Ask The Spider #48

Has anyone ever got to a century without hitting a boundary?

This has happened five times:-
104 A W Ridley Hants v Kent 1876
103 A Hill OFS v GW 1976-77
100 P A Hibbert Vic v India 1977-78 (must have been a slow outfield as CPS Chauhan had only two fours in his 157

In addition, Bill Woodfull scored 118 against Surrey in 1926 – his only four came after he reached 100. Similarly George Gunn scored 112 for Notts v Essex in 1924, again with 2 boundaries only after he reached his 100

What is the circumference/length (in metres) of the Sydney Cricket Ground picket fence?

There doesn’t appear to be a record of this specifically for cricket, however if we assume the boundary size is the same as for Aussie Rules Football, then this would give major dimensions of 147m x 136m. The circumference therefore calculates to approximately 445m for SCG.

Who has scored the same number of runs in every match consecutively?

This turns out to be zero. Seymour Clark of Somerset failed to score in all five first class games he played after getting to the crease 9 times; John Howarth of Notts failed to score in all 13 first class games he played but only got to the crease 7 times. Mark Robinson scored 12 consecutive ducks (seven not out) over a series of nine games for Northampstonshire in 1990.

Who has been run out the fewest times, having played more than 50 ODIs?

Five players have appeared in more than 50 ODIs and never experienced a run-out dismissal:-

A Nehra (Ind) 72 ODIs (26 innings)
CK Langeveldt (SA) 59 ODIs (14 innings)
Maninder Singh (Ind) 59 ODIs (18 innings)
MO Odumbe (Ken) 61 ODIs (59 innings)
RGD Willis (Eng) 64 ODIs (22 innings)

Has anyone ever played in a Test match without batting, bowling or taking a catch?

England’s Jack MacBryan “played” against South Africa in a rain-affected Test at Old Trafford in July of 1924, and although he got to field he did not bat or bowl. He would go on to win a gold medal for hockey at the 1920 Olympics.

What is the largest margin of victory in a Test match in terms of runs?

At Brisbane in 1928-29 England (541 and 342-8d) defeated Australia (122 and 66) by 675 runs.

What’s the best bowling performance on ODI debut?

Fidel Edwards took six for 22 on debut against Zimbabwe at Harare in 2003-04.