6th October, 2001

Name: Kiran D. Suryanarayan
Query: Hi Mohandas Menon, Your interpretation given below is absolutely wrong. The team batting second does not win the match, the match is declared a Tie. I distinctly remember a match between India and Zimbabwe about 5 years ago, when a similar thing happened. Robin Singh scored 51 off about 32 balls, but he was run out off the last ball of the match which was a wide. The match was declared a tie. I think the non-striker was Venkatesh Prasad. "Name: Satish anandan Query: What happens if in ODI - A side chasing a target who has lost 9 wkts and of the last ball of the 50th over (stipulated) needs one run. The ball is wide (it is counted as runs) and he get run out, then in that scenario my question is - Since the side chasing gets all out what will be the definition of the match i.e. Won by 1 wkt. or won the match - since chasing a target u have to either win by wickets in hand. I need your enlightment in this query with complete details. satish 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:
Reg: the Ind-Zim match at Paarl on 27-1-1997, which u are referring is not correct, since India needed two runs off the last ball and not one. The match was declared as a tie, since they equalled Zimbabwe's 236 with the wide. Had India need just a single run before the last ball, the match would have been awarded to India since the wide ball precedes the run-out and as such the runout would not be counted. Also pls refer to Law 25 (Wide ball) Item 5: Penalty of one run shall be awarded instantly on call of wide ball. This penaly shall stand even if a batsman is dismissed. Also refer to Law 21 (the result): Item 6 (a): As soon as the result is reached, the match is at an end. Nothing that happens thereafter shall be regarded as part of it.

Mohandas Menon:

Least matches and Innings to 1000 runs by Indian Test batsmen
Indian Players	Mtch	Inn	NO	Ave	HS	100s	0s	Test	Vs	Series
SM Gavaskar	11	21	5	62.50	220	4	1	4th	Eng	1972-73
VG Kambli	12	14	2	83.33	227	4	0	1st	WI	1994-95
S Ramesh	13	25	2	43.48	143	2	2	1st	Aus	2000-01
VS Hazare	13	25	4	47.62	145	3	0	5th	WI	1948-49
RS Dravid	14	23	4	52.63	148	1	0	5th	WI	1996-97
SV Manjrekar	14	23	3	50.00	218	3	1	2nd	Eng	1990
SC Ganguly	15	23	2	47.62	147	3	3	1st	SL	1997-98
AL Wadekar	15	30	2	35.71	143	1	3	2nd	NZ	1969-70
DN Sardesai	15	27	3	41.67	200*	1	3	4th	NZ	1964-65

Mohandas Menon:
According to the old-timers Col CK Nayudu in thirties was considered as one of the best, while Lala Amarnath in the forties and Nawab of Pataudi junior in the sixties were also regarded as good captains. However if one has to go by just statistics then the most successful is Mohammad Azharuddin who has 14 wins as captain in 47 Tests matches and 90 wins in ODIs in 174 matches.

Mohandas Menon:
The Law does not specify that a batsman who had earlier used a runner cannot bowl at a later stage. The final decision is with the umpire, who can stop the bowler if he feels that he had resorted to unfair practice by using a runner earlier. Moreover, the decision if a batsman can be allowed a runner rests with the fielding captain.

Mohandas Menon:
No! the ball has to hit the glove which has some part of the bat.

Mohandas Menon:
There have been several such instances in Test cricket. However the record is held by West Indian GM Carew who made a comeback after a gap of over 13 years in 1947-48 having last played in January 1935, when he scored 107 against England at Port of Spain in February 1948. Further please note that Tillkeratne was playing in third match after his 2-year comeback when he scored his hundred and hence will not qualify in any of the above cases.

Mohandas Menon:
Refer The Laws of Cricket, 2000 Code - Law 14.3 on Declaration
3. Notification
A captain shall notify the opposing captain and the umpires of his decision to declare or to forfeit an innings.(Normally, the captain comes out of the pavilion and waves his hands so as to indicate to his batsmen to return to the pavilion).

Mohandas Menon:
I can think of many such players... among Indians I can think of Narendra Hirwani and Vinod Kambli. Then there was this Australian Ian Craig, who at a very young age promised much but failed to deliver. He made his Test debut at 17 years - still the youngest Australian to do so. He played last of his 11 Tests just before his 23rd birthday. He was also the youngest to lead Australia in a Test match.

Mohandas Menon:
588 runs were scored by England (398-6) and India (190-0) at Manchester on 27 July 1936 - the seocnd day of the Test match.

Mohandas Menon: I agree with your views. The ICC should definitely standardise the size of cricket grounds, at least in Test and ODI matches.

Mohandas Menon:
Southpaw is an American slang which means a person who is left-handed. The origin is American. SOUTH + PAW: is the ballpark in Chicago (c. 1885) and was so located that the pitcher's left arm was toward the south. A left-handed baseball pitcher is normally called southpaw. There is no such record to indicate when the term was first used in cricket. However it is felt that the term was perhaps first used by Australian cricket journalists to indicate a left handed batsman.

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."

Mail Cricket Editor