And who took more than 2000 wickets in his first-class career, but scored fewer than 2000 runs?
Steven Lynch08-Sep-2020I heard that a woman took four wickets in four balls in a T20I the other day. Who was this, and have any men done it? asked Manek Divecha from India
The lady in question was Anuradha Doddaballapur, the Indian-born captain of the German national team, who took four wickets in four balls against Austria in Seebarn last month. The previous day, her team-mate Anne Bierwisch took a hat-trick against the same opponents, also in Seebarn.Two bowlers have taken four wickets in four balls in men’s T20I, both of them in 2019. First to do it was Rashid Khan, for Afghanistan against Ireland in Dehradun in February last year, and he was followed in September by Lasith Malinga, for Sri Lanka against New Zealand in Pallekele. Malinga has also achieved this feat in one-day internationals – against South Africa in Providence (Guyana) during the 2007 World Cup.Who has top-scored in the most Test innings for England? I imagine Sachin Tendulkar is the overall leader? asked Michael Banks from England
The overall leader for England is, not entirely surprisingly, Alastair Cook, who made the highest score in 58 of his 291 Test innings. The previous England record belonged to Cook’s fellow Essex man Graham Gooch, with 51; Geoff Boycott, David Gower and Alec Stewart all did it 46 times.Top overall is indeed Sachin Tendulkar, who made the highest score in 78 of his 329 Test innings for India. Next comes Brian Lara, with 65, then Sunil Gavaskar and Shivnarine Chanderpaul with 60. Kumar Sangakkara is alongside Cook with 58, while Rahul Dravid (53), Mahela Jayawardene and Jacques Kallis (both 51) also managed the feat more than 50 times. (This includes all innings, not just when a team was all out.)The leader on average is, almost inevitably, Don Bradman, who top-scored in 29 of his 80 Test innings (36.25%). Next, among those who top-scored at least 25 times, is England’s Herbert Sutcliffe, with 25 out of 84 (29.76%).Who took more than 2000 wickets in his first-class career, but scored fewer than 2000 runs? asked Ricky Dooley from Scotland
This batting rabbit is the Warwickshire and England legspinner Eric Hollies, whose 2323 first-class wickets – which cost just below 21 apiece – famously included Don Bradman for a duck in his final Test innings, at The Oval in 1948.Hollies the batsman was no stranger to ducks: he collected 133 of them in all, and managed only 1673 runs in 616 visits to the crease, at an average of 5.00, which was higher than it might have been thanks to 282 not-outs. Only seven batsmen suffered more ducks in first-class cricket: the Worcestershire seamer Reg Perks leads the way with 156.Eric Hollies (extreme left) took 2323 first-class wickets, but he scored only 1673 runs in his career, including 133 ducks•Getty ImagesI know that Shane Warne holds the record for the most Test runs without a century – but who holds this record overall in first-class cricket? asked Ben Cobbing from South Africa
The only man who finished his first-class career with more than 10,000 runs but not a single century was the much-travelled left-arm spinner Tony Lock. He finished with 10,342 runs at 15.88 – and a highest score of 89, in the last of his 49 Tests for England, against West Indies in Georgetown in 1967-68. In all, Lock reached 50 on 27 occasions in first-class cricket, but never made it to 90.You’re right that Shane Warne holds this record in Tests – he amassed 3154 runs, with a highest score of 99 against New Zealand in Perth in 2001-02 – when he was dismissed from what appeared to be an uncalled no-ball. He did score two first-class hundreds late in his career, though.Who was once no-balled for throwing in a Test for impersonating a bowler he thought should have been no-balled for throwing? asked Mick O’Brien from England
The protagonist in this unusual tale was the Indian seamer Abid Ali, who was called for throwing in the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch in 1967-68. The New Zealand fast bowler Gary Bartlett had put his side on top by taking 6 for 38, but the tourists felt his bowling action was suspect. Chandu Borde, India’s vice-captain, was in no doubt: “Bartlett was a pronounced chucker, and it stood out a mile,” he wrote. “When we were making a fight of it in our second innings, Bartlett flattened the stumps of me and Pataudi in a single over to swing the Test in his team’s favour.”New Zealand were left needing 88 to win, and got there for the loss of four wickets – and a little help from the bowlers, as Borde recalled: “Abid Ali expressed his protest in a novel way. He deliberately threw a ball instead of bowling it and was promptly no-balled.”Bartlett’s figures remained the best of his career, which ran to ten Tests. Despite the whispers about his action, he was never called for throwing. Richard Collinge, a team-mate in that Christchurch victory, recalled: “It was sour grapes… I never doubted his action at all.”Use our feedback form or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions
