The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket.
Steven Lynch05-Dec-2005The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers yourquestions about (almost) any aspect of cricket:
Twilight zone: Graham Thorpe and Nasser Hussain celebrate England’s late show against Pakistan at Karachi in 2000-01 © Getty Images
After all the fuss about how great England were after they beatAustralia, have they actually ever won a Test series in Pakistan?asked Kareem Afzaal from London
Well, England did win their last series in Pakistan, in 2000-01, butapart from that they have only won one series there – the first one thetwo sides played in Pakistan, in 1961-62. Those two series include theonly two Tests England have ever won in Pakistan. Pakistan won in1983-84 and 1987-88, as well as the series that has just finished, whilethe series in 1968-69, 1972-73 and 1977-78 were drawn. Overall -including matches in England – England have now won 16 and Pakistan 12of the 63 Tests the teams have played, with 35 draws. For all theresults between England and Pakistan, click here.Matthew Hayden scored four centuries in consecutive Tests recently.Is this a record? asked Atul Kumar from India
Matt Hayden scoredcenturies in the first two Tests against West Indies, to add to hishundreds in the final Test against England and against the ICC World XI.It was actually the second time he had scored tons in four successiveTests – he managed it in 2001-02 as well. The recent one was the 12thinstance of a batsman scoring four hundreds in four matches – Don Bradman and Ken Barrington also did ittwice. JacquesKallis of South Africa went one better, with five hundreds in asmany Tests in 2003-04 – but, as so often in Test batting records of thissort, The Don comes out on top. Bradman scored centuriesin six successive Tests between 1936-37 and 1938 – and his sequence wasonly broken because he was injured and unable to bat at The Oval in1938. He scored hundreds in his next two Tests after that (in 1946-47),making eight hundreds in eight successive Tests in which he batted. Fora full list, clickhere.Is David Graveney the son of the former England batsman (and MCCpresident) Tom? asked Daniel Round from Edinburgh
No, the current England chairman of selectors David Graveney is actuallyTom’s nephew. Hisfather, Tom’s brother KenGraveney, also played for and captained Gloucestershire – and in1949, against Derbyshire at Chesterfield, he took all ten wickets in an innings for 66.In the earlier match that season against Derbyshire at Bristol, Graveney’s one wicket prevented Tom Goddard (9 for61) from taking all ten as well.
Learie Constantine: on the first West Indies tour of Australia © The Cricketer
Could you publish a list of the second West Indies team to tourAustralia – was Sir Learie Constantine on board? asked HermanDaniels from the United States
Learie Constantinewas actually a member of the first West Indian team to tourAustralia, in 1930-31. West Indies hadn’t long been a Test team – theirfirst matches were in England in 1928 – and they lost the series 4-1. Inthe fifth Test at Sydney, which they won, they did at least have the satisfactionof inflicting Don Bradman’s first duck in Test cricket. You can see thefirst-class averages for that touring team by clicking here, and you can find the scorecards fromthe tour matches and Tests here.Can you name the man who ended his Test career with the inauspiciousrecord of never having bowled a ball, never being dismissed with thebat, and never taking a catch? asked Paul Marshall from NewZealand
This unfortunate gentleman was Jack MacBryan of Somerset,who played for England against South Africa atOld Trafford in 1924. Only 66.5 overs were possible on the firstday, during which South Africa crawled to 116 for 4. Then it rained …and rained. No more play was possible, so MacBryan didn’t get a chanceto bat, and he was rather unkindly dropped from the next match, and thennever chosen again. The unlucky MacBryan is the only Test cricketer whonever batted, bowled or made a catch. I suppose he must at least havetouched the ball occasionally in the field. As some consolation, he didplay hockey for Great Britain at the Olympic Games.Has anyone got out for 299 or 199 in Test cricket? asked IshanLiyanage from Sri Lanka
Only one man has been out for 299 in Tests, although Don Bradman was once left stranded on that figure when he ran the last man out.The 299-and-out man was Martin Crowe, of New Zealand, against Sri LankaatWellington in 1990-91. Needing one for his triple-century, Crowenicked a catch to the wicketkeeper off the gentle bowling of ArjunaRanatunga. He later wrote: “I had choked. I didn’t concentrate. I forgotto say ‘Keep still, watch the ball.’ Out for 299 – tell me it’s nottrue! Tears streamed down my face as I realised that this opportunitymight never happen again.” It didn’t: Crowe never did make a Testtriple-century, and nor has any other New Zealander yet. As for 199s,there wasn’t one in a Test until 1984-85, when Mudassar Nazar made thatscore for Pakistan against India at Faisalabad, but now there have been six – the most recent beingAndy Flower’s unbeaten effort for Zimbabwe against South Africa at Harare in 2001-02. For a complete list of batsmen scoring99, 199 and 299, click here.
