Ask The Spider #22

What’s the lowest ever total to be defended in Tests and ODIs?

The lowest defended target is 85 by Australia (who dismissed England for 77) at The Oval in 1882. This was the famous match following which the Sporting Times carried a mock obituary notice which led to the birth of the Ashes.

The lowest total successfully defended in an ODI was Pakistan’s 87 for 9 against India at Gujranwala in 1989/90 ? India scored only 80 in reply. However, this game had been reduced to 16 overs a side after bad weather delayed the start. The lowest total successfully defended in a ODI which was not truncated occurred when India protected 125 against Pakistan in 1984/85, bowling them out for 87.

Which player has scored the most runs to date in international cricket in 2008?

As of this column, South Africa’s captain Graeme Smith (1211 in Tests, ODIs and T2Is) leads the way, though pending Virender Sehwag’s form in India’s remaining games of the Asia Cup, he could go past Smith before he bats again, which is likely to be in the Test series against England.

Which player has taken the most wickets to date in international cricket in 2008?

After the Third ODI against West Indies, Australia’s Brett Lee leads the way, with 57. He has the chance to extend his lead if he plays in the final two games of that series, before his nearest current contender, England’s Ryan Sidebottom (54 at the end of the ODI series against New Zealand), bowls again, which should be the same time as Smith’s next innings. Dale Steyn (48) might also be up there as he will likely play as often as Sidebottom.

How many times has a batsman got out on the score of 13 in Test and ODI games? And which player tops the rank in terms of combined Test and ODI?

In Tests the score has as of this column been made 1162 times. In ODIs, the figure is 772, though two ODI series’ are in progress as of this column so matters will change very quickly.

The batsman who has been dismissed for 13 most is India’s Sourav Ganguly, who has made the score, coincidentally enough, 13 times to date. Australia’s Stephen Waugh fell for it 12 times and Rahul Dravid and Sanath Jayasuriya 11 times apiece.

Which batsman maintained the highest Test average ever?

Herbert Sutcliffe’s Test average never dropped below 60 throughout his career – the lowest (60.73) was on his retirement. For ODIs, the highest maintained average is by Michael Hussey, with a lowest average to date of 55.31 (currently 55.48).

Has a Test cricketer ever won an Olympic gold medal?

Cricket was an Olympic sport in 1900 and Great Britain won Olympic gold, however this was not a nationally-selected side. The British representatives were a touring team, Devon And Somerset Wanderers, who were scheduled to be in Paris at the same time the Olympics were held, so none of the team played in Tests, and in fact totalled only 8 First-Class games between them.

Winning Olympic gold at sports other than cricket has been achieved by two Test cricketers. At the 1908 Olympics, Johnny Douglas won gold for Middleweight Boxing. One of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year in 1915, Douglas would play in 23 Tests for England. In 1920, England’s Jack MacBryan won gold at the 1920 Olympics for Field Hockey, although he played in a solitary Test.

What’s the most wickets lost before getting a run in a Test innings?

In 1952, touring England, India were reduced to 0 for 4 in their second-innings in the First Test.