Although the World Cup is over, the cricket fever is still on! For lovers of the game, here are a bunch of interesting facts that are hard to believe.
1.Sachin Tendulkar played for Pakistan before India
Sachin Tendulkar played for Pakistan before making his debut for India.
During a practice match between the arch-rivals at the Brabourne Stadium in 1987, Tendulkar was a substitute fielder for Pakistan.
2. Sanath Jayasuriya has more ODI wickets than Shane Warne
Believe it or not, Sanath Jayasuriya has taken more ODI wickets than Shane Warne. While the left-arm Sri Lankan all-rounder has claimed 323 wickets in 445 ODIs, the legendary Australian spinner has taken 293 wickets in 194 matches.
3. Inzamam-ul-Haq claimed a wicket on the first ball he bowled in ODIs
Former Pakistani skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq has a unique record of claiming a wicket on the very first ball he bowled in ODIs. On November 24, 1991, he got the wicket of West Indian great Brian Lara at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. Lara left the crease after offering a catch to wicket-keeper Moin Khan.
4. Peter Siddle – the only bowler to take a hat-trick on his birthday
Australia’s Peter Siddle is the only bowler in the history of cricket to take a hat-trick on his birthday. He did so during a Test match against England at Brisbane on November 25, 2010.
5. Mahela Jayawardene – the only batsman to score a century in WC semi-final, final
Mahela Jayawardene is the only batsman to score a century in a World Cup semi-final and final. The former Sri Lankan captain scored a 109-ball 115 against New Zealand in 2007 World Cup semi-final and hit a 88-ball unbeaten 103 against India in the final of 2011 World Cup.
6. Wasim Akram’s highest score in Test cricket is higher than Sachin Tendulkar’s
Legendary Pakistani pacer Wasim Akram’s highest score in Test cricket is 257. On October 20, 1996, Akram scored an unbeaten 257 against Zimbabwe at Sheikhupura. It is also the highest score by a number eight batsman. On the other hand, Sachin’s highest score in the longest version of the game is an unbeaten 248. The Indian maestro scored a double century against hosts Bangladesh at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka in December 2004.
7.Courtney Walsh remained unbeaten maximum number of times
It is a fact. Walsh, the former West Indian fast bowler, played 132 Tests. In 185 innings, he scored just 936 runs at an average of 7.54. However, he remained unbeaten 61 times and his top score was an unbeaten 30 (against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 24, 1988).
8. Richard Stokes witnessed Jim Laker, Anil Kumble taking 10 wickets
Richard Stokes watched only two Tests in his life. At the age of 10, he witnessed Jim Laker taking all 10 wickets against Australia at Old Trafford in 1956. Forty-three years later, he was at the Feroze Shah Kotla ground in Delhi where Anil Kumble took all the 10 wickets against Pakistan.
9. Leslie Hylton is the only cricketer to be hanged for murder
Former West Indian pacer Leslie Hylton, who claimed 16 wickets in 6 Tests at an average of 26.12, is the only Test cricketer to be hanged. He was hanged on May 17, 1955 in Jamaica on charges of murdering his wife.
10. Vinod Kambli’s Test average is better than Sachin’s.
Kambli scored 1084 runs in 17 Tests at an average of 54.20, while his childhood friend Sachin Tendulkar scored 15,921 runs in 200 matches at an average of 53.78.
11. Chris Gayle is the only batsman to hit a six off the first ball of a Test
West Indian opener Chris Gayle is the only player in the history of cricket who hit a six off the very first ball of a Test match. The hard-hitting Caribbean batsman achieved this feat against Bangladesh at Mirpur in 2012. The bowler was debutant off-spinner Sohag Gazi.
12. MS Dhoni has not scored a century outside Asia
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the holder of many records. One of them is that he has not scored a century outside Asia. Mahi has scored six Test centuries and ten ODI tons, but all of them are scored in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
13. Lala Amarnath is the only bowler to dismiss Bradman hit wicket
Amazing! Lala Amarnath holds the unique distinction of being the only bowler in the history of Test cricket to dismiss Sir Don Bradman courtesy of a hit-wicket. It happened at Brisbane in 1948.
12. Gavaskar was out off the first ball of a Test match thrice
Sunil Gavaskar, the former Indian skipper and the first man to score 10,000 Test runs, was dismissed first ball of a match thrice. Gavaskar was out to Geoff Arnold at Edgbaston in 1974, to Malcom Marshall at Kolkata in 1983 and to Imran Khan at Jaipur in 1986. Interestingly, Sunny shares this unique record with Conrade Hunte, Chris Gayle, Sanath Jayasuriya – who were dismissed for zero on the very first ball of a match three times.
13. Sir Donald Bradman hit only 6 Sixes
Legendary Australian batsman Sir Don Bradman hit just six sixers in his entire career. Sir Don hit five sixes against England and one against India. Apart from hitting two fives in his career, he smashed 618 fours in Test cricket.
This blog post is by Dr A Sankaranarayanan, resident of Serene Adinath by Columbia Pacific Communities.
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