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This Linear Scoring System all sounds very nice, but it's just printed paper, right? Why can't I find it online already, and only get it by post + cheque? Too lucrative an industry to put on the web?

hi bill,

just wondered what the record for the number of times a batsman has got out 1 short of a milestone (i.e. 49,99,149 etc) across their test and first-class careers

thanks,
ben (manchester)

Hi Bill

Ask Bearders 172, there was a question about first innings deficits and the team going on to win.
I thought the answer should have been, Englan V Pakistan 2006 at the Oval.
A first innings deficit of 331 and England went on to win. I know it was a Forfeight, but still?

regarding the Bearded Wonders answers, specifically to the change of bowling style question

he states

"Bowlers have only to advise a batsman (via the umpire) if they are changing their bowling arm. Changes of style are for the batsman to decipher unaided."

this is not FULLY true, as well as bowling arm they have to tell the umpire/batsman of changes in delivery approach, either OVER or ROUND the wicket

"law 24
1. Mode of delivery
(a) The umpire shall ascertain whether the bowler intends to bowl right handed or left handed, over or round the wicket, and shall so inform the striker"

a minor point i know, but remember the horseshoe and the nail?

all of which brings me to two questions

in a "testimonial" match here in Porto i remember G.Gooch bowling from behind the umpire, directly over the top of the wicket, which raises two issues

1. can a bowler bowl from behind the umpire, hidden from the batsman?
2. is there a term for bowling directly over the top of the stumps, neither round or over?

A chap in our team is currently undergoing a miserable run of form. He has two consecutive golden ducks, and we were wondering who had the record for the most number of consecutive ducks in Test cricket?

How many 'official' signals can be made by an umpire in all forms of cricket?

from his stats, i notice that alec stewart bowled 20 deliveries in test match cricket. what were the circumstances?

Dear Bill

Somehow I remembered after all these years something that comes to mind occasionally and I would be mightily impressed if you can remember when it was and what it was!!!
Years ago on TMS there was a competition and one of the questions was about a batsman being dismissed (can't remember how) and the question was 'Why was the batsman delighted?'.

I never heard the answer and have always wondered what it was - any ideas? I reckon it must be at least 10 years ago, and I have an idea if may have been Brian Johnston who read it out when I heard it.

Many thanks in advance for you help.

Regards

Rob Sawyer
About 1 mile from the Rosebowl!!!

Hi Bill,

I was playing an online cricket game that allows you to name your own players the other day, and in a fit of boredom, decided to do just that, with names related to cricket (e.g. John Cricketer, Neville Hitsaball)

It got me thinking, can you recall any particularly aptly named players?

Love the column,

Alex Mount, Essex

In a recent inter-house competition at school, I faced 44 consecutive balls, including a string of taking at least a run off 20 consecutive balls.

This got us wondering, in test cricket what is the largest number of consecutive balls faced by the one batsman?

This is in response to #172 no 36. stevieeng35 wrote:

"Is there a case in Test cricket where two bowlers only an inch apart in height, but both over 6ft, have taken 3 wickets each in the same innings, with each of their individual subsequent wicket's first names starting with the same letter as that of their teammates first names, and the 6 wickets were taken in ascending height order, with the final one standing the exact height placing him precisely half an inch smaller than one of the bowlers and half an inch taller than another.

My friend tells me there have been two such cases, both post war. Can you help me find them?"

Stevie, I think I can help you belatedly win your bet. In the 1946 timeless test in Madras, the New Zealand bowler M Python was recorded as being over 6ft, (albeit with specially made high soles which the ICC subsequently ruled illegal), and F Towers, ironically intrinsically taller than Python but measuring an inch smaller on account of the stoop with which he walked, both took 3 wickets. In order, these were Corbett, Dee, Wise, Barker, Enfield and Cheese, the last of whom was measured in height between the two bowlers in the after-match photo, though this was possibly owing to the photographer asking him to find the gap. The account of the match states that the bizarre order of batting was partly owing to a case of team food-poisoning before the match, when a freshly made turtle soup disagreed with the party and as is common, the larger gentlemen took longer to recover their health, hence the smaller were sent in first. As their first names were all Frank, I think this ought to be sufficient to establish whether or not you have got away with it. We shall see.

Re No 8 - I don't know if this isthe occasion referred to on TMS but Godfrey Eavns (England and Kent wicket-keeper) was also a renowned gambler. A wicket fell and he was due to go in at 11.59 he made a bet that he would be back in the pavilion by before the nearby church clock had finished striking 12. He ran to the wicket, did not take guard, as the bowler released the ball he smashed his bat into the stumps and ran back to the pavilion - just in time to win his bet. I would expect he was delighted

question 9 - Elf Badger

well a few years ago Tim Rice wrote in his book "Quick Singles" a chapter called "The Epithets", a team he had chosen of suitably named English 1st class cricketers, so without all the padding he gave it here is his team in batting order (i'm sure there would be others but...)

Green (Lancs 1960s)
Close (Eng 1970s)
Studd (Eng 1880s)
Legge (Eng 1930s)
Bowling (Lancs 1954)
Box (Sussex/Surrey 1860s)
Bale (Leics 1920s)
Ball (Northants 1920s)
Major (cpt) (Somerset 1903)
Fielder (Eng 1900s)
Boot (wk) (Derbys 1895)
Remnant (12th man) (Kent 1890s)
Judge (umpire) (Midds 1930s)
Scorer (scorer) (Warks 1920s)

Dear Mr. Frindall


This is Eric Perez, "Venezuela's top cricket (and beards) fan" writing you once again and thanking you for the last answer you provided me with.


This time my question concerns test cricket batsmen who reach centuries via the hitting of a maximum (6 runs). While I assume is done more frequently these days than in the past, I have no idea whether this list contains 4 or 40 names. So what I'm asking you, your capillary highness is how many batsmen have performed this feat? Has anybody ever done it more than once? In short, who's the daddy of the category?


Thanks for your reply and greetings to all of the cracking TMS team.

Watching a number of batsmen and their involvement in run outs, it occurs that there are several players - Sourav Ganguly springs to mind - who, I'm sure by coincidence (cough), always manage to be the not out batsman whenever a run out occurs while they're at the crease.

Percentagewise, which batsmen are the......er..... luckiest when it comes to not being out in a run out that occurs while they're at the crease?

Is there any law which says that a batsman cannot take guard behind the stumps, dangling his bat in front of them?

No 16 loadicean2. Why would any batsman want to stand behind the stumps? That's like saying 'are there any laws to stop the wicketkeeper standing on his head and catching it with his feet?' or 'is there anything to stop the bowler running backwards?'

Re 16 and 17 - Spoonydave did you ever face Andy Roberts?

Of course Johnny Briggs didn't play for Yorkshire. He was a Lancashire stalwart for more than two decades despite being born in Nottinghamshire. He also played fullback for the Widnes rugby club alongside his brother Joseph Banner Briggs (another professional cricketer). They both died in tragic circumstances within 11 months of each other in 1902.

Hi
The other day i found out that the most costly drop in first-class cricket was Brian Lara while he was scoring his 501* against Durham.
This got me wondering what the most costly drops in Test and ODI cricket were?
Thanks
Thomas, Durham

Hi Bill, love the column, you've answered a few questions for me before, and my thanks for that, here's my latest offer:

I believe that only the wicket-keeper can effect a stumping, and if anyone else tries to it is deemed a run out. If this is true, is the following possible?:

A spinner oversteps, and the umpire calls no ball, hearing the call the batsman's eyes light up, he charges down the wickets and swings (thinking it is virtually a free hit). He misses. 1st slip changes position with the 'keeper, takes the ball with no-one else having touched it and breaks the stumps with the batsman out of his ground. Is this out (as a run out) or not out (as a stumping on a no ball)? Alternatively, could the 'keeper take the ball, throw it quickly to 1st slip and then have him effect the run out?

Keep up the good work!

Duncan, Beijing.

Re Ravi Bopara having the ball trapped in his visor...the TMS commentator (Arlo, I think) said that the ball was still 'live' when Bopara removed it from his helmet, was this correct? If so, could/should Bopara have been out handled ball? And given that the shot which lodged the ball there came from his glove could an opposing fielder have claimed a catch if he'd removed the ball from the helmet?

Hi Bill

I was thinking about Michael Vaughan's lack of success in the one day game compared to test cricket and thought it might have something to do with not being able to see the white ball as well as the red ball.

Could you supply me with his domestic one day batting averages pre and post the indroduction of the white ball in one day cricket?

Bill

When Gooch got his 333 runs I seem to remember Robin Smith using Gooch's bat for a short time after breaking his own, for how many balls did he do this for?

Dear Mr Frindall,

Is it really 42 years? I have a number of the publications of Roy Webber, Arthur Wrigley and your own. The Webber books are hopelessly out of date but are wonderful keepsakes of the romance of the game.

You maintain a wonderful tradition in the culture of cricket which has a rich literature entwined with the facts and figures about the game.

My question is: What (approximately) is the aggregate of runs scored and wickets taken in the entire history of the first class game from the 1870s to the present? I realise that this cannot be precise (issues of the status of certain matches, e.g. WG Grace's revised career figures reduced from 58,000 to 54,000 runs).

I am really interested in the scale of the figures. All those modest contributions of the journeyman players (my favourite is FS Lee of Somerset) must add up.

Re #2

Response for test matches only.

The most any one batsman has got out one short of 50, 100, 150 etc is only 4 times - done by 5 players (DC Boon, SM Gavaskar, DPDM Jayawardene, JH Kallis and P Roy).

In total there have only been 341 instances in test cricket (246 49s, 71 99s, 16 149s, 6 199s, one 249 and one 299).

Nick

Re: No7 - Alec Stewart test match bowling.

Stewart bowled his medium-pacers in the second innings of two Tests against WI in 1994. At Kingston he bowled 2.2 overs for 5 runs. He also bowled just one over at St. John's in Lara's 375* Test.

In both of these cases, RC 'Jack' Russell was keeping wicket.

Re : 18
I took guard behind the square leg umpire in a cup game facing Bryan Strang (listed in Cricinfo as Left arm Medium!).

Reports that I also cried for my Mummy are greatly exaggerated!

Bill, I was hoping you might be able to tell me the longest any batsmen has ever held the strike in an international game. Particularly I'd like to know whats the longest a batsmen has held the strike deliberately; when batting with a tail-ender and farming the strike.

Likewise, I'd like to know the longest (number of balls bowled) that the inactive batsmen at the non-strikers end has been inactive?

Cheers, MrP

Bearders,

I wonder if you could help settle an argument. My cousin and I disgaree over the meaning of legspin and offspin. I'm sure that a legbreak is a ball bowled out of the back of the hand, regardless of how it spins. However, my cousin suggests that a ball bowled out of the front of the hand can accurately be described as a legbreak if it spins like one.

Who is right?

Thanks,

Abu
Sylhet, Bangladesh

Bill - many thanks for your answer to my previous question.

Regarding the latest run out incident surrounding Paul Collingwood - are there any instances you recall in test or one day cricket where an umpiring decision has been overturned following the withdrawal of an appeal or perhaps even more controversial where an umpire has refused to give the "correct" decision as they felt the appeal was against the "spirit of cricket"

Peter Graham, Bexley, Kent

I was umpiring an U14's match last week between Wayfarers and hamworthy Engineering. The ball was bowled and called as a wide, however the batsman somehow managed to step onto his wicket. I gave him out, was I correct?

I remember also umpiring against your XI in Guernsey in 1982 do you still have the touring side?

I was umpiring an U14's match last week between Wayfarers and Hamworthy Engineering. The ball was bowled and called as a wide, however the batsman somehow managed to step onto his wicket. I gave him out, was I correct?

I remember also umpiring against your XI in Guernsey in 1982 do you still have the touring side?

After watching Jimmy Anderson rip through the New Zealand top order in the recent test series, I was wondering what is the highest number of 'bowled' wickets achieved in a test match?

Mark
Southampton

Item 4 - PortoIan

Ian is the answer not to be found under Law 24 (5) concerning the position of the feet, especially the return crease.

I doubt if I am the only one but I used to bowl a delivery from approximately 25 yards, i.e before passing the umpire - I often got away with it but technically if the umpire could not see my or in your specific case Graham Gooch's feet when bowling over the umpire - I believe no ball should be called.

In my local league I did become quiet well known for this delivery, taking several wickets with it as often a batsman would play late or look down as I delivered. To overcome the no ball aspect I would ask the umpire if he could stand a little further back from the stumps.

Peter Graham, Bexley Kent

Hello Bill,

I have a variation on a question that went unanswered last time.

Test matches are scheduled for 5 days, but it seems increasingly rare for them to go the distance unless there are interruptions for rain or bad light.

Over the last 20 years, what percentage of tests have ended in less than 4 days?

And a supplementary question, if an extra hour were played for each of the first 4 days, so that there were 105 overs each day instead of 90, what percentage of matches would then have finished within 4 days?

Q: During yesterday's one-day match against New Zealand, Christopher Martin Jenkins referred to a match some years ago when a batsman hit a ball so high he was on the 3rd run before it was caught - do the first 2 runs count?

Post 37

No the runs would not count.

question 34 - saint Jinksie

do you not read the bearded wonder's answers at the top of the blog? in them he gave your answer

and in case you want the other top dismissals look here under post 6

/blogs/tms/2008/06/ask_bearders_172.shtml

question 35 - Rabbo2

thanks, however the law states "satisfied" not "seen", so if the bowlers end umpire is satisfied with where the bowler is, even if he can't see him, then surely its not a no-ball (i'm satisfied that London is in England even though i can't see it)

i do agree that a picky umpire COULD call a no-ball, but he isn't obliged to by the laws

question 33 - BMTH Exile

no, you were not wrong, the batsman was out

Law 25-Wides
...
8. Out from a Wide
When Wide ball has been called, neither batsman shall be out under any of the Laws except 33 (Handled the ball), 35 (Hit wicket), 37 (Obstructing the field), 38 (Run out) or 39 (Stumped).

Re 2, 26.

Jack Hobbs also has a 4-count (all 49s). Steve Waugh would also figure if two not outs are ignored. Only Kallis and Waugh have made three different one-short scores.

Re 15 (harry8611)

Ganguly's survival rate in run outs is 13 out of 17.

Taking 6 run outs as a qualification the leaders are:

Partners run out
100% JC Adams (9/9); Mohammad Ashraful (6/6)
87.5% N Hussain, NC O'Neill (both 7/8)
85.7% DG Bradman, Hanif Mohammad, GR Marsh (all 6/7)
85.1% SR Waugh (23/27)
84.6% Asif Iqbal (11/13)
82.3% S Chanderpaul (14/17)
81.8% WW Armstrong, A Flower (both 9/11)
80.0% RB Richardson (8/10)

Run out himself
100% GD McGrath (7/7); RM Hogg (6/6)
87.5% BE Congdon, SMH Kirmani (both 7/8)
85.7% IR Bishop, Mushtaq Mohammad, TT Samaraweera, RR Sarwan (all 6/7)
75.0% RT Ponting (9/12); Iqbal Qasim, HH Streak, Wasim Bari (all 6/8)

Re #2, 26, 41

Yes sorry, I somehow missed Jack.

Taking the analysis a bit wider, of those who have fallen within TEN short of centuries or double-centuries (I'm not going to look at fifties here), the most unfortunate are Dravid (10 times), Slater and S Waugh (both 9 times).

Nick

In the infamous "non run out" between England and NZ, if the appeal had been rescinded, would the run still have counted, despite the batsman not reaching the other end before the ball went dead!

Also, legally, could the umpires have ruled "dead ball" after witnessing an accidental collision like that? The way the batsman initially tried to recover his ground indicated it was not a serious injury, despite the limp as he walked off. Commonsense prevailed, but it raises a few questions which might be better defused if the already overworked umpires could have stopped the game?

re 24. how's about this for a memory recall then ? Graham Gooch borrowed Robin Smith's bat for a while (i don't know why though - the bat had a trademark yellow handle) but I don't think he scored many runs with it, in fact, he struggled to time the ball with Smith's bat. But when he got his old bat again, the very next ball was hit for a boundary.

re 20. Graham Gooch, whilst hitting those 333 runs in this very same game was dropped by the wicket keeper of India (or it might have been a slip fielder) when he had only made about 20-odd. These figures and facts may be slightly incorrect but he definately did give a catch which was spilled. Now that was very costly indeed !

Hi Bill, love the column. A couple of questions I wonde if you could help with...

1) Re. batting positions. I know Shoaib Malik has batted in every position from 1 to 10 in One Day Internationals - is this a record or has anyone batted in all 11 positions in ODIs?

2) I've noticed recently that at Test level the West Indies seem to be increasingly reliant on Shivnarine Chanderpaul. This might be a difficult stat to work out, but I was wondering if, over a given period of time (say a calendar year), any Test team has ever been so reliant on a single player in terms of percentage of team runs scored by that individual?

Many thanks.

Hi Bill

Can you please explain how nett run rates are calculated?

Thanks
Robin, Manchester, England

spoonydave #17

It is much easier to avoid being bowled (or LBW) if the bat is firmly held covering middle stump about 12 ins. in front of the middle stump whilst the batsman is standing behind the stumps. It also makes 'caught behind' virtually impossible.

I don't know if there is a law which prohibits this. On the downside, I find it makes quick singles a bit tricky.

question 16 - Laodicean2

there isn't a specific law, although the umpire might use the Fair Play/ Spirit of Cricket law

but thats not the problem

i imagine that from behind the stumps your strokes are severly limited, probably to no more than french cricket strokes, LBW and Bowled wouldn't be your problem, the field would all come in, the bowler would bowl a fullish delivery at your bat, slow if needed, and the ball would balloon up

can't see it ever being used

My friend Russell F Tolley claims to be one of only two bowlers to take a hat trick consisting only of stumpings. I believe it was in a junior level county game around 2002. Is this true, and if so how many times has this feat been achieved?

Hmm, let's see...

16/17/48... there is a law that would cover this in certain situations: if the wicket-keeper wishes to stand up to the stumps and the batsman is in the way, he could be given out obstructed the field, although that would be unlikely since if the bowler was fast enough for the batsman to want to take cover, he'd probably also be fast enough for the keeper to stand back. You can only be out hit wicket if the wicket is broken in the course of playing a shot, so once you've played the shot you could just run through it.

47... the net run rate for a team for each match is calculated as (team runs scored/team overs faced) - (opposition runs scored/opposition overs faced), with the small tweak that if the team batting first is all out in less than the allotted number of overs, the run rate is calculated as if they had batted out the overs (eg if a team is all out for 100 in 20 overs of a 50 over match, their run rate for the innings is recorded as 2 not 5). The overall net run rate is the sum of the rate for each match.

20/45... Bert Oldfield missed a stumping chance off Len Hutton when he'd made 40 of his eventual 364, can't offhand think of any more expensive than that. Talking of borrowed bats, if I recall correctly the bat which Ian Botham used at Headingley in 1981 was borrowed from Gooch.

2... there has only been one instance of a score in the 490s in first-class cricket and only one in the 390s, not sure about lower scores - although WG Grace and Herbert Sutcliffe both made every score from 0 to 100 at least once in their first-class careers, so they must have had at least ten scores in the 90s each.

33/40... there has been one batsman dismissed hit wicket off a wide in first class cricket - can't remember the details, I think it was in a Sheffield Shield match sometime in the 1970s.

29... the longest I can find is 14 balls, but I'm sure there must be some instances of more than that.

14... the only player I can think of who did so earlier than about ten years ago is Ken Barrington, but again there are probably some I've forgotten.

And on a personal note, I was slightly peeved when the previous AB was closed for comments as it deprived me of the chance to become possibly the first person ever to post on this blog from Andorra!

Feferring to #172, why have you not included the Eng v Pak test the Pakistan lost due to forfeit as the England had the highest First Inning Deficit and won the test.
I tried to stump you with the question in #131, and at that time you said the decision could be reversed.

Referring to #172, why have you not included the Eng v Pak test the Pakistan lost due to forfeit as the England had the highest First Inning Deficit and won the test.
I tried to stump you with the question in #131, and at that time you said the decision could be reversed.

Darshak Patel, UK

question 51 - Chili Nose Jam

why would a batsman standing behind the wkt be obstruction the wicketkeeper, anymore than standing in front and unsighting the 'keeper? as the laws don't state where the striker can stand its up to the 'keeper to move

also the striker couldn't "run through" his stumps after playing the shot as the hit wkt law includes
"1. Out Hit wicket
(a) The striker is out Hit wicket if, after the bowler has entered his delivery stride and while the ball is in play, his wicket is put down either by the striker's bat or by his person...either...
or (ii) in setting off for his first run immediately after playing, or playing at, the ball."

RE No 42. - Surely a Mr G Boycott should be on this list - he was often involved in run outs - most usually on his call

There seem to have been a lot of England Test players who were born outside of England - from the other countries within the UK and from other Test playing nations (although perhaps not Bangladesh). I am aware of a few of the more unusual ones - Ted Dexter (Italy), Phil Edmonds (Zambia) and Dermot Reeve (Hong Kong).

How many of the 639 players to have featured in a Test match for England were born outside of the country? And where (other than Papua New Guinea where Geriant Jones was born) is the most exotic birthplace?

Matthew
Yorkshire

Re 55

Boycott was involved in 20 run outs -
Run out himself (7)
Partners: Amiss, Botham, Edrich, Randall (2), Rose, WE Russell
Other batsman run out (13) - scored 7 centuries
Partners: Barber, Barrington, Botham, Brearley, Denness, Dexter, Edrich (4), Gooch (2), Randall.
No record of who did the calling!

Hi Bill,

In your last column in the question about seven wicket hauls you mentioned that Australia were bowled out for 104 chasing 125 to win. That made me wonder what is the lowest score a team has lost in pusuit of?

Thanks
John, London

#58 John:-

Australia were bowled out chasing 124 to win at the Oval in 1997. However, there are six lower targets when the team batting last lost (plus two others at 124).

The two lowest were:

England bowled out for 77 chasing 85 to win against Australia at the Oval in 1882

Zimbabwe bowled out for 63 chasing 99 to win against West Indies at Port of Spain in 2000

Nick

#5

Three batsmen have been out for a duck in 5 consecutive test innings - RG Holland (Aus) vs Eng and NZ in 1985, AB Agarkar (Ind) vs Aus in 1999/2000 and Mohammad Asif (Pak) vs Ind and SL in 2006.

However, Chris Martin (NZ) managed 9 consecutive innings without scoring (including two not outs) over the period from Dec 2000 to Mar 2004.

Nick

Re: 29. I opened the batting for Stanmore in a tour game at Wadhurst in Kent. On our way to the crease my opening partner, Hilton Wordsworth, challenged me to a shoot out which I accepted. We agreed on a jug of gin and tonic to the batsman who first reached fifty. I fear though, that Hilton was not so experienced at such challenges; for he then asked me if I wanted to take first strike. Well, I didn't need a second invitation! On the fifth ball of the seventh over I took a single that: (a) brought up my 50; and (b) allowed Hilton to face his first ball of the innings. I had managed to face every one of the first 35 balls bowled; and won a jug of gin and tonic in so doing.

I remember having to employ some fairly low tactics including having to 'accidentally' fall over on the sixth ball of an over having completed the first run of what should have been an easy two. It also, as the overs progressed, became important for me to avoid the between-the-overs batsmans' conferences that are a normal part of the game!

Ref post #1

Whilst not wishing to deprive Bill of income(!) you might want to try the following link:



I am a cricket scorer, and much prefer the linear method to the more conventional method. The only thing I have found is that club players don't understand the "new method", but I have adapted this to assist better understanding by the club players.

Hi,
A question about no-balls, and signals between the umpires and scorers. I've wondered about this before, but this happened in a junior game I was umpiring in the other night, and must happen very regularly.
When the bowler oversteps, any other extras (byes or leg-byes) are counted as no-balls, and so aren't signalled (or at least, I've never seen them signalled, and assume that they shouldn't be). How does the scorer know whether the batsmen has hit it or not (i.e. whether the extra runs should go in the no-ball column or to batsman). Sometimes this is not at all obvious.

btw #21, Duncan, I think I can answer your question. After a no-ball, batsmen can only be run out if they are actually attempting a run so no, the wicketkeeper can't give the ball to first slip.

Re 56 - I remember at the time of the 2007 World Cup having a conversation with a work colleague about the Irish World Cup squad which he claimed was largely put together from South African and Australian born players. I pointed out to him that it had exactly the same number of players born outside the country as the England squad did. At that time the England players not born in England were

Ed Joyce (Ireland)
Andrew Strauss (South Africa)
Kevin Pietersen (South Africa)
Jamie Dalrymple (Kenya)

Although they've never played test cricket, both Joyce and Dalrymple have been named/called up for Ashes squads, but didn't play. The other two have now captained England.

As well as Geraint Jones that you mentoned, off the top of my head other England cricketers not born in England include Derek Pringle (Kenya) and a number of former England captains

Nasser Hussain (India)
Allan Lamb (South Africa)
Tony Greig (South Africa)
Mike Denness (Scotland)
Ted Dexter (Italy)
Colin Cowdrey (India)
Gubby Allen (Australia)

Also, Tony Lewis was born in Wales, but since the ECB is actually the England and Wales Cricket Board that probaby should be enough to prevent him from being classed as a foreigner

In the game that was completed at the Oval this morning (2nd July) Martin Van Jaarsveld scored two (unbeaten) centuries and took a 5-for. I imagine that this is a very rare feat. Are there previous instances of such an an outstanding all round contribution?
Brian Slade, Amersham, Bucks

In the County Championship game at the Oval that finished today, Martin van Jaarsveld scored two unbeaten centuries for Kent and also took 5-33 in Surrey's second innings.

How many other instances are there in first class cricket of a player scoring a century in each innings and also taking a five-for? Is van Jaarsveld's achievement unique for not having been dismissed in the process?

Re 65 and 66 - On this page today, two different readers asked exactly the same question less than one minute apart. Are there any previous instances of this or is it a unique achievement?

This is not a Test cricket question, but it concerns what must be a recurring problem in club cricket. In a recent 40-overs' match, our visitors claimed that they needed two to win off the last over, and duly won with five balls to spare. By the time the home umpires had gathered up the boundary flags, and so forth (we are a small club), only two of our opponents remained, with their scorebook. While copying over, the umpires discovered that our opponents had required ten to win off the last over, but it was impossible to restart the match. Are we obliged to forever record this match as a loss, or would we be justified in implementing Law 21.6 "Correctness of Result?": "If the Umpires decide that a mistake has occurred and time has been reached, the Umpires shall immediately inform both captains of the necessary corrections to the scores and, if applicable, to the result." Many thanks, Bill Benton (England)

Ref #63

Regarding no balls - the following should happen.

If the ball has been hit, the umpire should signal NO BALL (and boundary 4/6 if appropriate). You then credit the runs scored by the batsman to the batsman, enter one run (dependant on competition rules) in no balls, and put the number of runs in a circle in the bowlers analysis, i.e. (4).

If the ball has not been hit by the bat, then the umpire should signal NO BALL, followed by the BYES signal (and boundary 4 if appropriate - note boundary 6 is not possible); you then enter the runs scored plus the one run no-ball penalty as no ball extras in the batting analysis, and put the number of runs scored as dots within the circle in the bowling analysis, i.e. (::).

Hope that helps!

Cheers Crispy - I also managed to find that tucked away in Stump Bearders 127, so can verify what you said. It has to be right, but it seems odd that (leg)-byes are signalled, but nothing goes in to the (leg)-byes column. I'm sure it's done incorrectly more often than not in club cricket.

Hi Bearders,

with reference to #53, looks like I stand corrected as ICC are currently discussing of changing the result to a draw.

Darshak Patel

What happens to partnerships in relation to a batsman being retired hurt.

I assume that the partnership is ended on the books but there is no further loss of wicket so say;

Batsman A and B are in a partnership of 50, Batsman B retires hurt and Batsman C arrives at the crease. Batsmen A and C put on a partnership of 100 and C gets out. Batsman B returns from injury and joins Batsman A (again) at the crease. Does the partnership now continue from here as a new stand or does it continue from their original 50.

On the scorecard, for wickets fallen, it would look as though the partnership between A and B was 150. How are these noted?

Thanks

a question for ask bearders
was martin van jaarsfeld the first ever, in the recent kent v surrey match, to score two undefeated hundreds and take 5 wickets in the same match?


martin westbrook
essex

Re: 65; 66; and 67.

The two questions, a minute apart, were asked in alphabetical order; but were they asked in height order (that is to say, is the poser of question 66 taller than the poser of question 67; and, if so, do their respective heights 'straddle' the height of Van Jaarsveld or, indeed, the poser of question 67.

I note that he question has also been put again (73, above) and it would be interesting to know the height of this questioner.

Note. It is possible that I am on the wrong track here. Perhaps the questions are being put in order of age rather than height. I am sure, though, that if we look hard enough we will, like in the Da Vinci Code, find the link.

Re 64

To your list I would like to add Freddie Brown who was born in Peru - that's exotic enough for me!

Re 65, 66.

As far as I can tell, two centuries and one five-for in the same match had been done eight times previously and one unique case of two centuries and two five-fors (GH Hirst 111/117*, 6-70/5-45), Yorkshire v Somerset, Bath, 1906. In addition to Hirst, two others took 10 wkts in the match: BJT Bosanquet (103/100*, 3-75/8-53), Middlesex v Sussex, Lord's, 1905, and FD Stephenson (111/117, 4-105/7-117), Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire, Nottingham, 1988).

Probably, the only case where both centuries were not out appears to have been achieved by DPMD Jayawardene (100*/106*, 5-72/0-53), Sinhalese SC v Colts CC, Colombo (Colts), 1996-97.

Re 76

FD Stephenson's hundreds were remarkable since this was the final match of the season and going into it he needed approx 200 runs to do the double of 100 wickets and 1000 runs