da prosport bet： The column where we answer your questions
da cassino online： 15-Aug-2005The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket:
George Headley: highest score in the fourth innings of a Test © Getty Images
Was England’s two-run victory last week the closest in Test history? asked Sam Moore from Barking
The thriller at Edgbaston last week wasn’t quite the closest Test of them all, although it was the closest by a runs margin in Ashes Tests, edging out the three-run nailbiters atOld Trafford in 1902 and at Melbourne in 1982-83. But atAdelaide in 1992-93 West Indies beat Australia by one solitary run.Shane Warne played in that match too, as did Justin Langer who wasmaking his debut. For a full list of the close-run finishes, clickhere. There were even closer results in cricket’s two tied Tests -when the team batting last was all out with the scores level – Australiav West Indies at Brisbane in 1960-61, and India v Australia at Chennai in 1986-87. There have also been ten instances of Testsbeing won by one wicket – click herefor a list of those.In the first three Ashes Tests all four openers were left-handed batsmen. How often has this happened, and who were the players?asked Chris Moore from Australia
You’re right in thinking this is a rare occurrence – it had happened only 11 times in all Tests before this series, all of them since 2002. The first time was at Sharjah in 2002-03, when Matthew Hayden andJustin Langer opened the batting for Australia, and Taufeeq Umar andImran Farhat did the honours for Pakistan. After that it happened in allfour Tests of the West Indies-Australia series of 2002-03 (Langer andHayden again, and Devon Smith with Wavell Hinds and Chris Gayle for theWindies), in two of the matches of the 2004 England-New Zealand series(Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss, and Mark Richardson and StephenFleming) and two of the West Indian Tests that followed (Trescothick andStrauss, and Gayle and Devon Smith), and two of the Australia-PakistanTests Down Under (Hayden and Langer, and Salman Butt and Imran Farhat)last winter. There have been five other Tests – the first one beingbetween India and England atBombay in 1961-62 – when there have been four left-handed openersused during a match but where a fifth (right-handed) opener was used inat least one of the four innings.When was the last time nobody scored a century in the first two Testsof an Ashes series? asked Hillel Jacobsen of Johannesburg
You have to go back to the famous series of 1981 – the one laterenlivened by Ian Botham – for this. The highest individual score in thefirst Test atTrent Bridge, which Australia won by four wickets, was AllanBorder’s 63, while David Gower’s 89 was the highest score of the drawnsecond Test atLord’s. John Dyson – and, famously, Botham himself – put things torights with hundreds in the third Test atHeadingley.One of my friends popped an interesting question to me the other day,and I wasn’t able to give him a definite answer. What’s the highestindividual score in the fourth innings of a Test match? askedDave Deonarine from Guyana
There have been five double-centuries scored in the fourth innings of aTest, and the highest of them was 223, by George Headley for West Indiesagainst England at Kingston in 1929-30. Next comes Nathan Astle’s rapid 222 for NewZealand against England at Christchurch in 2001-02, Sunil Gavaskar’s 221for India v England at The Oval in 1979, Bill Edrich’s 219 for England against SouthAfrica in the “Timeless Test ” at Durban in 1938-39, and Gordon Greenidge’s unbeaten matchwinning214 for West Indies against England at Lord’s in 1984.Zimbabwe were bowled out twice in a day last week – had that happenedbefore in Test cricket? asked Richard Peterson of Edgware
Zimbabwe were shot out for 54 and 99 by New Zealand at Harare last week. It had very nearly happened to Zimbabwebefore – at Lord’s in 2003 they lost 19 wickets on the thirdday, and again lost by an innings. But the only previous instance of aside being bowled out twice in a day in a Test came in 1952, when Indiawere bowled out for 58 and 82 on the third day atOld Trafford. The most wickets to fall on any day in a Test is 27,which happened atLord’s in 1888. England, 18 for 3 overnight, were shot out for 53,and later made only 62 after Australia (who had made 118 on the firstday) were bowled out for 60 on a pitch that was almost like mud after alot of rain.Who has played the most first-class matches without ever playing aTest? asked Krish Chandra from the USA
This list is dominated by English county players, some of who racked upenormous amounts of matches without ever playing a Test. Top of thelist, with 668 matches, is the Glamorgan bowler Don Shepherd. Shepherd took2218 wickets, more than anyone else who didn’t win a Test cap. Six othermen have played more than 600 first-class matches, but no Tests: Alan Jones, also of Glamorgan(645), Sussex’s George Cox (634), Emrys Davies of Glamorgan(621), Hampshire’s PeterSainsbury (618), KenSuttle of Sussex (612), and Leicestershire’s Les Berry (609). Actually Jonesdid play once for England – but it was an unofficial Test, against theRest of the World at Lord’s in 1970.