Purple Patches

[Engle]

Jimmy Amarnath performed spectacularly well against a rampaging Imran, followed soon after against the ferocious WIndies pace attack of Roberts, Holding, Garner and Marshall. In their own den, no less. Outscoring the great Gavaskar. A purple patch for bravery :

 

[AndrewB]

" The 1970-71 West Indies tour was the last chance for Dilip Sardesai. He was lucky to be picked - it had looked as if his career was dead and buried - he went on to be Indian cricket's Renaissance Man in the watershed year of 1971. A technically correct player, the solid, wristy Sardesai was proficient against spin, but in West Indies he showed his mettle against pace, and pulled India repeatedly out of quicksand. He scored 642 runs, with two single hundreds and a double, and provided an inspirational launching-pad for a legend - Sunil Gavaskar, in his first series. "

The extent to which Sardesai and Gavaskar held together the Indian batting in that series must be unusual: they made 11 of India's top 12 scores between them.

 

[AndrewB]

Some other purple patches in first-class cricket which could have been in Barker's book.

In 1874, WG Grace had the following run of 7 matches:

104 &  19   7-60 & 1-79 (Gentlemen of the South v Players of the North)
 23 & 110   3-61 & 7-58 (Gentlemen v Players)
167         4-57 & 7-44 (Glos v Yorks)
  1         3-52 & 7-28 (United South v United North)
 94 & 121   6-92 & 4-68 (Kent & Glos v England)
123         5-82 & 6-47 (Gentlemen of MCC v Kent)
127         5-44 & 5-77 (Glos v Yorks)

889 runs (including 6 hundreds) and 70 wickets (including 6 ten-fors). He then took another 31 wickets in the next 3 matches, completing a run of 11 matches in which he did the "double" of 1000 runs and 100 wickets.
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In 1876, Grace became the first to score 300 in a first-class match (344 for MCC v Kent). Later that week he became the second to do so, scoring 318 against Yorkshire. (In between he scored 177 against Notts).
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In 1928, Wally Hammond scored 139 & 143 and held 10 catches (still the record) for Gloucestershire v Surrey. The next day he took 9-23 (holding the catch for the other wicket) and scored 80 for Gloucestershire v Worcestershire.

 

[tony p]

Another interesting purple patch of 4 matches in 1929 for Kent,

In consecutive matches between June 22nd- July 9th, for the second wicket, Wally Hardinge & Frank Woolley did the following,

V Derby @Chesterfield, Hardinge 115, Woolley 155, added 255
V Somerset@Tonbridge, Hardinge 54, Woolley 108, added 134
V Yorkshire@Tonbridge, Hardinge 137, Woolley 131, added 239
V Hampshire@Folkestone, Hardinge 150, Woolley 117, added 228.

Not surprisingly, they won the first 3 matches by an innings, and only rain prevented them winning the game at Folkestone.

 

[Starfighter]

Worth mentioning Tich Freeman's bowling over those matches too

7/117 and 7/63
6/40 and 6/66
6/53 and 6/118
4/116 and 2/74

44 wickets at 14.7 in four matches.

 

[Slifer]

After Lara scored his 375 in 1994, didn't he go on a bit of a purple patch in FC cricket?? Can someone look that up for me....

 

[Starfighter]

Speaking of spin bowlers from the thirties, Fleetwood-Smith's 1934/35 Sheffield Shield season

5/57 and 4/18 vs Qld
6/107 and 5/121 vs NSW
2/74 and 4/96 vs SA
5/39 and 6/90 vs Qld
7/113 and 8/113 vs NSW
5/60 and 3/186 vs SA

While there have been quite a few better season than his average of 18.95, no-one comes close in rate of taking wickets, not surprising when he bowled 60 overs a match. The only higher wicket takers took 10 or 11 matches.

 

[wpdavid]

After Lara scored his 375 in 1994, didn't he go on a bit of a purple patch in FC cricket?? Can someone look that up for me....

I won't look it up, but I think that's when he made his 500 for Warwickshire

 

[Slifer]

I won't look it up, but I think that's when he made his 500 for Warwickshire

Yeah and he also scored like 8 100s in 11 innings or something insane like that. I think...

 

[tony p]

Okay, I'm on a roll. Here's a purple patch for a season in 1984.

Glamorgan's A.L. Jones (Alan Lewis), not to be confused with the other Alan Jones, had not scored a first-class century since making his debut in 1973.
However in this, his 12th season and in his 187th innings made his first century, going on to score 5 centuries in all. Those 5 centuries came in a span of 33 innings.
And despite playing on till the end of 1986, and having 278 first-class innings, did not make another century.

So all his 5 centuries of his 14 year career came between May-August 1984. THAT IS A PURPLE PATCH.

 

[Engle]

Denis Lindsay, wk for S.Africa who had modest returns previously, went on to scale 600+ run s beating out all batsmen from both S.Africa and Australia in the 66/67 series. Deep Purple

 

[Lillian Thomson]

The definition of “patch” is a bit unclear but if Massie is in the book then Narendra Hirwani who broke Massie’s record on debut should be included. He also did little after, although he did once bowl 59 overs unbroken at one end against England in 1990.

 

[Jayro]

After Lara scored his 375 in 1994, didn't he go on a bit of a purple patch in FC cricket?? Can someone look that up for me....

Yes he did make about 500 runs in a single inning not too long after,,, and had a bradmanseque run for Warwickshire

 

[AndrewB]

Denis Lindsay, wk for S.Africa who had modest returns previously, went on to scale 600+ run s beating out all batsmen from both S.Africa and Australia in the 66/67 series. Deep Purple

View attachment 27756

That series for Lindsay is actually in Barker’s book.

 

[AndrewB]

Another interesting purple patch of 4 matches in 1929 for Kent,

In consecutive matches between June 22nd- July 9th, for the second wicket, Wally Hardinge & Frank Woolley did the following,

V Derby @Chesterfield, Hardinge 115, Woolley 155, added 255
V Somerset@Tonbridge, Hardinge 54, Woolley 108, added 134
V Yorkshire@Tonbridge, Hardinge 137, Woolley 131, added 239
V Hampshire@Folkestone, Hardinge 150, Woolley 117, added 228.

Not surprisingly, they won the first 3 matches by an innings, and only rain prevented them winning the game at Folkestone.

That reminds me of another Kent pair... Trevor Ward and Mark Benson's opening partnerships in the 1995 B&H Cup were 229, 117, 149*, 147, 132 and 53. Kent won all six matches, but lost in the final (Benson was missing with a broken finger; Ward and Fulton added 28 for the first wicket). The pair also added 136 in their first Sunday League match of the season (but their highest partnership in the Championship season was 90).

 

[Prince EWS]

Mustafizur's debut year in ODIs where he took 26 wickets in 9 ODIs at 12 apiece, including consecutive 5-fers against a full strength Indian team which led to Bangladesh's first ever ODI series win over India.

Back when he was a spinner. Good times.

In all seriousness I think it was as much of a case of him being new and having a gimmick as it was him being in a purple patch. Undoubtedly a bit of both though.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Back when he was a spinner. Good times.

In all seriousness I think it was as much of a case of him being new and having a gimmick as it was him being in a purple patch. Undoubtedly a bit of both though.

Ajantha Mendis 2.0

 

[Daemon]

Back when he was a spinner. Good times.

In all seriousness I think it was as much of a case of him being new and having a gimmick as it was him being in a purple patch. Undoubtedly a bit of both though.

Your face is a gimmick

 

[Noumenon]

Prithvi Shaw's run of form in VHT probably as good as any.

8 matches, 827 runs, average 165, SR 138, 4 centuries including a double (3 scores over 150)

 

[TheJediBrah]

Matthew Hayden in ODIs in early 2007, including the World Cup. Came off his career high 181* v NZ and then dominated the 2007 World Cup. Averaged nearly 100 in 12 games over those 2 months.

Interesting because he was out of the ODI side prior to that (Katich and Gilchrist were the preferred openers) and didn't really do much good in Tests after that either.