The game of cricket has come a long way since originating as a stick and ball game in England in the 1800s – the stick changed into a bat, well defined rules of the game were framed, wide balls and leg before wicket dismissals came into play as well as the introduction of overarm bowling at the turn of the 20th century.
Then came colored kits, flood lights, the white ball, and the unsuccessful experimentation with the pink ball – but the essence of the Gentleman’s game remains the same. SPORTZWIKi takes a look at 7 cricket records that will surely take some beating!
#10 Captain Graeme Smith – 109 Tests
Graeme Smith’s record 109 Test as South Africa and ICC XI captain is seemed unachievable. Graeme Smith, the erstwhile South African captain, undertook the captaincy of the Protea after playing just eight Tests following the 2003 World Cup. He is the only captain who led South Africa and ICC XI for consecutive 109 matches and won 53 matches. Overall, the handsome southpaw played 117 Test including one Test for ICC XI.
#9 Mark Boucher with 555 dismissals
The South African wicketkeeper, who was forced to quit international cricket following a freak on field fatal eye injury, has astonishing record of 555 dismissals to his credit in 281 innings of 147 Tests. In his 15 year long Test career he kept wicket with great skills, he grabbed 532 catches and stumped batsmen for 23 times. Nowadays, all wicketkeeper batsmen find it difficult to play both roles successfully. So, after playing considerable amount of matches they leave wicket keeping. Considering this, Mark Boucher’s record is too much for current generation of wicketkeepers.
#8 Rahul Dravid – 210 catches
“The Wall of India” was one of the great catchers at sleep in classical form of cricket. He grabbed 210 catches in 301 innings of 164 Tests. That means he has 0.697 per cent of catch record per innings in Test. Remember, he never kept wicket for India in Test.
#7 Ricky Ponting’s 108 test victories as a player
Ricky Ponting was part of the Australian golden generation which dominated the sport of cricket for close to two decades. Ponting continued Australia‘s winning habit after taking over from Steve Waugh and his aggressive captaincy helped Australia cement their grasp on the pinnacle of test cricket. Apart from being one of the most accomplished batsmen of his generation, Ponting skippered a team of superstars such as Adam Giilchrist, Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Shane Warne among many other greats.
#6 Wilfred Rhodes’ retirement at the age of 52!
Yes, you read that right. 52!! Rhodes played his last match at the ripe age of 52 and his career lasted 30 years. In an era where a lot of significance is given to fitness levels, Rhodes’ feat is both outstanding and unparalleled, and would take some beating in the modern day game.
#5 Graham Gooch scoring 456 runs in one test
A bizarre decision by the Indian skipper to field first in a test match against England at Lords in 1990 proved to be a costly mistake as his opposite number made India pay severely. In delightful batting conditions, Gooch scored 333 in the first innings, which is the highest ever score at Lord’s and followed it up with 123 in the second innings as England won the match by 247 runs.
#4 Sir Jack Hobbs’ incredible feat of 199 centuries
England batsman Sir John Berry “Jack” Hobbs scored a total of 199 centuries in his cricketing career, including 18 test match centuries. Hobbs is regarded as one of the greatest ever batsmen in cricket and his opening partnership with Herbert Sutcliffe remains the most prolific opening combination yet. The pair had opened the batting 38 times in test cricket, and shared an impressive 15 century opening partnerships, and added 3,249 runs together with an average of 87.81, which is the highest in all Tests for a pair of opening batsmen.
#3 Sachin Tendulkar’s 100 international hundreds
India’s master blaster has never buckled in a quarter of a century of fulfilling the dreams of a billion expectant Indians – Sachin‘s consistency for the last 24 years remains unparralleled in the annals of test cricket history. 100 international centuries is no feat, mind you! Some people are placing their bets on Virat Kohli. Can he do it?
#2 Jim laker’s stunning match figures of 90-19.
The psot-Bradman era brought some joy for the English as they finally got the edge against their arch rivals Australia. In 1956, the Australians faced the disgrace of being the first side to be dismissed by a single bowler. Jim Laker bamboozled the Aussies with his off spin and neutralized one of their major weapons – the cut shot. Laker took 9 wickets in the second innings as well with Tony Lock taking the other Australian wicket. Amazing feat!
#1 Don Bradman’s untouchable average of 99.94
Don Bradman was the greatest batsman of all time, and nothing is more impressive than his outstanding average of 99.94 in 52 test matches. A staggering average whichever way you look at it, and it could have so nearly touched 100 but Eric Hollies ruined the party with a brilliant delivery that left the Don rooted to his spot and bowled for a duck in his final innings.
What do you guys think? Can any one of these ten records be broken?