Plus: identical scores by openers in ODIs, and prolific bowling pairs

Steven Lynch26-Jan-2016In the Johannesburg Test all South Africa’s batsmen made a lower score in the second innings than they had in the first. How rare is this? asked Julian Waghorn from England
As it turns out, it’s very rare indeed: what South Africa’s batsmen managed in the third Test in Johannesburg had only happened once before. The only other time all 11 batsmen did better in the first innings than the second was in Bangladesh’s inaugural Test, against India in Dhaka in 2000-01, when Bangladesh batted strongly to make 400 in the first innings, but collapsed for 91 in their second. There have been seven instances of ten people doing worse second time round – all since 1981-82. The most recent one was by West Indies against India in Mumbai in 2011-12 – the match which finished with India nine down and the scores level. All the West Indians scored more in the first innings than they did in the second – except skipper Darren Sammy, who ruined everything by making 3 and 10.I noticed that the Indian team in the recent one-day series had at least 500 caps more between them than their Australian opponents. What’s the greatest difference in experience between two teams in an ODI or a Test? asked Tobin Blathwayt from New Zealand
The list in one-day internationals is dominated by occasions when an experienced Full Member side took on an Associate country: the biggest difference came during the 2003 World Cup, when a Pakistan team whose combined experience amounted to 1881 caps took on Namibia, with 20. In the next World Cup, in 2007, India (1986 caps) opposed Bermuda (158, a difference of 1828). The biggest discrepancy between two Test-playing nations also came during the 2003 World Cup, in the match between Sri Lanka (1758) and Bangladesh (209). Also in that World Cup, a Pakistan team containing 2028 caps took on England with 657. Turning to Tests, the biggest differences are not, as you might expect, from early in a particular side’s history. By coincidence, the record was set in the 2011-12 match mentioned above in Mumbai, when India (737 Test caps) opposed West Indies (188). India occupy the next three places as well, both from matches during 2010: early in the year they took on Bangladesh, with a side containing 523 more caps (679-156), and later on faced New Zealand in successive matches with a difference of 509 (793-284, and 804-295). The biggest difference in T20Is was set in Dubai in November 2015, when Pakistan (426 appearances) took on England (125).Stephen Cook is the oldest South African to score a century on Test debut•Getty ImagesWas India’s 331 the highest successful chase in a one-day international at Sydney? asked David Ferrier from Austria
India’s 331 for 4 in Sydney last weekend, to win the final match of the run-soaked one-day series in Australia, was actually the second-highest successful chase at the SCG. In 2010-11, England started with 333 for 6 in Sydney, with Jonathan Trott scoring 137 – but Australia ran that down in the final over, finishing with 334 for 8. The next-best chase in Sydney is 275, by Australia against South Africa in 2014-15.Stephen Cook made a hundred on Test debut, but his father made a duck. Was this unique? asked Michael Dawson from England
The South African opener Stephen Cook’s 115 against England in Centurion last week made him the sixth (and oldest, at 33) to score a hundred on Test debut for South Africa, all since 1991-92. Cook’s father, Jimmy, another prolific opener, was dismissed by the very first ball of his debut Test, against India in Durban in 1992-93. This was only the second case of the son scoring a hundred and the father making a duck on Test debut: Hamish Rutherford scored 171 in his first match for New Zealand, against England at Dunedin in 2012-13, but his father Ken had a rather more chastening Test baptism – blown away for a pair by West Indies at Port-of-Spain in 1984-85, an experience that included being run out without facing in the second innings. There are also two instances of the reverse. Lala Amarnath made 118 in his first Test for India, against England in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1933-34, but his son Mohinder was out for 0 on his debut, against Australia in Madras in 1969-70. Another son, Surinder Amarnath, completed a unique family double by scoring 124 on his Test debut, against New Zealand in Auckland in 1975-76. Rodney Redmond started (and finished) his one-Test career with 107 for New Zealand against Pakistan in Auckland in 1972-73; his son Aaron – also an opener – made a duck on his debut, against England at Lord’s in 2008. Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh both made 71 at the Gabba. Is this the highest identical score by openers in an ODI? asked Mitch Wynd from Australia
That double by Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh for Australia against India in Brisbane in the second match of the recent one-day series comes in third on this particular list – but the record was broken quite recently. In November 2015, Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes both scored 73 for Bangladesh against Zimbabwe in Mirpur. That broke the previous mark of 72, by Desmond Haynes (who was not out) and Richie Richardson for West Indies against India in Sharjah in 1985-86. The Test record is 88, by Shane Watson and Phillip Hughes for Australia against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2011-12.Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath shared 980 Test wickets between them•Getty ImagesAre James Anderson and Stuart Broad the most prolific bowling partnership in history? asked Ian Robins from England
Before the start of the fourth Test in Centurion, James Anderson and Stuart Broad had taken 620 wickets in Tests in which they both appeared. That’s easily an England record – beating 476 by Ian Botham and Bob Willis – but fourth on the overall list, behind Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh (757), Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas (879), and the runaway leaders Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne (980). Murali and Vaas hold the record for one-day internationals with 704 wickets in matches they played together; Murali and Sanath Jayasuriya are next with 633, ahead of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis on 581.And there’s an update to the recent question about the biggest Test totals without any no-balls:
Charles Davis, the indefatigable Melbourne statistician who has made an exhaustive study of old scorebooks, says: “The 790 by West Indies in 1957-58 did contain a no-ball, by Fazal Mahmood; Garry Sobers hit one run off it. The 729 by Australia in 1930 also had one no-ball, hit for four by Bill Woodfull off Frank Woolley, so the 708 by Pakistan at The Oval in 1987 does indeed stand as the highest Test innings without any no-balls at all.” Regarding the explanation later in the original answer, I got my wires crossed about the practice of adding the penalty for a no-ball to the runs scored – and crediting the runs separately to the batsman and extras – which started in 1998. Previously the bowler just bowled another delivery, and there was no run-penalty for the no-ball if it was scored from. What happened in the early 1980s was that it became common practice for no-balls and wides to be debited against the bowler, which they hadn’t been before.Send in your questions using our feedback form.