Also: where does Jasprit Bumrah’s five-for stand among the best bowling performances in the IPL?
Steven Lynch17-May-2022 I noticed that Gus Logie played 158 ODIs for West Indies, of which 49 were against Pakistan. Is that the highest percentage against a single opponent, given a minimum of 100 matches played? asked Rafay Iqbal from England
You’re right that the diminutive West Indian batsman Gus Logie played 49 of his 158 one-day internationals – 31.01% – against the same opponent, Pakistan. I think it was just an accident of the schedule at the time – it doesn’t seem to be because of any particular proficiency against Pakistan’s bowlers, as Logie’s average of 20.66 against them was lower than those against any of his other seven opponents (apart from Zimbabwe, whose bowlers he only faced twice).Given a minimum of 100 matches, Logie comes in only fifth on the list. On top is his long-time team-mate Michael Holding, whose 102 matches included 35 against Australia (34.31%). This is rather more understandable, as West Indies were regular participants in Australia’s annual triangular one-day tournament in Holding’s time.Chamara Kapugedera of Sri Lanka played 34 of his 102 ODIs against India (exactly a third, or 33.33%); Pakistan legspinner Abdul Qadir had 33 of his 104 matches (31.73%) against West Indies, and 36 of Richard Hadlee’s 115 ODIs for New Zealand came against Australia (31.30%).Where does Jasprit Bumrah’s 5 for 10 come on the list of best bowling performances in the IPL? asked Gautham Singh from India
That stunning spell by Jasprit Bumrah for Mumbai Indians against Kolkata Knight Riders in Navi Mumbai last week was statistically the fifth-best performance in the IPL.The best figures also came for Mumbai: the West Indian seamer Alzarri Joseph claimed 6 for 12 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2019. Remarkably, that was Joseph’s IPL debut: before signing for Gujarat Titans this season, he had played only two other matches; later in 2019 (he sent down five overs, and had 0 for 75). As I write he has 12 wickets from ten games in all in the IPL.The Pakistan seamer Sohail Tanvir took 6 for 14 for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in Jaipur in 2008, while the Australian legspinner Adam Zampa claimed 6 for 19 for Rising Pune Supergiants against Sunrisers in Visakhapatnam in 2016. The only cheaper five-for than Bumrah’s came when Anil Kumble took 5 for 5 for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Rajasthan Royals in Cape Town in 2009.Colin Munro holds the record for the most sixes in a first-class innings: 23 for Auckland vs Central Districts in 2014-15•Hannah Peters/Getty ImagesBen Stokes hit 17 sixes in his first innings of the English season. Was this a record for a county match? asked Dilan Gunasekera from Sri Lanka
That remarkable onslaught by England’s new Test captain, Ben Stokes, for Durham against Worcestershire at New Road did indeed contain a record for the number of sixes in a Championship innings. Stokes’ 161 from 88 balls included 17 sixes – one more than Andrew Symonds hit in his unbeaten 254 for Gloucestershire against Glamorgan in Abergavenny in 1995; Graham Napier also hit 16 for Essex vs Surrey at Whitgift School in 2011.Only four first-class innings have contained more sixes. The New Zealander Colin Munro smote 23 in his 281 for Auckland against Central Districts in Napier in 2014-15, while Shafiqullah Shinwari (200 not out in a total of 299 for 5) clouted 22 for Kabul against Boost in Kunar in Afghanistan in 2018. Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Burgher vs Ports Authority in Colombo in 2018-19) and Najeeb Tarakai (Speen Ghar vs Mis Anaik in Kunar in 2018-19) both hit 19 sixes in an innings. Another Sri Lankan, Oshada Fernando, hit 17 for Chilaw Marians against Colts in Colombo in 2018-19.Was Anya Shrubsole, who retired recently, England’s highest wicket-taker in ODIs? asked Christine Hemingway from England
Anya Shrubsole took 106 wickets in 86 ODIs, putting her fourth for England behind Katherine Brunt (167), Jenny Gunn (136) and Laura Marsh (129). Clare Taylor (102) and Isa Guha (101) also took more than 100 wickets in ODIs for England. Shrubsole’s best performance – both statistically and memorably – was her 6 for 46 to propel England to victory over India at Lord’s in the 2017 World Cup final, an achievement that made her the first woman to feature on the cover of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.Overall, Shrubsole lies 20th on the list, with Brunt fifth; a long way clear at the top is India’s Jhulan Goswami, with 252 wickets. Next come Cathryn Fitzpatrick (Australia) and Anisa Mohammed (West Indies), with 180 apiece.Shrubsole also took 102 wickets in T20Is, the most for England (Brunt is next with 98). Four other women have reached 100 wickets; Anisa Mohammed currently leads the way with 125.How many people have captained, kept wicket and opened the batting in the same Test? asked Soham Agarwal from India
Only three men have managed this impressive all-round feat. The first was the old South African captain Percy Sherwell, who did it in seven matches between 1907 and 1910-11. In the first, at Lord’s in 1907, he made 115 in the second innings. In his first Test as captain, against England at home in 1905-06, Sherwell had gone in at No. 11.The others to do all three jobs were Gerry Alexander of West Indies in two Tests in 1958-59, and Pakistan’s Imtiaz Ahmed three times between 1959-60 and 1961-62.The only woman to do it was Australia’s Margaret Jennings, in the last of her eight Tests, against India in Perth in January 1977.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 questions
