14th August, 2001

Name: Mani shankar
Query: I would like to ask the expert who in test match cricket has the highest strike rate (among batsmen who are well recognized in this form of the game).is this comparable to the same in ODI's?

Mohandas Menon:
Test cricket calls for a batsman's endurance and staying powers at the crease unlike in ODIs when a batsman has to score quickly. So the comparation of strike rates between a Test player and an ODI player should not be made.

Mohandas Menon:
Dennis Amiss (103) of England against Australia at Manchester on 24 Aug 1972.

Mohandas Menon:
The team batting will win since the wide ball precedes the run-out and as such the runout will not be counted.

Mohandas Menon:
The full list in ODIs is as follows. Please note that no batsman in ODIs has scored a score over 50 while batting at number 10 and 11.
India (24): 19 (#7); 4 (#8); 1 (#9), nil (#10) , nil (#11)
Australia (19): 14 (#7); 4 (#8); 1 (#9), Nil (#10) , nil (#11)
England (4): 3 (#7); 1 (#8); Nil (#9), Nil (#10) , nil (#11)
N Zealand (26): 18 (#7); 8 (#8); nil (#9), nil (#10) , nil (#11)
Pakistan (27): 17 (#7); 9 (#8); 1 (#9), nil (#10) ,nil (#11)
S Africa (19): 7 (#7); 8 (#8); 4 (#9), nil (#10) ,nil (#11)
S Lanka (21): 14 (#7); 6 (#8); 1 (#9), nil (#10) ,nil (#11)
W Indies (15): 7 (#7); 6 (#8); 2 (#9), nil (#10) ,nil (#11)
Zimbabwe (11): 7 (#7); 3 (#8); 1 (#9), nil (#10) ,nil (#11)

Mohandas Menon:
This can be canculated only from the ball to ball scoresheets, otherwise such statistical data is not possible. In the case of Atherton and McGrath, we need to check all the ball to ball scoresheets played between these two players and then list all the balls faced by Atherton off the bowling of McGrath. From this infomation we can work out the average for Atherton against the Australian bowler.

Mohandas Menon:
My favourites at the moment are: Jacques Kallis (SA), Chris Cairns (NZ), Abdur Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood (Pak) and Sanath Jayasuriya (SL).

Mohandas Menon:
This has occured only once in a Test match when Sri Lankan left-armer Jayanta Amerasinghe on debut batting at number 11 against New Zealand at Kandy in 1983-84 scored 34 to top-score the Sri Lankan innings.

Mohandas Menon:
In such instances the umpires will allow the game to continue as the dismissed batsman is not obstructed when the bails are dislodged. I do not recall any instances when an umpire has called a no ball or a dead ball in such situations.

Mohandas Menon:
In Test cricket it has happened on four occasions when Tendukar was at the wicket when India won the match (these instances does not indicate that he actually hit the winning run).
44 not out v New Zealand at Kanpur 1999-00
36 not out v Zimbabwe at Bulawayo, 2001-02
9 not out v England at Calcutta, 1992-93
0 not out v New Zealand at Bangalore, 1995-96

Mohandas Menon:
Don Bradman does not hold this record since he scored only 18 and 1 in his first Test match. In fact Bradamn started averaging over 50-plus from his fourth innings onwards which was his second Test match of his career. The only batsman who has this unique distinction is England's Herbert Sutcliffe, who in 54 Tests and 84 innings, from 1924 to 1935 never averaged less than 60 runs, let alone 50 runs. He finally aggregated 4555 runs and finished with a career average of 60.73.