Plus: T20 winning streaks, and carrying the bat in T20Is
Steven Lynch08-Mar-2016Was UAE’s 81 against India the lowest score by a team facing its full quota of overs in a T20 international? asked Vikram from India
United Arab Emirates made 81 for 9 in their 20 overs during the Asia Cup match against India in Mirpur last week. That’s the fourth-lowest by a team that faced the full allocation of 20 overs, but the second-lowest by a team that didn’t lose all ten wickets. Bermuda were bowled out for 70 by Canada in Belfast in August 2008, while Nepal struggled to 72 against Hong Kong in Colombo in November 2014. And, on a difficult pitch in Port-of-Spain in February 2010, West Indies managed only 79 for 7 against Zimbabwe. The lowest total in all T20Is is Netherlands’ 39 all out (in 10.3 overs) against Sri Lanka in Chittagong in the World T20 in March 2014. For the full list, click here.India’s win in the Asia Cup final was their seventh in a row in T20 internationals. Is this a record? asked Harshit Goyal from the United States
India’s run of seven successive wins – which could well be improved once the World T20 gets under way – has been bettered only twice. And you’d do well to name the two teams involved if you were asked to do so in a quiz: England won eight in a row between May 2010 and January 2011 – a run that included winning the World T20 in the West Indies – while Ireland also won eight on the bounce in 2012, admittedly all against other Associate nations. Both England and Ireland’s runs were preceded by an abandoned game, so they went nine matches without tasting defeat. But that particular record is held by Australia, who went 12 matches without losing in 2009 and 2010, that run including a no-result and a tie. Zimbabwe endured 16 successive T20 defeats between May 2010 and March 2013.Is Dennis Amiss still the only England batsman to score a century in his first one-day international? asked Matthew Hayes from England
Dennis Amiss was the first man to score a century on his one-day international debut, with 103 against Australia in the inaugural ODI in England, at Old Trafford in 1972. Even more unusually, Amiss also scored one in his match, with 108 against Australia at The Oval in 1977. Only nine others have reached three figures in their very first one-day international – but one of them was another England player. Michael Lumb made 106 on his debut, against West Indies in North Sound early in 2014 – but played only two more matches before being jettisoned, seemingly for good.Chris Gayle: the only batsman to carry his bat in a completed innings in a T20I•Getty ImagesDoes Martin Crowe still hold the New Zealand records for most runs and centuries? asked David Lauder from New Zealand
The much-missed Martin Crowe scored 5444 Test runs, which was a New Zealand record when he retired in 1995-96, but has since been surpassed by Stephen Fleming (7172) and Brendon McCullum (6453). However, they played many more matches than Crowe’s 77; Fleming won 111 caps and McCullum 101. Crowe’s national record of 17 Test centuries is still intact – and should remain so for a while yet, although Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson are closing in, with 13 apiece so far. McCullum and John Wright both scored 12, while Nathan Astle made 11.Has anyone carried their bat in a T20 international? asked Keith Barrett from Australia
So far there has only been one instance of an opening batsman carrying his bat through a completed innings in a T20I. It happened in the semi-final of the World T20 in England in 2009, at The Oval, when Chris Gayle batted throughout West Indies’ disappointing total of 101, finishing with 63 not out when the innings ended in the 18th over. It was very much a solo effort – none of his team-mates made it into double figures, although there were 11 extras. There have been many other instances of an opener batting through the full 20 overs, but his side not being bowled out – for example, in that Oval semi-final Tillakaratne Dilshan finished with 96 not out in Sri Lanka’s 158 for 5.Further to the recent question about captains finishing their Test careers with a century, how many made a duck in their last Test? I can think of one, at The Oval in 1948… asked Neil Dutton from England
That famous zero by Australia’s Don Bradman at The Oval in 1948 was the fifth of 16 instances of a captain making a duck in the last Test of their career. The list includes some other famous names: Ray Illingworth (1973), Mike Brearley (1981), Imran Khan (1991-92), Waqar Younis (2002-03), Brian Lara (2006-07) and Michael Vaughan (2008). The last to do it was Mashrafe Mortaza, for Bangladesh against West Indies in Kingstown in 2009. AB de Villiers actually bagged a pair in his most recent Test (against England in Centurion in January) but presumably will, barring accidents, play another one soon.Send in your questions using our feedback form.
