The Test debutants of 2015

Here we look at the players who made their Test debuts in 2015, and the highlights of their performances.

We start with batting, listing those who scored at least a fifty:

Only one centurion-but Adam Voges went on to cross 1000 by the end of the year. Ronchi played in only that one Test, Dowrich played in 2 and was not heard of again. Kusal Perera hit two fifties on debut but is now under a doping cloud. CR Brathwaite started promisingly in the end of the year and scored another lower-order fifty in the new year.

The best innings bowling figures (minimum 4 wickets):

The only five-for was by Rashid, after he took 0-163 in the first innings which is the worst innings bowling by a debutant. He played in 3 Tests of that series but did not go on the tour to South Africa. The others made steady progress without anything spectacular.

The best match bowling figures (minimum 6 wickets):

As mentioned above, these three bowlers progressed steadily.

Best innings fielding (minimum 4 dismissals)

Only Australia’s wicketkeeper Peter Nevill qualifies. He has held on to his place in the team.

Best match fielding (minimum 4 dismissals)

Ronchi and Ojha have not played Tests again, Nevill is thriving and Perera’s future is uncertain at least in the short term.

Best all-round performance of batting and fielding (mimimum 50 runs and 4 dismissals)

All three have not been fortunate, as mentioned above.

Best all-round performance of batting and bowling (minimum 20 runs and 2 wickets in match)

This is really scraping the bottom of the barrel-but these are the best all-round performances on debut which can be found. They have continued to play steadily without major scores in Tests.

 

Most runs in Tests in first calendar year

As the statistically-minded would have noted, Adam Voges scored a century on Test debut in June and went on to complete 1000 runs by the end of 2015. He thus completed 1000 Test runs in the calendar year of his debut, becoming only the third to achieve this. This is not to be confused with scoring 1000+ Test runs in the first 365 days after his debut.

The only ones to have achieved this are:

MA Taylor (Aus)        1219@ 64.15       1989

AC Voges (Aus)          1028@ 85.66        2015

AN Cook (Eng)           1013@  46.04       2006

The only Test players from India who scored over 500 runs in the calendar year of their debut:

SM Gavaskar          918@ 83.45    1971

S Ramesh                843@ 49.58    1999

VG Kambli              793@113.28   1993

Yashpal Sharma   591@ 39.40      1979

SC Ganguly            504@ 50.40      1996

It helps, of course, if you make your debut in the early part of the year (though Voges, Yashpal and Ganguly made their debuts in mid-year).

Update:

Spare a thought for M. Azharuddin, who had the misfortune to make his debut in a Test starting on 31 Dec 1984. He made 110 runs in Tests starting in 1984 and 495 in Tests starting in 1985.