 - Maros Kolpak was a Slovak handball player. A search engine will tell you the rest.
Complain about this postOn 26 May 2007 I played for Ljubljana CC v Vienna Lions CC in an Austrian League game at Velden, Austria. Vienna Lions scored 603-7 in 50 overs, then bowled us out for 87, for a winning margin of 516 runs.
My question, now that time has healed the emotional scars of this stuffing (a little anyway) is whether this is the biggest victory margin in a 50-over game.
Here are some answers to other questions.
Question 7:
Four batsmen have been 'timed out' in first class cricket:
1. Andrew Jordaan - Eastern Province v Transvaal at Port Elizabeth in 1987–88
2. Hemulal Yadav - Tripura v Orissa at Cuttack in 1997
3. Vasbert Drakes - Border v Free State at East London in 2002
4. AJ Harris - Nottinghamshire v Durham UCCE at Nottingham in 2003
In 1919, Sussex cricketer Harold Heygate was given out by umpire Alfred Street as "timed out" in a first-class County Championship match with Somerset at Taunton. The MCC later ruled that the umpire was correct in ending the Sussex innings when Heygate failed to appear within two minutes, but that the batsman should be marked as "absent", which is how it appears in the 1920 edition of Wisden. Under present rules, Heygate would have been recorded as "absent hurt", and this is how his ‘innings’ is now recorded in Cricket Archive.
Question 10:
In season 1984-85, Ravi Shastri hit six sixes in an over for Bombay against Baroda in a West Zone Ranji Trophy match. The bowler was left arm spinner Tilak Raj.
Question 11:
On 14 Feb 2003, Chaminda Vaas took a hat trick with the first three balls of a World Cup match for Sri Lanka v Bangladesh:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/cwc2003/bsp/scorecards/icc_world_cup_sri_lanka_v_bangladesh/5714/html/scorecard_hi.stm
Question 12, answers 15 and 28:
Paul Goode is right. Not out. You can't be lbw if the ball hits the bat first. Regarding the catch, if the umpire's not sure, the benefit of the doubt goes to the batsman.
Question 45:
Fred Fane of Essex, who was born in Kildare, captained England in three tests v Australia in 1907-08.
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/england/content/story/259130.html
Complain about this postBill .
Which bowlers have "been on a hat-trick" most times in tests . I would imagine some of the top wicket takers (murali , warne , mcgrath , etc.) but maybe not .
Simon
Complain about this postHello Bill,
I asked you this question several times a year or two ago, and never saw a response:
Who had the MOST first class innings before finally posting their maiden first class century?
Thanks - I look forward to finally getting an answer - if not from you, then perhaps from another reader. (I do know the answer, will provide it if no-one comes up with it first.)
Complain about this postBill
On a opening day of a test match which team batting first as taken the longest in time and / or overs to score off the bat.
Complain about this postI seem to recall going to a women's Test Match at Headingley between England and New Zealand when one of the New Zealand women players scored very slowly from the start of play till lunchtime. Details, please, if you have them. Many thanks!
Complain about this postHi Bill, can you tell me if the following has ever occurred.
When there is one ball to go in an innings, the batsmen in the pavillion with his pads on, starts taking them off, knowing that he will NOT get a bat. But you often hear people saying "Don't take your pads off, there might be a run out off a no ball!".........But it never happens!
Has it happened at any level of cricket that you know of?
Many Thanks
Complain about this postI think the responses to question 12 have slightly missed the point. i think what andrew is trying to get at is this.
The umpire is unsure as to whether the ball hit the bat. if it did then the batsman is out caught. If it didnt then the batsman is out plum lbw. therefore the umpire knows the batsman was out either caught or lbw
However as the umpire is unsure if the ball did hit the bat he can say which way the batsman was out. So can he still give him out?
Essentially it comes down to a benifit of the doubt issue. If the umpire gives the batsman the bod for the lbw decision then he must give him out caught and vice versa.
My answer, which i am unsure of would be this. The umpire should give the batsman out and the method of dismissal should be given as follows.
He should give the batsman the benifit of the doubt for the method of dismissal he feels is more unlikely. ie if he has more doubt that the batsman was out lbw then he must give the batsman out caught. This is because he cant give the batsman the benifit of the doubt for both decisions as by giving it to one then the other becomes a certainty
i hope that makes more sense than i think it does
Complain about this postRe: Question 49
KOLPAK is actually the name of a Slovak handball player, Maros Kolpak.
He won a court decision based upon the idea that no resident of the European Union should be prevented from working in another part of the EU. This also applies to any player from any nation that has such a relationship with the EU (such as South Africa).
Complain about this postBill
The England ODI side against West Indies included Ryan Sidebottom (son of Arnold) and Stuart Broad (son of Chris). Has an England side (ODI or test) ever taken the field before with TWO players who were the sons of former England players?
Complain about this postBill
There used to be a "Lost Ball" rule whereby the fielding side could call "Lost Ball" - the batting side scored 6 runs.This rule seem to have disappeared but I'm certain it was in force as late as about 1970 because it appears in a booklet called "Know The Game -Cricket"
Can you confirm that I am not imagining this rule and ,if so , can you say whether it has ever been invoked in a 1st class game
Many thanks
Colin Howell
Complain about this postRe: Q12:
Complain about this postThe batsman must be out as:
if the umpire is not certain that ball and bat made contact then the batsman gets the benefit of the doubt for that decision, but that the leads to it being a clear cut LBW decision for which the batsman is out.
In reply to question 24:
the longest 0 in test matches was by G.Allot in 101 mins (NZ v SA 1998-99)
i'm afraid I don't know in ODIs
In reply to question 7:
4 batsmen have been given out in first class cricket "Timed out"
Andrew Harris 2003
Vasbert Drakes 2002/3
Hemulal Yadav 1997
Andrew Jordaan 1987/88
see this article for full infomation
http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/india/content/story/124532.html
And a question from me,
it is possible to be run out without facing a ball (a sort of pre-golden duck),but
has this ever happened twice in one first class innings? (if so what is the record number of times)
I ask as this happened a year ago in one of our games, the opening bat ran out his partner, and later the number 4 batsman, both without facing (making him unpopular in the pavillion when he finally got there after a 50)
Complain about this postHi!
I'd like to ask ...
What was the last test match when no record of any significance was broken?
(Obviously every ball bowled means somebody has reached a personal record of some kind so personal records should probably be discounted.)
Thanks!
Complain about this postPenny
My Great Grandmother Joyce Denning was a part of the England ladies 2nd XI I think but I am no sure quite what she did i.e. bowled, batted?
Complain about this postMyself am a legspin bowler of 15 I wondered if she too was a legspin bowler?
(Her era of playing would probably be late 1920's onto late 1940's)
In the recent world cup I think all of Autralia's batsmen score at or better than a run a ball in the match against SA.
Complain about this postIs this some sort of one day first class record?
During a World Cup match, during the run up the bowler accidently dislodged the bails at the bowlers end. He continued with the action & the umpire did not signal no/dead ball.
If the batsman had taken a run, could he (or the non striking batsman) have been run out at the bowlers end of the pitch?
Complain about this postBill
Is it compulsory for the fielding team to use a wicketkeeper?
Foolhardy, I know. But in ice-hockey, a team a goal or two down with a minute or so to play will substitute its goalkeeper for an extra forward to try & save the game.
I'm thinking of a situation where the fielding team will, with an over or so to play, and no concern about taking wickets, could try and save runs by putting an extra man - say the unpadded, ungloved wicketkeeper - out on the boundary.
I've checked Law 40 but it doesn't seem to take this into consideration. What say you?
Simon
Complain about this postBill,
On a more serious note , when and where did the Roses Match's start. Which Rose has the most wins?
Complain about this postin answer to question 71;
the fielding team could run out the batsman by either removing a stump when in control of the ball, or by remaking the wicket and then removing a bail
see law 28
http://www.lords.org/laws-and-spirit/laws-of-cricket/laws/law-28-the-wicket-is-down,54,AR.html
Complain about this postReplying to no. 13 by Pete, Alastair Cook has never hit a six for England in any of the three disciplines, and in the 50 and 20 over varieties only 26 fours, though fewer matches admittedly!
Rebecca
Complain about this postIn test match cricket, what is the record of teams winning the test after winning the toss? And vice versa.
Saadaab
Complain about this postIn test match cricket, what is the record of teams winning the test after winning the toss? And vice versa.
Saadaab
Complain about this postregarding Andrew Ward's question
This is an elegant question and the aspect of it that occurs to me most of all is this idea of benefit of the doubt to the batsman. I cannot find the "benefit of the doubt" phrase in the Laws; if someone can I would be grateful. The lbw law is now succinct and very clear: if the ball would go on to hit the wicket (all the other caveats met) the umpire gives it out.
I like the answer given that the bastman must be out; either it hit the bat (so caught) or didn't (so lbw). I don't know what decision the umpire gives, however. This dual appeal seems to happen a lot, i think, and more often than not it is given not out (I think because there is too much going on for the umpire to be sure of either thing and takes the route of uncertainty to give a not out decision).
Complain about this postBill,
In the recent three-match Test series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Sri Lanka won all the three matches by an innings. The opposition being Bagladesh might take its gloss off a bit. Which country has the most consecutive Test wins by an innings please? Does that cover a series whitewash?
Complain about this postHello Bill,
Of the 12 wickets that Murali took in the just concluded test against Bangladesh, 3 were Ducks. What is the highest number of Ducks claimed by one bowler in an innings and a Test. Stretching this a little further, what about first ball ducks?
AJ
Complain about this postHas there ever been an instance of each player of a certain team ending the innings with their scores all being unique prime numbers?
Unique meaning that no two players finished on the same prime number.
Complain about this postIn response to question 67, it is possible to get run out before you even face a ball. The fate was suffered recently by Ryan ten Doeschate playing for Essex in the second innings against Glamorgan at Swansea on 30 May - 2 June. That is the only case I have heard of but I'm sure it has happened quite a few times before. There might also be sometimes when two batsmen have been ran out not facing a ball in first-class cricket.
Now for my own question:
Have Andrew Strauss or Ed Joyce ever taken a wicket in any forms of the game, if they have, could you tell me who are these most unfortunate people and have they both taken a wicket in the same match playing for Middlesex?
Complain about this postWith the Lords' test next week it has become customary to mention the dressing room honours board which bears the names of those scoring hundreds or taking five wickets in an innings.
Could anyone suggest an England XI comprised of players not to have their names featured, and possibly for that matter a Rest of the World XI for them to play against? (Perhaps a qualification of 50 caps for their country would make a player eligible)
To start the ball rolling Mike Atherton would be available as captain and opening bat for England.
Complain about this postLet's say both batsmen are running and fall over in the middle of the pitch and the fielding side runs them both out; can they both be dismissed or would it be the first player to be run out?
Complain about this postThe England ODI side against West Indies included Ryan Sidebottom (son of Arnold) and Stuart Broad (son of Chris). Has an England side (ODI or test) ever taken the field before with TWO players who were the sons of former England players?
I'm sure Mark Butcher and Simon Jones played in the same England side.
Complain about this postResponding to comment 84 Law 23 states that the ball is dead on the fall of a wicket so only one of the unfortunate floundering batsmen could be run out although I suppose the other may have to retire hurt due to the nature of the collision thereby giving the opportunity for two new batsmen to be present for the next ball bowled.
Complain about this postRe: comment 83....
With the Lords' test next week it has become customary to mention the dressing room honours board which bears the names of those scoring hundreds or taking five wickets in an innings.
Could anyone suggest an England XI comprised of players not to have their names featured, and possibly for that matter a Rest of the World XI for them to play against? (Perhaps a qualification of 50 caps for their country would make a player eligible)
To start the ball rolling Mike Atherton would be available as captain and opening bat for England.
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Complain about this postSurely a certain Shane Warne for the rest of the world team?? Am I right in saying he's not on the honours board
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My question is which players has the least caps and is on the honours board for bowling/batting?
Has anyone ever been dismissed twice in a match without facing a ball, i.e. run out twice without facing a ball, or some other unfortunate dismissal?
Complain about this postDanny Bartram (#29)
It is true. Bob Willis only took 10 wickets in a match twice in his career and never in a Test. He took 9 wickets in a Test no less than 4 times, with:
37.3-11- 92-9 in the 2nd Test v NZ in Eng 1983 at Leeds (and what's more, in a losing cause), was his best ever in a Test.
9-118 v Australia (Lords, 1977), 9-147 v West Indies (Trent Bridge, 1980) and 9-142 v India (Lords, 1982) were his other 9-fors. Only the match v India was won, while the matches against NZ and the Windies were lost.
The missing match that one would expect to find is his famous Headingley Test in 1981 where his 8-43 came after 0-72 in the 1st innings.; one of 3 Tests in which he took 8 wickets in the match.
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Bearder's, my own question is a curiosity. There have been cases of all 11 batsmen getting into double figures in a Test, usually in scores of 400+. However, in theory all eleven batsmen and extras can reach double figures in a total of just 120! What is the lowest team score that has featured every single batsman in double figures?
Complain about this postJimmy Chen (#82)
Andrew Strauss has just one first class wicket in his entire career and none in one day cricket.
Ed Joyce has bowled over 200 overs in first class cricket and has 10 wickets to his name (plus 4 more in List A limited overs matches). His best bowling figures are 2-10 in limited overs and 2-34 in a first class match. His most recent wicket was the luckless Montgonerie of Sussex, clean bowled for 82 in the Friends Provident match v Sussex on Jun 13th. His figures were 2-0-16-1.
Complain about this postSimon Wise (#72):
I remember vividly a case of something similar in a ODI in Australia in 1979. England were playing the West Indies in a tight finish and Mike Brearley caused controversy by sending (a padded and gloved) David Bairstow to the boundary to field the last ball, with the bowler the only player not ringing the boundary rope.
This was the WSC match at Sydney on November 28th 1979, which England won by 2 runs after rain caused the West Indies target to be revised. I was listening to TMS on the radio (a real novelty to hear them broadcast ball by ball from abroad). An even greater novelty was that after England were hammered 3-0 in the Tests, they reached the WSC Final against the West Indies and gave them a tremendous fright in the first match, before finally losing 2-0 against possibly the greatest ever West Indian side.
Complain about this postBill
With Mushtaq Ahmed having 99 first class five wicket hauls (possibly 100 by the end of today), I was wondering how many players have taken 100+ in their careers.
Many thanks.
Complain about this postRe : Q 64 (The England ODI side against West Indies included Ryan Sidebottom (son of Arnold) and Stuart Broad (son of Chris). Has an England side (ODI or test) ever taken the field before with TWO players who were the sons of former England players?)
I am guessing that Alec Stewart and Mark Butcher played in a test or two together
Complain about this postPoints 62, 66 and 78.
Gentlemen, I hope I'm not being unfair in describing you as 'rocket finger' umpires.
The question an umpire must answer in his own mind when evaluating an appeal is certainty.
If the umpire is unsure whether the ball hit the bat or not, then the appeal, for lbw or caught, must be answered 'not out'.
By the way, an umpire should, in such circumstances, ask the fielding team what they are appealing for.
Question 51:
No, is the answer. Everton Weekes got five hundreds in consecutive innings though, and WG Grace had a week to remember in August 1876. In first-class matches he got 344 for the MCC v Kent at Canterbury; two days later he made 177 for Gloucestershire v Notts, and two days after that 318 not out for Gloucestershire v. Yorkshire.
Complain about this postFive other players have scored double hundreds in consecutive tests: Sir Don Bradman, Wally Hammond, Graeme Smith, Vinod Kambli and Ricky Ponting.
Complain about this postWho to your mind after Bradman is the greatest batsman ever to have plyed Test cricket? Who is your no.3?
Complain about this postBill,
If a bowler was to bowl a maiden in his first over, and then follow it up with a no-ball for instance first ball of his second over, with the opposition needing one to win, what would his figured read?
Surely it isn't as simple as 1-1-1-0?
Daniel Kelly
Complain about this postHi Bill,
Can you please list the amount of runs scored in International Cricket scored in sixes, along with the amount of sixes, for the England test side that started the final test against the west indies?
Thanks A Lot
Dan
Complain about this postWho is responsible for compiling and keeping the mass of official cricket statistics from all over the world?
Complain about this postAnswers to a few...
Dave Haworth (5) - warning: do not use the phrase "failed to trouble the scorers" to refer to a batsman making a duck! Bearders detests it, as do I and most other scorers in existence; the fall of two or more wickets in quick succession in fact troubles the scorers greatly as half the time we haven't finished recording the details of one partnership before the next one is over. In answer to your question, I think Mark Robinson once failed to get off the mark in 18 consecutive innings, although 12 of those were not out.
Mike Akerman (6) - Essex's total is not quite the record; in a County Championship match at the Oval in 1990, Surrey declared at 707/9 only to watch Lancashire pile up 863 in reply. The only other instance of both teams scoring over 700 in their first innings was the 1982 Ranji Trophy final, when Karnataka piled up 705 but still lost on first innings as Delhi scored 707/8.
David Cousins (17) - the striker is out caught, since caught takes precedence over any other mode of dismissal except bowled. The order does not matter, since the ball becomes dead only when the umpire raises his finger, not when the act which leads to the appeal is accomplished; nor can the fielding captain choose what to appeal for, since in response to any appeal the umpire must consider all possible methods of dismissal.
Philip Cowley (44) - the only other candidate which springs to mind is Alvin Kallicharran and Geoff Humpage's stand of 470 in a losing cause, but I'm not sure whether that was a county record.
Rob Smyth (58) - couldn't give the exact number of innings but I'm fairly sure this was Derek Underwood.
Jim (64)/Mark Foley (85) - Mark Butcher and Simon Jones played together in Tests, but never in ODIs because Butcher never played one.
Complain about this postin reply to question 82
Andrew Strauss's only wicket in first class cricket appears to be Kevin Pietersen!
see the 2nd Innings here
http://www.cricket-online.org/scorecard_fc.php?fc=47182
and Ed Joyce did get a wicket in the same Innings (J.Gallien)
somehow i feel you already knew all that!
oh and your response to my question about run out without facing, thanks but my question was has it ever happened twice in one innings, i know it is possible (read my question again 67)
Complain about this postWhat is the term used for a player batting at number 2, who is run out without ever facing a ball? It must be some kind of duck, but what is higher than golden? Platinum?
Has this ever happened in first-class cricket?
-Jeppe Lisdorf,
Complain about this postAalborg, Denmark
I am sorry but this is not a comment but a request.I have your Wisden book of Test Cricket volumes 1 and 2 but have never found a volume 3.Is there one and if so where can i purchase it, and if not will there ever be one.? Sorry about this but please indulge an old man
Complain about this post
Complain about this postIf you're run out going for a second run you are given a run, but if you are caught having already completed a run I'm told you don't. Is this true and if so why?
Oh Bearded Wonder!
Assuming that Stuart Broad does play in the First Test against India, I was wondering how many Father and Sons have both played for their Country?
Complain about this postWhich batter has scored the highest percentage of their test/ODI runs in sixes?
Complain about this postDear my good friend Bill,
Can I ask if there are any international cricketers, past or present, that have played at every single ground in the world that is currently used for international cricket
Thanks,
Alex
Complain about this postI know that there is a maximum width for cricket bats, but is there a maximum height, either for the blade or the handle? I have wondered ever since seeing Curtly Ambrose and Chris Broad batting,both of whom seemed to squat over the bat.
Complain about this postfor my school i played against eaton where thier wicketkeeper made six stumpings in our innings. as a wicketkeeper myself i was wondering is a keeper has ever taken 10 stumpings in an innings or has ever been involved in every wicket whilst his side was bowling in a test match.
also what is the most amount of byes that a keeper has ever let through in a first class match or has a keeper ever not let a single bye through in a test match?
Complain about this postwhat is the fastest ball bowled to actually take a wicket and who bowled it?
Complain about this postIn reply to Andrew Ward the answer is simple. If the umpire is in any doubt as to a potential dismissal then he will give NOT OUT. This will apply in this case to both options as the batsman cannot be out LBW if the umpire thinks he has hit it but equally will not be given out caught if there is a chance he did not. The implication that one way or another he must be out is not relevant as there is doubt in both cases.
Complain about this postWhat was Alan Davidson best performance against England. I consider him to be the worlds greatest medium pacer. Pity he did not play a lot of Test cricket.
Complain about this postlots of answers
questions 85/93/105, about father and sons playing for england, here is the full list (i think)
Fred&Maurice Tate
Charlie&david Townsend
Frank&George Mann
Joe&Joe jn Hardstaff
Jame&Jim Parks
Leonard&Richard Hutton
Colin&Chris Cowdrey
Micky&Alec Stewart
Alan&Mark Butcher
Ryan&Arnie Sidebottom
which makes 11...they could have a fathers vs sons game
question 70, regarding teams scoring a run a ball all the way down, NZ managed the same feat against Canada in the 2002 world cup, I'm also pretty sure this must have happened often when chasing a small target but the Aus & NZ innings included all their recognised batters
question 97
for scotland against lancs in the C&G trophy last season Ian Stranger finished with figures of 1-1-6-0
by bowling a no ball (counting as 2 in that comp.) which was struck for 4 winning the game as his opening ball of his second over
phew....
Complain about this postsorry i should say my list of fathers and sons is for england TESTS not ODIs
Complain about this postWe need your assistance to sort out a little dispute that flared up last week at a match here in Malawi, Africa.
A fielder was placed at Mid-off by the bowler who was bowling right arm over the wicket. The placement of the fielder was quite fine towards the line of the bowlers run. The batsman had previously targetted that area in previous balls. Once the fielder was put in place the batsman complained that the fielder was distracting his view of the sidescreen, yet the fielding captain was adament who should be allowed to place the fielder there especially since that particular area had been targetted by him.
Who is given the decision in this case or does the umpire make a decision at his discretion which will be final?
Complain about this postHi Bill,
What was the longest period of time from a first appearance in a test match for a player, and his second appearance and why?
A secondary question related to that, what was the longest gap between a test player being 'dropped' and his subsequent recall? (and why?)
Best , Peter
Complain about this postDear Bill,
Are there any incidents over time where one of the opening batsmen have scored fifty to themselves before any one else has scored a run, or any extras have been conceded?
Thanks
Complain about this postAndrew
Hi
Do you know where I could find a copy of the 1744 laws of cricket on the web? The same goes for the MCC 1788 edition. Thanks
Complain about this postThanks to those who answered my fathers/ sons question. I really should have remembered Mark Butcher and Alec Stewart, for obvious reasons.
This got me to thinking about brothers playing together for England. Chris and Robin Smith both played tests but I don't think they played together for England. Does anyone know who were the last brothers that did?
Complain about this postReferring to my own recent question about brothers, does the Surrey connection coem up again? Did the Hollioakes ever play together for England, at least in a ODI?
Complain about this postI love your website and gets knowledge from your answers.
Questions: Which brothers in test cricket has been the most successful for their country? My guess is the Chappell brothers from Austraila
Who is the most successful opening pair in test cricket (details please)
Complain about this postHullo Bearders
I have a sketchy recollection of the 1976 observer book of cricket noting that the record distance for a bail to fly having been hit as a batsman is bowled, is 65 yards and 4 inches. Is this correct and does this record still stand?
Justin
Complain about this postBill
if the scores are level towards the end of a match and the batting side are 9 wickets down, what happens if the last wicket falls, stumped off a wide? Has this ever happened?
Simon
Complain about this postre- fathers and sons playing for England, what about Alan and Simon Jones ?
Complain about this postBill
I recently went to see Essex v Notts at Chelmsford. In this match both teams scored 700 + and both wicket keepers scored double hundreds - is this a record in first class cricket?
Pete
Complain about this postSimon Corlett is partially right. Simon Jones's father was Jeff Jones and he played 15 Test Matches for England between 1964 and 1968.
Thus, remarkably, Simon Jones's debut in 2002 against India featured three sons of former England Test players (Mark Butcher, Alec Stewart and Jones himself). This must be some sort of record?
They played together in one other Test Match before Stewart retired (against Australia at Brisbane in November 2002).
p.s. Until I found this out I was thinking that Stuart Broad and Ryan Sidebottom potentially playing in the same Test team was going to be a father-son record.
Complain about this postI have always thought that two of the LBW criteria are mutually contradictory. Consider: a full toss hits the batsman on the front foot; it is in line with the middle-and-off stump, no problem with height. Although the umpire knows full well that the delivery is a prodigious leg-break and would, had it bounced (well short of the wicket), have deviated past the stumps towards slip, he is instructed by the law to assume that it would have gone straight on and hit the stumps. However, he does NOT think that it would have hit the stumps. Surely the most important criterion, indeed the raison d'etre, of the LBW law is that, in the umpire's opinion, the ball would have hit the stumps. How should the umpire adjudicate? One or other of the criteria must be ignored.
Complain about this postStatistically, how dangerous are the "nervous nineties" for a batsman? Do batsman more frequently get out in the 90s than in the 80s or 100s? And is there any evidence to suggest that batsman get run out more often when near three figures?
Complain about this postBill
Complain about this postUntil 1951 only 4 batsmen had been given out 'obstructed the field'. This included T Straw twice in 1899 and 1901 both for Worcestershire against Warwickshire. i have been unable to find any report in Wisden and wondered if you could tell me anything about these dismissals.
Stuart Hardie
Yorkshire, Lancashire and now Durham, are the most northerly first class counties and on average, presumably get the worst of the weather (not-withstanding Worcestershire this year). Are there any statistics collected to show how many days per county season are lost each year due to the weather and if so, which county loses the most days of it's home matches? This would presumably make it harder to get a result and hence win the championship, as Yorkshire are finding at the moment. I live on the correct side of the Pennines and everytime I've been to a match at Old Trafford it has rained, so I'd have to suggest Lancashire.
Thanks,
Complain about this postRick, Hull, East Yorkshire.
thanks to simon corlett (124), how could i forget about Simon Jones (maybe 'cos his father was so welsh i hear in my mind, but thats no excuse)
regarding cricketing brothers (in fact all relationships) see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Test_or_One-day_International_cricket_families
i'm not sure how "complete" this list is but it seems a good start
Complain about this postWith the advent of 4 day county cricket we have seen more wickets prepared in favour of the batsman.
Complain about this postI would like to know what is the lowest number of wickets taken in a first class match of 3, 4 or 5 days that has suffered no interuptions.
If a batsman scores a double hundred, it is recorded as a single 100 in his stats. If he scores a ton in each innings, each 100 is counted separately.
Complain about this postIf a bowler takes 6 in one innings and 4 in the second, it is recorded as a '10-for'. Quite right. But if he bags a 5-for in each innings, it's still counted as a 10 wicket haul. If five wickets are worth a ton, why isn't the bowler credited with an extra 5-for along with the 10-for, when this is clearly better than a bog-standard tenner?
Bill
which player has been selected the most times for a test squad without actually getting a game.
Complain about this postBill
I'm sure you must have been asked this before so forgive me and feel free to ignore me if you have already answered this.
Are there any instances of all four possible outcomes of a Test Match being possible as the final ball was bowled?
Complain about this postHi Bill,
In the early 80’s whilst playing minor cricket I took a hat-trick of catches fielding at second slip. I’ve often though this may be a pretty uncommon occurrence and wondered how many other recorded instances there have been in both first class and minor cricket?
Thanks for your help
Complain about this postStephen harmison's recent injury caused the name of andrew caddick to once again (briefly) come into the frame as a potential replacement. Since he has never played another test after his matchwinning haul in the Sydney test match I have a question. Are his figures in that match the best in the history of test cricket by a bowler in his last test?
Complain about this postBill,
I once shared an opening stand of 42 with a colleague and was the first man out - for 42.
What are the highest first class and test opening stands where the first man out has scored all the runs ?
Thanks,
Complain about this postStephen
Since a bowler with one or two wickets at the end of a match is on a hat-trick when he comes on to bowl in his next match, has anyone ever taken a hat-trick involving taking the wicket of the same batsman more than once? And, in the sme spirit, what is the longest elapsed time a hat-trick has taken?
Complain about this postAfter a memorable over at the weekend that lasted for 15 balls with the 6 that counted almost taking 3 wickets I wondered what the longest over with wickets in it was?
Also what the largest number of wickets taken in a 10+ ball over is?
Complain about this postUsing youir best knowledge, in either test or first class cricket, what has been the longest time a player has been on the field and not touched the ball in "open" play ? I can envsiage that a bowler may be stationed at third man or long leg for a number of overs, but ( eventually ) the ball must have been played to him.
Complain about this postBill,
In the recent Notts v Essex match, both wicket keepers hit double centuries. Is this the first time it has happened in a first class game?
Complain about this postIn response to No. 135, from John Knape;
At Lords in 1963, England drew with the West Indies drew with England 6 runs short of their target with 1 wicket in hand, so on the last ball, all four results were definitely possible. There may be more instances, though I don't know about them.
Interestingly enough, BOTH Tied Tests ended on the last over of play, so for a few minutes all four results were possible. however, BOTH tests ended on the second-last ball available, not the last one.
Complain about this postI've been hearing for years about the slope at Lord's but have never really understood what exactly is " the slope". Is the pitch itself sloped or just the ground, or both?
Complain about this postHello Bill,
I was looking at Tendulkar's stats, and noticed he now has 37 test hundreds and 63 first-class hundreds. Do first-class statistics include test matches? Or - unlikely as it may seem - has Tendulkar's 100th hundred last week, gone unnoticed?
Thank you
Complain about this postIf, as looks likely, Stuart Broad plays against the West Indies, he and his dad will be the twelfth instance of a father and son playing for England. But of the other 11 instances, how many have had different disciplines? In other words, are batsmen most likely to beget batsmen, bowlers beget bowlers, (and keepers beget keepers)?
Complain about this postHi Bill,
Complain about this postMust an umpire always wait for an appeal before giving a batsman out ? For example, in a close bat and pad catch, if none of the fielders appeal but the umpire thinks the batsman nicked, will he give him out ?
I know over the years the combination of Bob Taylor behind the stumps and Ian Botham bowling took lots of test wickets c Taylor b Botham.
Complain about this postBut which combination of wicketkeeper/bowler is responsible for most test match wickets taken?
Bill
Two bizarre incidents I have noticed in recent years.
At Derby, Sun stops play. At Lords in the MCC match against the County Champions (I think it may have been last season), Snow stopped play. What is the most bizarre reason for a stoppage in play from your knowledge?!
Jack Byrne
Complain about this postHi Bill
Could you tell me the most common dismissal with the same bowler (and fielder in catches) in test cricket e.g. ct. Gilchrist b. McGrath, LBW Panesar, or b. Lillee.
I'm guessing it would be a bowler/keeper combination, though i'm not sure
Hope you can solve this one for me
Complain about this postHenry
Can you please help me clarify something? While I was being being called through for a run from the non-strikers end, the fielder at backward square leg threw the ball to the keeper, whose foot dislodged one of the bails. The keeper then took off the other bail with the ball in his gloves and I was given out (I was definitely short of my ground). Am I right in saying the umpire was incorrect? Once one bail is gone, does the keeper need to start taking stumps out of the ground? Or is he ok just removing the other bail? Anybody else who knows this either, your help would be much appreciated!
Complain about this postAnswers to 148 and 150
For Test matches,
The most common combination is ct. Marsh b. Lillee (95 times).
The highest combination still currently playing is
ct. Boucher b. Pollock (79)
But the most common scorecard result is simply
Complain about this postb. Muralitharan - 153 times in all.
reply to 148
the most successful Bowler/Keeper combination in tests was Lilee/Marsh, with 95 dismissals (Botham/Taylor 60)
all the others are here
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/STATS/TESTS/BOWLING/TRIVIA/MOST_TEST_FIELDER_BOWLER.html
reply to 139
hattricks do NOT carry across matches, only within the same match so the max possible wait would be less than 5 days
reply to 147
an appeal is always needed, even in clean bowled, although no batsman waits for this one
see law 27
http://www.lords.org/laws-and-spirit/laws-of-cricket/laws/law-27-appeals,53,AR.html
reply to 137
i don't know if this is THE best but it is certainly better than Caddick's 7 for 94
Hugh Trumble took 7 for 28 (off 6.5 overs) against england in his last test for aus in 1904
Complain about this postin reply to 150
the figures are
Murali 158 bowled
Warne 418 caught (of which 324 by fielders other than 'keeper, sorry don't know the most common fielder)
Murali 30 caught and bowled
lillee 95 caught by marsh as keeper (most by bwl/fielder combo)
Kumble 138 lbw
Murali 37 stumped
and finally, and rather few, Mckenzie 4 ...well what could that be? a teaser for you
so the answer is Murali bowled, followed (as next bowled is warne with 116) by Kumble lbw
Complain about this postBill,
If a batsman comes in to bat and faces his 1st ball and the 6th ball of an over and gets nothing off it and then gets run out next over without facing another ball, he would be out for 0 off 1 ball. Would this technically still be a "golden duck" as he is out for 0 off 1 although he has faced out his 1st ball without incident? any insights?
Ben, Woking
Complain about this postsorry in my last post that should read
murali bowled 153 .. not 158, i'm anticipating
but it is still the most common dismissal
Complain about this postRe question 108 Law 6 gives maximum overall length for the bat as 38" as well as defining maximum width as 4.25". It also states it shall be made of wood, (following Dennis Lillee's use of an aluminium bat in the late 1970's?)
As for question 151 you were correctly given out, Law 28.2 deals with putting down the wicket as follows "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".
Complain about this postAbout 10 years ago I was flummoxed by an umpiring decision in a county match between Lancashire and Surrey at Southport. Fielding on the boundary Stephen Titchard took a catch but aware that his momentum would take him over the boundary threw the ball into the air and another Lancashire fielder caught the ball. The Surrey pair (one of whom was Brendan Julien) had completed a single. From my perspective the umpires had two options - six or out. For some reason after much deliberation they signalled TWO to the scorers and the game resumed. Julien proceeded to hit a number of sixes and was greeted each time from the crowd by the call of TWO from the wags. I have never been able to find anyone to explain what happened, can you?
Complain about this postIf a batsman was to trip while making a run and knocked his wickets, would this be counted as hit wickets?
Complain about this postFurther answers to 150 (adding information to 152 and 154).
Mark Taylor has 51 catches off Warne's bowling, but the most common non-wicketkeeper pair is ct, DPMD Jayawardene bowled Muralitharan
Complain about this postPS to PortoIan : McKenzie has 4 hit-wicket dismissals :-). Nice find.
i heard that sachin tendulkar is the highest run getter oversea, in test match cricket.
Complain about this postcould you please confirm that
In response to Marc of Oxford, I don't know about first class/minor counties etc, but I once opened the batting in a match where I was last man out, having scored zero in a total of 52 all out. I batted for over an hour and a quarter for this and must have played and missed at more than every other ball.
Complain about this postHi Bill,
I was a rather successful amateur cricketer, played for Manchester and Cambidge 11's. I could ball RA off breaks, and medium pace out and in swingers, and left hand slow, all with considerable success. My best return was 6 wickets for 3 runs in 11 overs.
How many players in first class cricket have bowled both RA and LA in an innings and taken wickets with both?
Complain about this postCongradulations on the new slot!
I remember years ago when Courtney Walsh was bowling his last over, a commentator had roughly worked out how many miles he had 'run up' to bowl in test match cricket.
My question is this, as it is hard to calculate a bowlers run up. Which batsmen has run the furthest between the wickets (so excluding boundarys). If possible Including Test Matches ODIs etc.
Regards
Sandeep
Complain about this postBill,
In one day games what is the most amount of overs bowled before the batting team have scored a run?
Complain about this postI only ask as we played a game this weekend and the other teams took 4 overs to score a run and it got us thinking.
Bill,
After Sri Lanka beating Bangladesh by an innings in each of their test matches in the recent series, can you advise as to if this has ever happend before.
i.e. has a team won by over an innings in each of the test matches they played within a series
Many thanks
Dan
Complain about this postAs an ex cricketer and avid radio commentary listner and folower of TV coverage of cricket I have been tremendously impressed with Bill Frindle's knowledge of cricket and the information at his fingertips is most impressive. I hope there are others half as good as him to take over should he choose to retiire. Computer data bases will obviously be there but an icon like Mr.Frindle would be hard to replace. Long may he continue to be the encylopedic source in the world of ccricket.
Complain about this postJust to add to item 10, Ravi Shastri also scored six 6's in an over.
Complain about this postIn response to Andrew (no. 27) the answer is no. You can no longer be "Mankaded". The umpire will simply warn the batsman as it is not in the spirit of the game.
Complain about this postFollowing-on from Mike Akerman and Jeremy Freeman in the Essex vs Notts match where records tumbled and I was a fortunate spectator for the first three days, four batsman reached their centuries with sixes (in order: Foster, Wagh, Patel and Read). Has this ever occurred before in a first class match??
Complain about this postBill,
Whilst playing in a recent 5 overs a side tournament the batting side needed one more run to win. The bowler bowled a no ball (giving them the required run) but the batsman hit the ball back to the bowler who deflected it on to the wicket, where the non facing batsman was out of his ground. Is this batsman declared run out for the record, or is the game effectively over once the no ball was called and the required target met?
thanks
ian.
Complain about this postThere have been only four occasions in all forms of First-Class cricket where a batsman has been given out Timed Out. These are: A Jordaan - Eastern Province v Transvaal at Port Elizabeth in 1987-88, H Yadav - Tripura v Orissa at Cuttack in 1997-98, VC Drakes - Border v Free State at East London in 2002 and AJ Harris - Nottinghamshire v Durham UCCE at Nottingham in 2003
Complain about this postWho is the king of the starters?? which bowler has taken the most wickets in their very first over of a test match?
Complain about this postBill
Is Muhammad Yousaf is the only batsman in the history of the game who got more than 900 points in ICC ranking system for test batsman and still never become highetst rank test batsman ?
Complain about this postBill
I was watching the archive of Graham Gooch's 333 and saw he was dropped by Kiran More on 36. Is this the most expensive dropped catch in Test history?
Garreth
Complain about this postCan a bowler start an over as a right arm bowler and also switch to bowling left arm in the midst of a innings / over?
Complain about this postSorry not a question or answer just a comment
Would not this board be better as a forum? With different "threads", for example "bowling", "laws", etc.. and answers to the questions kept with the questions
i've noticed a lot of repeated (or very similar) questions and even some repeated answers (me being guilty once)
if anyone knows how to contact the owner (Lewis Wiltshire?) please let me know...i really can't believe The Bearded Wonder is going to read all this just to find unanswered questions he can answer
Complain about this postHi Bill/Anyone,
It always seems to me that batsmen don't score many when tey have to have a runner (with Marus Trescothick's recent exception). So my question is, What is the most number of runs anyone has scored with a runner at the crease with him?
Complain about this postDear Bill,
Has there ever been a designated Test match wicket keeper (selected as a Wicket Keeper) who has failed to be involved in a dismissal - Caught at the Wicket, Stumped or Run Out?
Thank you in advance,
Matt Coles
Complain about this postIn reply to 34. I believe it was Jonners at the 1976 Headingley Test match. Peter Willey was subsequently involved in a piece of commentary almost as famous: Lillee caught Willey bowled Dilley, Perth 1979.
As an addendum to 149, Snow stopped play in a CCC match at Buxton on 2 June 1975 where Derbyshire were playing Lancashire. The remainder of that summer was pretty special I recall apart from, that is, the pitch being dug up at Headingley Test match.
Complain about this postMany thanks to Michael Jones (no 100)for his answer re my question regarding record stands in losing causes,the 470 by Humpage and Kallichiran is indeed a county record by 5 runs and was in a losing cause,the only thing that maybe Glamorgan are still unique is that Dale and Richards were not out and Humpage was,there's a tester for you Mike,thanks,hope your Welsh,if your not you should be.
Complain about this postIn response to 171, Ian Russell;
The second option you suggested is correct.
Law 24.12 says that the one run is added instantly on the call of the no ball.
Law 21.6a says that as soon as a result is reached, the match is at an end. Nothing that happens thereafter (with some exceptions for scoring errors and penalty runs) will count as part of it.
So, for the record the non-striker is not out as the match had been won (and hence over) the instant the no-ball was declared.
Complain about this postRe: Post #171
Once calling "No Ball", the next word out of the umpire's mouth should be "Time", as the game is over. The non-facing batsman would be not out.
This is also the answer to the question in post #128 (scores tied with 9 down, batsman stumped off a wide). The wide ends the game, so the stumping didn't happen.
Complain about this postIn response to #149 and #180, I recall a sandstorm temporarily halting play in Sharjah in a match involving India, although I don't recall who the other team was. May have been Pakistan or Australia.
Complain about this postDo women cricketers wear a jock strap and a box?
Complain about this postApparantly my grandmother kept wicket for her school team - the boys' team. What is the most senior level at which a mixed cricket team has played that was not in designated mixed events?
Complain about this postRegarding the question about the number of sixes hit by Don Bradman, should you not point out that the rule for sixes in his day was different from now?
I don't know what actual rule was in effect exactly, but I believe you had to strike the ball out over the fence on the full to get a six. Sometimes, you'd only get a sixwhen you hit it out of the ground entirely.
Compare it to today's rule, when you only need to hit it over the rope. I remeber seeing shots at the MCG going over the rope, which was brought in twenty metres before the fence, which in the old days would have been fielded on the boundary and only brought two runs.
Does that not make the sixes hit by players in the past more impressive?
Complain about this postWhich player has scored test centuries at the most test match venues?
Luke
Complain about this postIn reply to Kemlo (#187), Law 19.2(d) allows the umpires and captains to agree what consitutes the boundary as they see fit. On a number of small grounds that I have played on this has meant that a six is not scored unless the ball clears the fence on the full. It's a local issue, decided for a given match by the umpires and captains.
Whether the average playing area of a Test Match ground has decreased since the Don's time is another issue - I seem to remember the full playing surface being used at a number of grounds that now usually have boundary ropes well inside the fence.
You may be right in saying that maximums were harder to come by in the Don's era, but that doesn't mean that the Law has changed.
Complain about this postIn the recent Notts v Essex match both Chris Read and James Foster made double centuries. Have opposing wicketkeepers both made double centuries in a first class match before?
Complain about this postDear Mr Frindall,
When and why did the touring England team cease to be known as the MCC?
Yours Den Parratt (Glos)
Complain about this postHi Bill,
I was wondering if you knew of the greatest number of changes that has been made to a test team for consecutive matches.
In 1988, England made SEVEN changes to the team that had been defeated heavily by the West Indies in the third Test at Old Trafford. For the fourth test at Headingley, the captain and wicket-keeper were changed and the team was so heavily packed with batsmen that only three specialist bowlers were selected (GR Dilley, NA Foster and DR Pringle)!
I would be grateful of any reponse and would be interested to know of any occasion when less than three specialist bowlers were selected.
Complain about this postHi Bill.
Can a fielding team have any one of its players wear the keeping gloves, for example could the keeper go bare handed and say the first slip wear the gloves? or are the gloves only allowed to be worn by the fielder in the wicket keeping position?
Cheers
Phil
Complain about this postLast week Foster(Essex) & Read(Notts) both wicket-keepers both scored double centuries in the same match.
Complain about this postI've watched cricket & reports since 1945 and I can't recall this happening before in England.
It may have happened abroad.
Was it a record ?
Re Andrew Ward's query (12)
Umpires are never 'not sure'.
If the umpire believes there was bat first (as you indicate) he cannot be LBW.
Thereafter, provided the ball does not touch the ground before being held by the fielder, he is out caught.
Steve
Complain about this postJust to say, in reply to earlier question, Alistair Cook has never hit a six on england duty, although i dont know about first class!
Complain about this postRe question 193 Law 40 is quite explicit that the wicket keeper is the only member of the fielding team allowed to wear gloves and 'external leg guards'. Any fielder may of course opt to wear a helmet and any items of protective equipment, (box, shin pads etc.) which fit under their cricket clothing.
Complain about this postBill
If a team batting second need 1 run to win off one ball and one wicket remaining, score the first run and for some reason decide to run for a second but get run out, how will their victory be recorded in the books?
I tried this in a computer game, and the final result said:
AUSTRALIA 249/10
ENGLAND 250/10
ENGLAND WIN BY 0 WICKETS.
I'm guessing there is some protocol for this happening in real life, so what would the official records say?
Complain about this postI am eagrly waiting for Match in between England VS India.
Complain about this postHello Bill.
Complain about this postOften after taking a catch a fielder will throw the ball high in the air as team mates gather to congratulate. Has there ever been an incident when a player, umpire or spectator has been hit by the falling ball?
Cheers
Rupert
Bill,
I was wondering how many batsman have managed to score a century on the first morning of a test match. I know that Victor Trumper was the first, but how many players have managed this feat since?
Thanks
Alex
Complain about this postIn reply to 201
there have only been 4 instances in Tests of a batsman scoring 100 before lunch on the 1st day, several have scored 100 in the first session on other days
the four were
103* VT Trumper Aus v Eng Manchester 1902
112* CG Macartney Aus v Eng Leeds 1926
105* DG Bradman Aus v Eng Leeds 1930
108* Majid Khan Pak v NZ Karachi 1976-77
for a full list of all batsman achieving this on any day see
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/STATS/TESTS/BATTING/100_BEFORE_LUNCH.html
btw i still think all this would be better in a Forum, with Threads for each subject, keeping all answers and questions together, and avoiding too much repetition
Complain about this postTo no 23. Graham Bartram
I also suffered the same fate once only to be told afterwards by the umpire that my cap was infront of the stumps.
Complain about this postAs a schoolboy wicketkeeper, I once took a hat trick of stumpings - has this ever been achieved at test or county level.
Complain about this postSeeing your stat concerning Hedley Verity, kia in WWII, whilst not strictly a cricket stat, do we know how many first class cricketers were killed in WWI & 2 ?
Complain about this postHi Bill
In a recent match while playing for my university, one of our bowlers bowled 4 no balls in a row. it turns out that the umpire kept calling no ball due to the bowler not declaring his action to the umpire. Is this rule correct and has it ever happened in a first class match?
Cheers
Phil
Complain about this postIf someone were to be given out 'obstructing the field'. Would their wicket be marked down as the bowlers? or in a similar vein to RUN OUTs. Any light you could shed would be much appreciated.
Martin
Complain about this postPlaying for Sutton 3rd XI 2 weeks ago, Lee Betteridge took 10 for 21 v Caterham CC 3rd XI(8 bowled and 2 caught behind.
Some years ago, playing in Birmingham, his father took 10 for 22.
Has a father and son taken 10 wickets before?
Complain about this postHi Bill - Much has been made of the Lord's honours board and, as noted by Alec Stewart in his blog, two of the best batsman of the modern age (Tendulkar and Lara) are not there. Just out of interest then,are there any batsmen whose only test centuries were achieved at Lord's? Many thanks
Complain about this postSo Many question flying in I thought I'd ask a second.
How many times has Extras been top scorer in an innings, Whats the highest score it has ever achieved and has it ever been the highest score in the match?
Im sure it must be a team from the Subcontinent with the highest.
Cheers
Complain about this postin reply to 206
in can only be a no ball if the bowler changes in the middle of the over, from over to round the wicket for example, at the start of the over
the laws quite clearly state that it is up to the umpire to enquire about the bowlers action, not wait for the bowler to give it
see law 24
http://www.lords.org/laws-and-spirit/laws-of-cricket/laws/law-24-no-ball,50,AR.html
Complain about this postProbably not an easy thing to research, but what's the highest number of initials you've been aware of a player having? I just noticed UWMBCA Welegedara playing for Sri Lanka A, and his 6 (7 including surname) beats WPUJC Vaas, who had the most I'd previously seen, although I imagne there are many others with 5. Sri Lankans seem particularly partial to excesses in the name department!
Cheers,
Jon
Complain about this postin reply to 207
obstructing the field is never credited to the bowler
see law 37
http://www.lords.org/laws-and-spirit/laws-of-cricket/laws/law-37-obstructing-the-field,63,AR.html
Complain about this postDid Godfrey Evans, probably England's best keeper ever, really go through a complete Oz tour without conceding a bye? I think a few leg-byes wides etc did get past him ....
Complain about this postHi Bill,
Could you please advise how many schools have produced two or more England or MCC captains? My old Grammar School supplied Tony Lewis and C.F.Walters, are there any other Welsh schools that have had two?
Many thanks,
Complain about this postGreg
Is Tremlett, who is taking part in the Test against India at Lords, related to M Tremlett who I was previleged to see at Bourda,Georgetown,British Guiana, in March 1948 with Gubby Allen's Team
Complain about this postReply to posting 198
Dear Dub
The correct score for the theoretical innings mentioned is: England 250/9 England win by one wicket. The game finishes with the first winning run. The second run wouldn't score anyway, and you can't be run out when the game has already finished. The only time extra runs count when one is needed to win is when the batsman scores a boundary; or when the ball finds the boundary for 4 byes; legbyes etc.
Complain about this postRe: Andrew (posting 12) and reply by Mark (15)
Andrew said in his scenario that the umpire was unsure if the bat had made contact with the ball. In that case he must give the batsman the benefit of the doubt and he cannot be out caught. In fact if he's not sure whether the bat made contact before hitting the pad, he can't give him out LBW either, again because the batsman gets the benefit of the doubt. So the decision would have to be not out, even though it is clear he ought to have been out by one or other method.Obviously in top-class cricket, the video umpire may be able to assist in sorting out what actually happened.
Complain about this postHi Bearders
As there will no doubt be plenty of time spent watching the rain in the coming days, here is one I thought up to keep your nose in your Wisdens.
When was the last time that an England XI took the field with eleven players, all representing different first-class counties ? Who were the players, and which were the counties ?
Good hunting
J
Complain about this posthi bill , i 'm so sorry your all mates were in hurry to day i think prior not well prepaid to face international bowling he did only good aginst westindies it not mean he is more better i think englan shuld dig up some profestional bats man come wiket keeper like halik sterit in lord never any team lost 6 wickets in 30 scores if they got great start of 250 plus in 2nd innings you guys shuld bate with patience not in hurry
Complain about this postHad Broad been selected ahead of Tremlett then England would have fielded a team of eleven players from eleven different counties. I've been following Test Match cricket since 1955 and I can't remember this happening. Can you confirm this?
Complain about this postReply to 216, kissoon lall
Yes, they are grandfather and grandson.
Charles Tremlett (current player, is the son of Tim Tremlett, the former Hampshire seamer and current coach, and the grandson of Maurice, who played for Somerset and England in the 1940s and 50s.
Maurice Tremlett played three tests for England in the West Indies, including the one in Georgetown in March 1948.
Complain about this post