Ask The Spider #31

Has anyone ever scored twin centuries in a Test more than once in the same series?

Yes, Clyde Walcott achieved this feat in the series against Australia in 1955 when scoring two centuries in a Test in the Second and Fifth Tests, and having scored a further century in the First Test is also the only player to score five centuries in the same series.

What is the most Test runs scored in a calendar month?

In July 1990, England’s Graham Gooch scored 154 & 30 in the Third Test against New Zealand, then 333 & 123 in the First Test against India for a total of 640 runs.

Did anyone’s first-class playing career encompass both World Wars?

Yes, but only by lucky chance – Bill Ashdown of Kent played First-Class cricket in England from 1914 to 1937, then came out of retirement to play a one-off festival match at Harrogate in 1947.

Which bowler has the most Test match wickets for ducks to his credit?

Australia’s Glenn McGrath, with 101 scoreless victims.

Who was stumped most times in Tests?

Allan Border of Australia was stumped 9 times in his 221 dismissals.

Who was Sri Lanka’s first ODI after receiving Test status against? And how many ODIs had they played beforehand?

Well, after receiving the promotion their first game was against England on the 13th of February 1982, against whom they also played their first Test the same week. The first ODI after the Test was actually played was against Pakistan, on the 12th of March 1982. Before 1982, they had played just 6 ODIs (5 if you discount 1 which was completely washed-out), 3 each in the 1975 and 1979 World Cups.

And what about Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe’s first was against India, a one-off game to mirror the one-off Test earlier that week to introduce Zimbabwe to the field. They had played 20 games before this, with a somewhat odd pattern: after winning their first, they lost the next 18, then won the 20th. Like the Lankans, all these games came in World Cups: 1983, 1987/88 and 1991/92.