Also, six-for losers, fastest keeper to 100 dismissals, Clifford Roach’s unbreakable records, and keeper-captain feats
Steven Lynch03-Dec-2013Virat Kohli reached 5000 one-day internationals recently. Did he get there faster than anyone else? asked Mukesh Subhan from Kolkata
Virat Kohli reached 5000 runs in his 120th one-day international – the first one against West Indies, in Kochi on November 21 – to equal the record set by Brian Lara. Gordon Greenidge got there in 122 matches. Kohli did just shade Lara in terms of innings batted (118 to 114), but has to share top billing there with another great West Indian: Viv Richards also reached 5000 in 114 innings (from 126 matches). Kohli’s first 5000 ODI runs included a record 17 centuries – Saeed Anwar made 14 – while only Richards (53.01) and Michael Bevan (56.25) averaged more after the innings in which they passed 5000 than Kohli’s 52.14. Michael Hussey and MS Dhoni also averaged over 50 at that point of their careers.In the first Ashes Test, 32 of the 37 wickets to fall were out caught. Is this some kind of record? asked Naushad Kazi from South Africa
It is very close to the Test record, which stands at 33 batsmen out caught (out of 36) in the match between Australia and India in Perth in February 1992. One of the rare wickets that wasn’t caught in that match – Mark Taylor lbw – was Kapil Dev’s 400th in Test cricket. The Ashes opener in Brisbane was the fifth Test match to feature 32 caught dismissals. In one of those – New Zealand v Pakistan in Auckland in 1993-94 – only 35 wickets went down, as against 37 in Brisbane (and all 40 in the other three instances). For the full list, click here.Dale Steyn took six wickets the other day but ended up losing. Were these the best figures by anyone on the losing side in a one-day international? asked Ricky Dooley from Egypt
Dale Steyn took 6 for 39 for South Africa against Pakistan in Port Elizabeth last week. This was actually the ninth time a bowler had taken six wickets in an ODI in vain: three of the hauls were cheaper than Steyn’s, with the list being topped by Imran Khan. He took 6 for 14 against India in Sharjah in March 1985 – but Pakistan still ended up losing. Mainly thanks to Imran, India were bowled out for 125 – but Pakistan were then skittled for 87 themselves. Shane Bond (6 for 23 for New Zealand v Australia in Port Elizabeth in the 2003 World Cup) and Shaun Pollock (6 for 35 for South Africa v West Indies in East London in 1998-99) also had cheaper six-fors in losing causes, while the others to have achieved this bittersweet feat are Ajit Agarkar (6 for 42 for India v Australia in Melbourne in 2003-04), Chris Woakes (6 for 45 for England v Australia in Brisbane in 2010-11), Tony Gray (6 for 50 for West Indies v Australia in Port-of-Spain in 1990-91), Christopher Mpofu (6 for 52 for Zimbabwe v Kenya in Nairobi in 2008-09) and Ashish Nehra (6 for 59 for India v Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2005).Who was the fastest wicketkeeper to make 100 dismissals in Tests, and ODIs? asked Tom Metcalfe from London
Australia’s Adam Gilchrist reached a century of dismissals in just 22 Tests, one quicker than Mark Boucher of South Africa. Another Australian, Wally Grout, reached 100 dismissals in 24 Tests, as did Boucher’s South African predecessor Dave Richardson – his first hundred, uniquely, containing no stumpings at all. Boucher and Gilchrist lie third and fourth on the one-day list: the fastest to 100 dismissals in ODIs is Brad Haddin, who got there in his 61st match, one quicker than Ridley Jacobs. Boucher got there in 65 matches, Gilchrist in 67, and Kumar Sangakkara and Denesh Ramdin in 68.Which three unbreakable records did Clifford Roach establish in 1930? asked James Piper from England
Clifford Roach, a right-hand batsman from Trinidad, was the first man to score a Test century for West Indies, with 122 against England in Bridgetown in January 1930 (George Headley made 176 in the second innings). Two matches later, Roach added West Indies’ first double-century: 209 in Georgetown. I think the other record came in the fourth and final Test of that series, in Kingston. It’s not quite unbreakable, although the chances of it being surpassed are indeed tiny! In the second innings at Sabina Park, Roach was caught by 50-year-old George Gunn off the bowling of Wilfred Rhodes, who was 52. Their combined ages (including the odd months) added up to more than 103 years, which remains the Test record for a single dismissal.Is MS Dhoni the first man to captain in 150 one-day internationals while keeping wicket? asked Cherise Asha Clarke from Trinidad & Tobago
Well, the answer is an emphatic yes: the second match against West Indies in Visakhapatnam last week was MS Dhoni’s 150th one-day international as India’s captain and designated wicketkeeper (only five non-keepers have done more: Ricky Ponting leads the way with 230). In fact, no other wicketkeeper has captained in as many as 50 ODIs – Andy Flower led in 46, Kumar Sangakkara in 45, and Alec Stewart in 39. Lee Germon played 37 ODIs for New Zealand, and was captain and wicketkeeper in 36 of them.