And what’s the record for most catches taken in a Test?
Steven Lynch30-May-2023Shubman Gill has made three centuries in this year’s IPL. Has anyone done better than this? asked Akbar Mithun from India
Shubman Gill’s superb run of form for runners-up Gujarat Titans, which brought him the IPL’s orange cap and a total of 890, included three centuries in four innings – 101 against Sunrisers in Ahmedabad, 104 not out vs RCB in Bengaluru and, after 42 in the first playoff match, he hit 129 against Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad. Two games before this run, he scored 94 not out against Lucknow Super Giants in Ahmedabad.Gill came close to the record: Virat Kohli hit four centuries for RCB in 2016, and that was equalled by Jos Buttler for Rajasthan Royals in 2022. No one else has made more than two centuries in a single IPL. Kohli and Buttler finished those years with 973 and 863 runs respectively, till yesterday the two highest season aggregates in IPL history. Gill now slots in in second place on that list, with 890 runs.Here’s the list of batters with the most runs in an IPL seasonWhen England toured South Africa in 2019-20, there were two Tests in which 33 catches were taken. Is this the most for a single Test? asked Francois de Bruyn from South Africa
In that 2019-20 series, the second Test, in Cape Town, and the fourth one, in Johannesburg, both featured 33 catches out of a possible 40 (in fact, only 38 wickets went down at Newlands).There are two other 33s: by Australia and India in Perth in 1991-92, when only 36 wickets went down in all, and by West Indies and South Africa in Gros Islet, St Lucia in 2021. There are also two 34s, both in Tests in South Africa: against Australia in Cape Town in 2017-18, and against Pakistan in Johannesburg the following season.But the Test record is 35 wickets falling to catches, in the match between Australia and India in Adelaide in 2018-19; the last 23 wickets were all out caught. Here’s the list of most catches in a Test match.I was surprised to discover that Moeen Ali had taken as many as 195 Test wickets. But his average was over 36 – has anyone taken more wickets at a higher average? asked Brad McKenzie from England
You’re right that Moeen Ali claimed 195 wickets in his 64 Tests. That included figures of 10 for 112 against South Africa at Lord’s in 2017; memorably he finished the third Test of that series, at The Oval, with a hat-trick. Moeen also collected 2914 runs, with five centuries.His overall bowling average of 36.66 is the highest for someone taking as many wickets; next comes the Pakistan legspinner Danish Kaneria, whose 261 cost 34.79 apiece. The only bowlers who took 150 or more Test wickets at a higher average than Moeen are the Indian slow left-armer Ravi Shastri, with 151 at 40.96, and West Indian speedster Fidel Edwards (165 at 37.87).I noticed that Trevor Bailey dismissed all of the three Ws at Lord’s in 1957. How many other bowlers accounted for this distinguished trio in the same game? asked Jamie Williams from England
It was quite a feat to account for all of the three Ws – Clyde Walcott and his fellow Barbadians Everton Weekes and Frank Worrell – who often featured in West Indies’ middle order in the 1950s. You’re right that Trevor Bailey dismissed all three of them in the second Test at Lord’s in 1957 – he took 7 for 44 on the first day as West Indies were skittled for 127, and England went on to win by an innings. The only other bowler to dismiss all three Ws in the same Test innings was another Englishman, legspinner Doug Wright, who did it at The Oval in 1950.No one has taken more Test wickets at a higher average than Moeen Ali’s 36.66 for his 195•BCCIThree other bowlers managed to snare all three Ws in the same Test, but not the same innings. The first two were in Australia in 1951-52: legspinner Doug Ring nabbed all of them in the first Test, in Brisbane, then in the next match, in Sydney, offspinner Ian Johnson repeated the feat. Shortly after Bailey’s triple in 1957, the England fast bowler Peter Loader dismissed all three of them in the fourth Test, at Headingley. It was a good match for Loader, who also took a hat-trick in an innings victory.There’s an update on last week’s question about Test cricketers who have appeared in the Olympics, from various learned people:
There are three additions to the list, two of them women. New Zealand’s Lesley Murdoch played six women’s Tests, captaining in the last three, in 1989-90; she also appeared in 25 ODIs. Murdoch was part of the New Zealand women’s hockey team that finished sixth in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.Rebecca Rolls played one Test for New Zealand, scoring 71 against England in Scarbrough in 2004, and also appeared in 104 ODIs, making two centuries; also a goalkeeper, she was part of New Zealand’s Olympic football squad at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, although she didn’t actually play.The third addition is the South African Lionel “Doodles” Tapscott, who featured in the tennis event at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, and around ten years later played two Tests against England, scoring 50 not out on debut in Johannesburg. His brother, George “Dusty” Tapscott, also played Test cricket, while his sister, Billie, scandalised the Wimbledon tennis tournament in 1927 when she became the first woman to play there without stockings.There are several near-misses, apart from Suzie Bates, who was mentioned last week (she played basketball at the 2008 Olympics, and 291 white-ball cricket internationals for New Zealand – but no Tests). Jonty Rhodes might have played hockey for South Africa in the 1992 Olympics had they been able to qualify, and was asked about selection for the 1996 Games, but the cricket authorities were reluctant to release him.The current South Africa player Tazmin Brits won the gold medal in the women’s javelin at the 2007 athletics World Junior Championships, and was expected to feature in the 2012 Olympics in London – but not long before they started she was involved in a serious car accident that left her in hospital for two months, and in a wheelchair for two more. She made her international cricket debut in 2018.Turning to India, SM Hadi played tennis at the 1924 Olympics in Paris, and was a good enough cricketer to play an unofficial Test for India in 1935-36, and a few matches on the 1936 tour of England, for which he was officially the assistant manager. This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list of those who just missed out – but if anyone knows any others who definitely played Test cricket and competed at the Olympic Games, please let me know!Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questionsAnd what’s the record for most catches taken in a Test?
