A century of matches at one venue, and Viv's only stumping
Also: how many Australians have made one-day hundreds in Sri Lanka?
Steven Lynch
20-Sep-2016
Mushfiqur Rahim is the only player with over a hundred international matches to his credit at one ground - Mirpur • BCB
Middlesex's title decider is being played this week. Has there ever been first-class cricket at Lord's this late in the year? asked Bob Rollins from England
For many years the cricket season on the main ground at Lord's would finish with the Gillette Cup (later NatWest Trophy) final, which was held on the first Saturday in September. That tradition has slipped a little in recent years, but it turns out that this week's County Championship match between top-of-the-table Middlesex and second-placed Yorkshire is indeed the latest that top-class cricket has ever been played on the world's most famous ground. At first I thought the previous-latest first-class action there was a splendid match between Smokers and Non-Smokers in 1884 - it was played on September 15-16 - but ten years after that, in 1894, the game between Gentlemen of the South and Players of the South ran from September 17-19. Two major matches in recent years have been played later than that: in 2010 there was a one-day international between England and Pakistan at Lord's on September 20, while in 2013 the Yorkshire Bank 40 final (the successor to the Gillette) took place on September 21. The latest Championship action at Lord's before this year was also in 2013, when Middlesex's four-day game against Nottinghamshire finished on September 14.
For many years the cricket season on the main ground at Lord's would finish with the Gillette Cup (later NatWest Trophy) final, which was held on the first Saturday in September. That tradition has slipped a little in recent years, but it turns out that this week's County Championship match between top-of-the-table Middlesex and second-placed Yorkshire is indeed the latest that top-class cricket has ever been played on the world's most famous ground. At first I thought the previous-latest first-class action there was a splendid match between Smokers and Non-Smokers in 1884 - it was played on September 15-16 - but ten years after that, in 1894, the game between Gentlemen of the South and Players of the South ran from September 17-19. Two major matches in recent years have been played later than that: in 2010 there was a one-day international between England and Pakistan at Lord's on September 20, while in 2013 the Yorkshire Bank 40 final (the successor to the Gillette) took place on September 21. The latest Championship action at Lord's before this year was also in 2013, when Middlesex's four-day game against Nottinghamshire finished on September 14.
Who has played the most Test matches without ever playing at home? asked Ian Johnston from England
A couple of old-time England players lead the way here. The Yorkshire allrounder Willie Bates played 15 Tests on four separate tours of Australia in the 1880s, but never appeared at home. In those days the sides for England's overseas tours were raised privately, rather than by a central selection committee, while teams for home Tests were usually chosen by representatives of the ground staging the match. Frederick Fane, the Irish-born Essex amateur, played 14 Tests for England - and captained them in five, including three matches of the 1907-08 Ashes - but never played at home. And the Rhodesian allrounder Percy Mansell played 13 Tests in the 1950s, all of them outside South Africa. This excludes several current Pakistan players who have been unable to play at home for security reasons. Azhar Ali has now played 49 Tests but none in Pakistan, and Asad Shafiq 45. They have, however, played several "home" Tests in the United Arab Emirates.
A couple of old-time England players lead the way here. The Yorkshire allrounder Willie Bates played 15 Tests on four separate tours of Australia in the 1880s, but never appeared at home. In those days the sides for England's overseas tours were raised privately, rather than by a central selection committee, while teams for home Tests were usually chosen by representatives of the ground staging the match. Frederick Fane, the Irish-born Essex amateur, played 14 Tests for England - and captained them in five, including three matches of the 1907-08 Ashes - but never played at home. And the Rhodesian allrounder Percy Mansell played 13 Tests in the 1950s, all of them outside South Africa. This excludes several current Pakistan players who have been unable to play at home for security reasons. Azhar Ali has now played 49 Tests but none in Pakistan, and Asad Shafiq 45. They have, however, played several "home" Tests in the United Arab Emirates.
Who's the only man to play more than 100 international matches at the same ground? asked Khalid Zafar from Pakistan
The answer here was quite a surprise: there is indeed only one man who has played 100 international matches (in all three formats) on one ground - Mushfiqur Rahim, who has played 105 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Shakib Al Hasan has played 97 games there, and Tamim Iqbal 93. Next comes Hamilton Masakadza, with 91 at the Harare Sports Club, where Elton Chigumbura has played 89. The Test record is held by Mahela Jayawardene, who played 27 matches at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, where Muttiah Muralitharan played 24. Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara both played 23 Tests at Galle. Alastair Cook has played 22 Tests so far at Lord's. Wasim Akram leads the way for one-day internationals, with 77 at Sharjah; Mushfiqur has so far had 73 at Mirpur, while Jayawardene and Sanath Jayasuriya both played 71 ODIs at Colombo's Premadasa Stadium. Rahim has played 19 Twenty20 internationals at Mirpur, and Umar Akmal 18 in Dubai.
The answer here was quite a surprise: there is indeed only one man who has played 100 international matches (in all three formats) on one ground - Mushfiqur Rahim, who has played 105 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Shakib Al Hasan has played 97 games there, and Tamim Iqbal 93. Next comes Hamilton Masakadza, with 91 at the Harare Sports Club, where Elton Chigumbura has played 89. The Test record is held by Mahela Jayawardene, who played 27 matches at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, where Muttiah Muralitharan played 24. Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara both played 23 Tests at Galle. Alastair Cook has played 22 Tests so far at Lord's. Wasim Akram leads the way for one-day internationals, with 77 at Sharjah; Mushfiqur has so far had 73 at Mirpur, while Jayawardene and Sanath Jayasuriya both played 71 ODIs at Colombo's Premadasa Stadium. Rahim has played 19 Twenty20 internationals at Mirpur, and Umar Akmal 18 in Dubai.
Who had the most runs after playing 100 Tests? asked Keshuv Huria from India
Top of this list is Brian Lara, who amassed 8916 runs in his first 100 Tests. It's quite close, though - nine others had more than 8000 runs, plus Garry Sobers who scored 8032 in a career of 93 Tests. Second behind Lara is Kumar Sangakkara, with 8651 runs, then come Younis Khan (8640), Rahul Dravid (8553), Matthew Hayden (8508), Virender Sehwag (8487), Sunil Gavaskar (8479), Sachin Tendulkar (8405), Ricky Ponting (8253) and Graeme Smith (8173). Of these Tendulkar had the highest average, with 57.97, just ahead of Dravid (57.79) and Ponting (57.71).
Top of this list is Brian Lara, who amassed 8916 runs in his first 100 Tests. It's quite close, though - nine others had more than 8000 runs, plus Garry Sobers who scored 8032 in a career of 93 Tests. Second behind Lara is Kumar Sangakkara, with 8651 runs, then come Younis Khan (8640), Rahul Dravid (8553), Matthew Hayden (8508), Virender Sehwag (8487), Sunil Gavaskar (8479), Sachin Tendulkar (8405), Ricky Ponting (8253) and Graeme Smith (8173). Of these Tendulkar had the highest average, with 57.97, just ahead of Dravid (57.79) and Ponting (57.71).
I see that Sir Viv Richards has one stumping to his credit in first-class cricket - who was this? asked Jogeshwar from India
Sir Vivian Richards's only stumping in first-class cricket came quite early in his career, in a festival game at the end of West Indies' 1976 tour of England. Playing against T. N. Pearce's XI in the last match of the tour at Scarborough, at some point in the second innings Richards relieved Mike Findlay of the gloves, and stumped the Pearce's XI No. 8 Martin Vernon off the bowling of slow left-armer Raphick Jumadeen. I'm not aware that Viv ever kept wicket in an international match.
Sir Vivian Richards's only stumping in first-class cricket came quite early in his career, in a festival game at the end of West Indies' 1976 tour of England. Playing against T. N. Pearce's XI in the last match of the tour at Scarborough, at some point in the second innings Richards relieved Mike Findlay of the gloves, and stumped the Pearce's XI No. 8 Martin Vernon off the bowling of slow left-armer Raphick Jumadeen. I'm not aware that Viv ever kept wicket in an international match.
Did David Warner become the first Australian to score an ODI hundred in Sri Lanka during the recent series? asked Jamie Stewart from Canada
Rather surprisingly, David Warner's 106 in the last match of the recent series in Pallekele was indeed Australia's first century in a one-day international in Sri Lanka - and it was their 40th official ODI there. Australia's previous-highest score in Sri Lanka was 94, by Mark Taylor at the P Sara Stadium in Colombo in August 1992, just ahead of Matthew Hayden's 93 in Dambulla in 2003-04. Two Aussies have managed 90 not out: Ricky Ponting in Hambantota in August 2011, and George Bailey in the previous match of the recent series in Dambulla.
Rather surprisingly, David Warner's 106 in the last match of the recent series in Pallekele was indeed Australia's first century in a one-day international in Sri Lanka - and it was their 40th official ODI there. Australia's previous-highest score in Sri Lanka was 94, by Mark Taylor at the P Sara Stadium in Colombo in August 1992, just ahead of Matthew Hayden's 93 in Dambulla in 2003-04. Two Aussies have managed 90 not out: Ricky Ponting in Hambantota in August 2011, and George Bailey in the previous match of the recent series in Dambulla.
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Steven Lynch is the editor of the updated edition of Wisden on the Ashes