Review of India-New Zealand ODI series-Jan 2023

India won the series 3-0.

A total of 116 ODIs have been played between these teams,

India have won 58, New Zealand 50, ties 1, no result 7

In India: 29-8-0-1

In NZ: 14-26-1-4

Neutral 15-16-0-2

Note the strong home advantage for both teams.

Looking at individual performances, starting with Batting:

Most runs (750 or more):

The most centuries were 6 by Sehwag, followed by three players with 5 (Tendulkar, Kohli and Astle). The most 50+ scores were 13 by Kohli and Tendulkar, followed by 11 by R Taylor.

Highest innings scores (115 or more):

In this series, S Gill’s 208 became the highest for India against NZ, surpassing Tendulkar’s 186* in 1999. That was at Hyderabad, though on another ground.MG Bracewell’s 140 was the highest for NZ in India, surpassing NJ Astle’s 120 in 1999. Conway’s 138 also surpassed the old record.

Highest batting averages (Minimum 20 innings, all instances):

Headed by Kohli with Latham close behind.

Highest strike rates (Minimum 500 balls faced and 75.00):

Headed by Sehwag with Kapil Dev close behind.

Now for Bowling:

Most wickets (20 or more):

Srinath is far ahead of the second-placed Kumble. Southee has the most among current players.

Best innings bowling (including all 5wi):

SE Bond is the only one with a 6-for. Next is A Mishra. K Srikkanth is the only one with 2 five-fors.

Best bowling averages (Minimum 1000 balls bowled, all instances):

The best averages are by Srinath and Hadlee.

The best economy rates are by Hadlee and Kapil

The best strike rates are by Srinath and Southee.

Next is Fielding:

Most dismissals (12 or more):

Headed by the lesser-known NR Mongia, who also has the most stumpings. Latham has the most from current players, and R Taylor has the most catches by a fielder

Best innings fielding (4 or more dismissals):

Several have made 5 dismissals in an innings. Similarly for 4 catches as a fielder.

Best dismissal rate (Minimum 20 innings, 0.500):

Again headed by NR Mongia.

All-round performances:

Overall performances (see criteria in table below):

Only one player qualifies here,

Match performances:

Only one player qualifies, and he was an occasional bowler.

Review of India-Sri Lanka ODIs-Jan 2023

India won the series 3-0, being the latest in a series of numerous clean sweeps against Sri Lanka. The highlight was a 317-run victory in the 3rd match, which is the biggest victory margin in any ODI. More on this topic here: https://abn397.wordpress.com/2023/01/15/record-victories-in-odis/

A total of 165 ODIs have been played between these teams.

India has won 96, Sri Lanka 57, 1 tied and 11 no-results.

In India: 39-12-0-3

In Sri Lanka: 30-28-0-6

On neutral grounds: 27-17-1-2

Interestingly, the first ODI between these teams was during the 1979 World Cup in England. Sri Lanka won. India did not win any match in that tournament.

Looking at individual performances, starting with

Batting:

Most runs (750 or more):

Headed by Tendulkar and Jayasuriya. Kohli is in 5th place.

Kohli has the most centuries (10) followed by Tendulkar with 8. For 50+ scores, Tendulkar has 25 and Sangakkara 24.

Highest innings scores (125 or more):

Headed by 2 double centuries by RG Sharma. His 264 is the record individual score in ODIs. Kohli’s 166* is in 7th place.

Highest batting averages (Minimum 20 innings and 35.00):

Headed by Dhoni with Kohli just behind.

Highest strike rates (Minimum 500 balls faced, 75.00):

Note that Sehwag is well ahead of the next (Dhawan and Jayasuriya). Kohli is 5th here.

Now for Bowling:

Most wickets (Minimum 30):

Headed by Murali (74) and Vaas (70). No recent players here.

No one has taken more than one 5wi, or more than 3 4wis.

Best innings bowling (Includes all 5wis):

Headed by Murali’s 7-30. India’s best is 6-59 by A Nehra.

Best bowling averages (Minimum 1000 balls bowled and maximum 45.00):

Headed by the unheralded AB Agarkar and BAW Mendis. Kapil and Harbhajan have the best economy rates, and Agarkar and I. Sharma the best strike rates.

Now to Fielding:

Most dismissals (Minimum 20):

Led by Dhoni, with Sangakkara some distance behind. Dhoni also has the most stumpings (25). M Jayawardene has the most catches as a fielder (38).

Most dismissals in an innings (4 or more):

Headed by Dhoni with 5 dismissals. Kaif has the most catches as a fielder (4). This was in the 2003 World Cup and was the WC record until 2015.

Highest dismissal rate (Minimum 20 innings and 0.450):

Dhoni again, with Sangakkara some distance behind.The best figures by a pure fielder are 0.454 by Mahanama and Raina.

All-round performances :

Overall (see table for criteria):

Mathews heads this list, with the next (Pathan) far behind.

Match performances:

These two performances are clearly the best.

Record victories in ODIs

Here are all the ODI victories by runs as on 15 Jan 2023. This is for winning margins of 225 runs or more:

India’a 317-run victory over Sri Lanka on 15 Jan is the highest winning margin in all ODIs. The previous record was 290 runs by New Zealand against Ireland on 1 Jul 2008.

The best by India was previously by 257 runs against Bermuda on 19 Mar 2007 in the World Cup, right after Bangladesh had unexpectedly beaten India. Recently India had won by 227 runs against Bangladesh on 10 Dec 2022 (Ishan Kishan’s match)

India’s worst defeat by runs was 245 runs by Sri Lanka at Sharjah on 29 Oct 2000.

There have been many 10-wicket victories in ODIs

Delhi to Lucknow by Metre Gauge in 1976

It was possible to travel by metre gauge all the way from Delhi to Lucknow in 1976 and for many years after that. This the route via Rewari and Achnera:

Delhi Jn

5 Delhi Serai Rohilla

15 Delhi Cantt

32 Gurgaon

83 Rewari (end of NR)

157 Alwar

217 Bandikui

314 Bharatpur

342 Achnera (end of WR)

377 Mathura Jn

428 Hathras Road

482 Kasganj

590 Farukhabad

595 Fatehgarh

727 Kanpur Anwarganj

730 Kanpur Central

733 Kanpur Anwarganj

750 Unnao

821 Lucknow (NER)

The BG distance from Delhi Jn to Lucknow by broad gauge was then 509 km via Kanpur and 487 km via Moradabad.

By metre gauge, there was an Agra Fort-Lucknow Express which joined this route at Achnera. For a short time in the mid-1970s, the metre gauge Vaishali Express ran from Agra Fort to Siliguri via Kanpur and Lucknow.

Review of Aus-SA Tests, 2022-23 Part 2

Hope you have read Part 1.

We now take up Bowling records:

Most wickets (Minimum 50 or more):

Warne has the most wickets, with Grimmett following at a distance. Recent players Steyn and MG Johnson are next. Grimmett (8) and Warne (7) have the most 5wis. Grimmett (4) also has the most 10wms, followed by MG Johnson and Warne.

Best innings bowling (including all 7wi):

MG Johnson is the only one with an 8wi.

Best match bowling (including all 10wm):

Grimmett has 2 of the best 3 performances here.

Bowling averages (Minimum 2000 balls, all instances):

Grimmett and Whitty have the best averages, Goddard and Grimmett the best economy rates, with Whitty and Steyn having the best strike rates.

Now for Fielding:

Most dismissals (25 or more):

Boucher has the most dismissals, although Oldfield has the most stumpings. Ponting (35) and de Villiers (34) have the most catches by fielders.

Most dismissals in an innings (5 or more):

Grout and Lindsay were once Test record-holders in this category.

Most dismissals in a match (7 or more):

de Kock is the only recent player at the top.

Best dismissal rate (0.650 or more):

Headed by Lindsay and Haddin. The best by a pure fielder is 0.964 by RB Simpson, although the “hybrid” de Villiers is a little higher at 1.085.

All-round performances:

Overall (see criteria below):

MG Johnson is a little ahead of TL Goddard.

Match performances (50+ runs and 5+wi):

The best performances include 100/5wi (Kelleway and Benaud) and 50/10wm (Steyn).

Review of Aus-SA Tests, 2022-23 Part 1

A total of 101 Tests have been played between these teams.

Australia leads 54-26 with 21 draws.

In Australia, Aus leads 23-10 with 11 draws

In South Africa, Aus leads 29-16 with 9 draws

On neutral grounds (1912) Aus leads 2-0 with 1 draw.

We now look at individual matches, starting with Batting:

Most runs (800 or more):

Led by Ponting and de Villiers. The most centuries are 8 by Harvey and Ponting, and the most 50+s are 19 by de Villiers and Ponting.

Now for highest individual scores (175 or more):

Led by Bradman (299*) and RG Pollock (274). In recent years the best is 200 by Warner in this series.

Best batting averages (minimum 20 innings, 35.00):

Led by Harvey who is far ahead of RG Pollock and MJ Clarke. Bradman is not here since he played only 5 Tests against SA.

Best strike rates (Minimum 1000 balls faced, 45.00):

Here, Warner is far ahead of Ponting and Clarke

To be continued (see Part 2)

A forgotten batting record: Clive Inman

Clive Inman was born in Ceylon, played for their national team in the 1950s and later moved to England where he played county cricket. Cricinfo and other sources reported his death in England on Dec 7, 2022:

https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/clive-inman-51068

Oddly enough, the obituaries (and even Wikipedia) did not mention his batting record in first-class cricket which was mentioned in older books on cricket trivia, He had scored a fifty off 10 balls in 8 minutes in a county match in 1965. I finally located this from a Sri Lankan newspaper:

http://archives.dailynews.lk/2013/03/05/spo06.asp

Review of T20Is between India and Sri Lanka-Jan 2023

India won the most recent T20I series 2-1 at home.

A total of 29 T20Is have been played between these teams.

India leads 19-9 with 1 no-result.

In India, India leads 13-3 with 1 no-result

In Sri Lanka, India leads 5-3

On neutral grounds, India trails 1-3.

We now look at individual performances, starting with Batting:

Most runs (250 runs or more):

Headed by current players MD Shanaka and RG Sharma.

Only 2 centuries have been made, by RG Sharma and SA Yadav.

Regarding 50+ scores, Kohli has made 4 and several others made 3.

Highest innings scores (75 and above):

SA Yadav’s 112* in 2023 is the second highest score here.

Batting averages (Minimum 20 innings):

MD Shanaka is the only one who has played enough.

Highest strike rates (Minimum 250 balls faced):

RG Sharma has the best strike rate here, closely followed by Shanaka.

Now for Bowling:

Most wickets (8 or more):

YS Chahal leads by a comfortable margin. Chameera is the next highest among current players.

Best bowling (including all 4wi or better):

Headed by Ashwin’s 4-8 in 2016. Newcomer Shivam Mavi had the best figures (4-22) in the 2023 series.

Most dismissals (5 or more):

Led by Dhoni with 18. He also has the most stumpings with 9. Pandya has the most catches by a fielder (11)

Most dismissals in an innings (3 or more):

Headed by Dhoni with 4, while Nissanka has the most for Sri Lanka.

Best match performance (30 runs and 3wi):

Yuvraj Singh is the only one to reach this mark.

Test players and umpires who died in 2022

These are the Test players who died in 2022:

And those who have umpired in Tests. These include matches where the person was TV umpire.

Review of Pakistan-New Zealand Tests after 2022-23 series (Part 2)

Hope you have read Part 1.

We now proceed to Bowling records for Tests between these teams.

Most wickets (25 or more):

It is not surprising to see Waqar and Wasim at the top, and that Sir Richard has the most for New Zealand.

The most 5wis are 6 by Wasim followed by 5 by Waqar. Several players have two 10wms.

Southee has the most by current players.

Best innings bowling (including all 7wi or better):

The best figures are the most recent here, 8-41 by Yasir Shah who is not currently in the team. Also note Mohammad Zahid’s 7-for on debut in 1996. The best by NZ was by the lesser-known C Pringle

Best match bowling (including all 10wm or better):

Yasir Shah’s 2018 performance also tops this list. KA Jamieson has the next best performance in recent years. Mohammad Zahid took 11 wickets on debut.

Best bowling averages (Minimum 2000 balls bowled, all instances):

The two Ws again. Note the unusually poor average of Vettori.

The best economy rates are Pervez Sajjad and HJ Howarth.

The best strike rates are by Wasim and Waqar.

Now for Fielding:

Most dismissals (15 or more):

The most dismissals are by recent player BJ Watling, followed by current player Sarfaraz Ahmed. Sarfaraz also has the most stumpings (6) and recent player R Taylor has the most catches as a fielder (29).

Most dismissals in an innings (5 or more):

Headed by Wasim Bari (7), followed by Adnan Akmal with 6.

Bari’s 7 was then a world record for innings dismissals.

Most dismissals in a match (7 or more):

Headed by Rashid Latif and BB McCullum with 9.

Best dismissal rates (Minimum 20 innings and 0.600):

Headed by BJ Watling. The best by a fielder is by another recent player R Taylor.

All-round performances(Minimum 20 innings and 2000 balls):

Only Intikhab Alam makes the cut.

All-round match performances (Minimum 50 runs and 5wi):

The best performances are by Mushtaq Mohammad and MD Craig.

Mushtaq and DS Atkinson are the only ones to score a double century and take a 5wi in a match.

MD Craig’s 50/10wm was the highlight of a short career. Also note Sodhi’s performance in the latest series.

Review of Pakistan-New Zealand Tests after 2022-23 series (Part 1)

This series was drawn 0-0 with both Tests at Karachi being drawn.

For Tests between these teams,

Pakistan lead 25-14 with 23 draws.

In Pakistan, Pakistan lead 13-2 with 8 draws.

In New Zealand, Pakistan lead 10-9 with 14 draws.

On neutral grounds, Pakistan trail 2-3 with 1 draw.

Looking at individual performances:

Batting:

Most runs (750 or more):

Javed Miandad leads, with KS Williamson in second place.

Highest innings scores, (150 or more):

Inzamam-ul-Haq leads with a triple century. Williamson has NZ’s record with 238. In this series his 200* was the highest for NZ in Pakistan, surpassing the previous record of 152 by WK Lees in 1976.

Highest averages (Minimum 20 innings and 30.00):

Miandad leads second-placed Williamson by a large margin. Latham and some other recent players can also be seen here.

Highest strike rates (Minimum 1000 balls faced and 40.00):

Led by McCullum with today’s hero Sarfraz Ahmed close behind. R Taylor and Williamson follow closely.

To be continued. See Part 2.

Draw with 9 wickets down:

The second Test between Pakistan and New Zealand at Karachi in 2023 ended in an exciting draw, with Pakistan 9 down in the fourth innings and needing to make 15 runs to win.

The scorecard: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/new-zealand-in-pakistan-2022-23-1339576/pakistan-vs-new-zealand-2nd-test-1339610/full-scorecard

The full list of the 25 Tests which were drawn with the 4th innings having 9 wickets down:

Today’s match is 6th on the list of highest 9-down scores in the 4th innings.

India was the first team to achieve this. The last entry here is from 1946, where India ended with 152/9 needing another 126 to win. Bedser took 11 wickets in his 2nd Test, having also done so in his debut in the previous Test.

India also ended up needing only one run to win in 2011 after reaching 242/9. This was R Ashwin’s debut. It is not a tie, but would have been one if the 10th wicket had fallen.

Another exciting finish was in 1963, when England ended with 228/9 needing 6 runs to win. They had got this far because Colin Cowdrey had come out to bat after his arm was fractured.

While today’s match had an exciting finish, there have been many others where the survival skills of No 11 batsmen have been tested for long periods.