Test Records: South African off-spinner Simon Harmer’s numbers were out of the ordinary during their recent 2-0 Test series win in India, taking 17 wickets at an average of just 8.94. That performance puts him in very exalted company among the bowlers, but he is not top of the all-time list.
Only six bowlers in Test history have taken more wickets at a lower average in a series involving at least two matches, and none achieved the feat more recently than Tony Lock, who claimed 34 wickets at 7.47 against New Zealand in 1958.
The best figures of all came in South Africa’s first Test series in 1888-89 when England’s Johnny Briggs took 21 wickets at 4.80, and he is followed by George Lohmann, who collected 35 wickets at 5.80 in 1895-96, again exploiting an inexperienced South African side.
Among series played in India, Simon Harmer’s record remains one of the best, with only the 10 at 9.00 of Jasprit Bumrah and the 12 at 10.08 of Marco Jansen ranking nearby.
Aiden Markram Sets Test Records for Most Catches by a Non-Wicketkeeper
During the second Test in Guwahati, South Africa’s Aiden Markram brought up his 50th Test with an astonishing nine catches, all taken in the slips, including two via diving stops. This is a new Test record for an outfielder, surpassing the previous mark of eight by India’s Ajinkya Rahane from 2015.
This has been bettered in first-class cricket only by Wally Hammond, who took ten catches against Surrey in 1928. In the same match, Hammond scored 139 and 143 and followed it up by taking 9 for 23 and 6 for 105 in the next fixture.
Only two others have taken nine catches in a first-class match:
Rikki Clarke (Warwickshire, 2011)
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Peter Handscomb (Victoria, 2022)
How Many England Openers Have Collected a Pair in Australia?
Zak Crawley’s pair in the opening Ashes Test in Perth was only the fourth instance of an England opener bagging a pair in Australia.
The previous cases were:
Mike Atherton, Melbourne 1998 (despite England winning)
Dennis Amiss, Adelaide 1975 (dismissed twice by Dennis Lillee)
Trevor Bailey, Melbourne 1959 (Twice removed by Ray Lindwall)
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Among all Tests, England openers have recorded just nine pairs, two of which belong to Atherton.
Has India ever lost five successive Tests at home?
Contrary to speculation, India have not lost five successive home Tests. In between their 3-0 defeat to New Zealand last season and the recent 2-0 loss to South Africa, India won both their matches against West Indies in Ahmedabad and Delhi.
In fact, India have never lost five successive home Tests. Their longest home losing streak is three, which has happened in these sequences:
New Zealand, 2023
England (1976-77)
Australia (1969-70) and England (1972-73)
West Indies (1958-59)
India lost seven successive Tests away from home on their tours of England and Australia in 1967; and six in succession during the 1959 season.
Thus, India’s overall record in Test cricket now reads 185 wins, 188 losses, 224 draws and one tie.
Is 26 wides in an ODI and still winning a record?
The recent Rawalpindi ODI against Sri Lanka saw Pakistan bowl 26 wides yet still win the match by six runs. But that is not the record.
Higher totals include:
32 wides by Australia vs New Zealand at Pune, 2003 – still won
32 wides by UAE vs Papua New Guinea at Windhoek, 2023 – still won
31 wides conceded by India (vs Kenya, 1999 World Cup) and Pakistan (vs India, 2007) – both still victories.
In women’s ODIs, even larger figures exist. The Netherlands conceded 56, 52, and 45 wides in three matches in 2001 winning all three. New Zealand conceded 43 wides against Ireland in 2004 and still won, while Australia defended a match despite giving 41 wides to Sri Lanka in 2016.
Clarifications on Early Umpiring Decisions
Recent updates refine historical instances in which umpires made significant early-match calls:
In 1933, Richard Torrance gave Herbert Sutcliffe out from the first ball of the Christchurch Test, and Thomas Burgess judged Eddie Paynter bowled from his first delivery. In Port-of-Spain (1971), first-time umpire Stuart Ishmael first ruled Roy Fredericks lbw but corrected the dismissal to bowled upon noticing the dislodged bails.
In Durban, 1992, Cyril Mitchley, in alternation with Steve Bucknor, gave Sachin Tendulkar as cleanly catching the first-ball edge off Jimmy Cook despite the latter hoping it had bounced.
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