According to Guinness World Records, the record for ducks in Test match cricket is 43 and is held by one of the greatest, if not the greatest, tail-enders of all time, Courtney Walsh. Born in Kingston, Jamaica on October 30. 1962, Walsh was, of course, best known as an aggressive fast bowler who, alongside Curtley Ambrose, formed a formidable new-ball partnership throughout the nineties. Indeed, on March 19, 2001, Walsh became the first bowler in history to take 500 Test wickets and by the time of his retirement from international cricket, at the end of the fifth and final Test of the South Africa Tour of West Indies at Sabina Park, Kingston on April 23, 2001, had increased his career tally to a then-record 519 Test wickets.
However, while Walsh was world class with the ball, he was the epitome of an out-and-out specialist bowler, whose comical antics with the bat became the stuff of legend. ‘Cuddy’, as he was known to his friends and family, made his Test debut in the first Test of the West Indies tour of Australia at the Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) in Perth on November 10, 1984. He scored 9 not out in a West Indies first innings total of 416 – the first of 61 occasions on which he would be left at the crease at the end of a Test match innings – and did not need to bat again as the tourists won by an inning and 112 runs.
All told, Walsh played 132 Test matches for West Indies and, in 185 innings, scored 936 runs at an average of 7.54. Highlights of his less-than-stellar career as a Test match batsman included a high score of 30, achieved during a partnership of 57 with Ambrose for the ninth wicket in the first innings of the third Test of the West Indies tour of Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in December, 1988. Lowlights, though, included a ‘pair’, when captain, in the second Test of the West Indies tour of Pakistan at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in 1997.
The fabled third Test of the Australia tour of England at Headingley, Leeds in July, 1981, represented the turning point in an extraordinary series that will be forever remembered as ‘Botham’s Ashes’. Trailing 1-0 in the six-match series and with Mike Brearley reinstated as captain, following the resignation of Ian Botham, England followed on after scoring just 174 all out in reply to Australia’s first innings total of 401-9 declared.
In the second innings, England were 105-5, and still 122 runs behind, when Botham came to the crease. However, in a remarkable display of clean, powerful hitting, the all-rounder went on to score 149 not out, including partnerships of 90, 67 and 37 with fast bowlers Graham Dilley, Chris Old and Bob Willis for the eighth, ninth and tenth wickets, respectively. Even so, a second innings total of 356 still only gave England a lead of 129 runs, so an Australian victory looked little more than a formality.
Indeed, at 56-1, Australia appeared to be cruising to victory, but the situation changed, dramatically, when Bob Willis switched to running downhill from the Kirkstall Lane End. Encouraged by Brearley to bowl as fast and straight as possible, regardless of his tendency to no-ball, Willis took three quick wickets, either side of lunch, to reduce Australia to 58-4 and give his teammates a glimmer of hope.
Chris Old clean bowled Alan Border for a duck, but thereafter the match was all about Willis, who, bowling like a man possessed, took the remaining five wickets to finish with phenomenal figures of 8-43 from his 15.1 overs. Left-arm spinner Ray Bright was the last batsman to be dismissed and, when Willis knocked over his middle stump to bring the innings to end, Australia had scored just 111, still 19 runs short of the 130 required to win.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Cricket World Cup, commonly known as the Cricket World Cup, was inaugurated, as a 60-overs-a-side competition, in 1975. However, according to Guinness World Records, in the better part of half a century, the highest total in any Cricket World Cup match was posted by Australia at the Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) Ground in Perth on March 4, 2015 in the shortened, 50-overs-a-side version of the event.
In a Pool A match, Afghan captain Mohammad Nabi won the toss and elected to field first but, despite playing on one of the fastest pitches in the world, his bowlers were soon all at sea as opening batsman David Warner and, later, Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell set about the attack. Warner scored 178 off 133 balls, including 19 fours and five sixes, and Smith scored 95 off 98 balls, including eight fours and one six. Together, they put on 260 for the second wicket before Warner skied a cross-seam delivery from Shapoor Kadran to Nabi at mid-on.
The arrival of Maxwell, one of the fastest scorers in the game, offered little respite for the beleaguered Afghan bowlers as the Melburnian demonstrated his shot-making ability with a quickfire 88 off 39 balls, including six fours and seven sixes.All told, Australia made 417-6 off their 50 overs – thereby beating the previous record, 413-5, set by India against Bermuda at Queen’s Park Oval In Port of Spain, Trinidad eight years previously – at a run rate of 8.34.
In reply, Afghanistan failed to cope with the fearsome pace of Mitchell Johnson, who took 4-22 off his 7.3 overs, or the unplayable, inswinging yorkers bowled by Mitchell Starc, who took 2-18 off his six overs. They were eventually dismissed for just 142, thereby suffering the widest-margin defeat in World Cup history.
The short answer is four. The first batsman to achieve the feat on the international stage was South African Herschelle Gibbs. On March 16, 2007, in a Group A match at Warner Park in Basseterre, St. Kitts during the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup, Gibbs cleared the boundary six times in a row off Dutch all-rounder Daab van Bunge on his way to a total of 72 off 40 balls.Six months later, on September 19, 2007, Indian left-hander Yuvraj Singh dished out similar treatment to English fast bowler in a Group E match at Kingsmead in Durban, South Africa during the inaugural ICC World Twenty20; India won that match by 18 runs and went on to win the competition, beating Pakistan by five runs in the final.
More recently, on March 3, 2021, in a Twenty20 International (T20I) match at Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua, unorthodox Sri Lankan spinner Akila Dananjaya took a hat-trick in the fourth over, but was bludgeoned for six sixes by West Indies captain Kieron Pollard in the next. Pollard made 38 off 11 balls, with Dananjaya finishing with figures of 3-62 from his four overs, as West Indies won by four wickets, with a ball shy of seven overs remaining.
More recently still, in the second match of the Papua New Guinea v USA One Day International (ODI) Series at Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Al Amarat, Oman on September 9, 2021, Indian-born wicketkeeper Jaskaran Malhotra, representing the USA, became the last batsman to hit six sixes in a single over in international cricket. Papuan all-rounder Gaudi Toka was on the receiving end as Malhotra scored 173 not out, off 124 balls, in a USA total of 271-9, which gave them victory by 137 runs.
Cricket, a sport that carries the distinguished moniker of the “gentleman’s game,” occupies a unique position when it comes to sportsmanship. Its origins trace back to 18th and 19th century England, where it found favour among the higher levels of society. Cricket’s association with refined conduct, fair play, and a certain air of nobility has solidified its reputation as a pursuit for true gentlemen.
The attribution of the “gentleman’s game” title to cricket can be put down to a number of factors that lend it an air of aristocracy. At its core, cricket has always upheld the principles of etiquette, respect for opponents, and adherence to a strict code of conduct. Sportsmanship is woven into the fabric of the sport, with players expected to embody fair play and exhibit grace in both triumph and defeat.
Moreover, cricket’s rich tapestry of history, infused with time-honoured traditions, reinforces its claim to the gentlemanly realm. The sport carries an aura of decorum, guided by an unwritten set of principles known as the “spirit of cricket.” These principles encompass playing by the rules, accepting umpires’ decisions without contention, and paying homage to the game’s storied customs.
Beyond its inherent elegance, cricket’s match duration, often spanning multiple days, makes it a game that requires strategic complexity and intellectual engagement. It fosters camaraderie among players, placing value on patience, tactical prowess, and mutual respect. These aspects further deepen the association between cricket and the essence of true gentlemen.
While cricket has expanded its reach far beyond the English borders of its birthplace, the esteemed title of the “gentleman’s game” continues to endure. It stands as a testament to the sport’s enduring traditions, its steadfast commitment to integrity, and the timeless values that have shaped its identity over centuries.
It is vital to emphasise that the epithet “gentleman’s game” does not imply exclusion or gender bias. Rather, it signifies cricket’s embodiment of fairness, respect, and the unwavering spirit of healthy competition—an enduring legacy that resonates with cricket enthusiasts worldwide, instilling admiration for the sport’s heritage and the enduring values it upholds.