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Ashes Stats: Craig Overton equals Darren Gough with performance on debut

James Anderson joins Stuart Broad on 23 Test ducks

Benedict Bermange

Cricket and NFL statistician

Monday 4 December 2017 14:41, UK

England batsman Craig Overton (L) steers a ball past Australian fieldsman Cameron Bancroft (R) on the third day of the second Ashes cricket Test match in A
Image: Craig Overton matched Darren Gough's Old Trafford exploits in 1994

Benedict Bermange reveals how Craig Overton's fine Test debut has seen him match Darren Gough...

Craig Overton is the first England player to take at least three wickets and score at least 30 runs in the first innings of his Test debut since Darren Gough against New Zealand at Manchester in 1994.

Overton became just the third England no.9 to top score on his Test debut - and the first since the 19th century:

Charlie Absolom - 52 versus Australia at Melbourne in 1879
Jack Board - 29 v South Africa in Johannesburg in 1899
Craig Overton - 41no v Australia in Adelaide in 2017

Craig Overton claimed the crucial wicket of Steve Smith
Image: Overton made Steve Smith his first Test wicket on Saturday

Absolom met a sad end. Retiring from cricket, he chose to travel, became a purser and found himself in Port-of-Spain 10 years after his Test debut. However, a crane carrying bananas he was helping to unload fell on him and he died in the local hospital in Trinidad two days later.

Australia took three caught and bowleds in the England innings - their record is four, which they took in England's first innings at Lord's in 1890 and in New Zealand's second innings at Sydney in 1985.

The last Australian pace bowler to take as many as two caught-and-bowled dismissals in the same Ashes innings before Mitchell Starc was Fred Spofforth at Melbourne in 1879.

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Australian paceman Mitchell Starc (R) takes a catch to dismiss England batsman Jonny Bairstow (L) on the third day of the second Ashes cricket Test match i
Image: Mitchell Starc ousted Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes caught and bowled

The only other occasion when three successive Test wickets have fallen to caught and bowled dismissals was in England's first innings against Pakistan at Leeds in 1962 when the batsmen were Fred Titmus, John Murray and Peter Parfitt.

James Vince has been caught at slip or by the wicketkeeper seven times in his last nine Test dismissals.

James Anderson drew level again with Stuart Broad with his England record-equalling 23rd Test duck in his last 126th innings - all this after going 54 innings and more than six years before making his first.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 30: James Anderson of England looks on during an England Nets Session at Adelaide Oval on November 30, 2017 in Adelaide, Au
Image: James Anderson has become a real duck collector

It was no real surprise that Australia didn't enforce the follow-on - in the 21st century they have only enforced it on 14 out of 34 opportunities.

Before today's success, Nathan Lyon failed to see out the night on his previous four appearances as night watchman. However, he had been successful on his first three attempts.

Monday's Adelaide attendance of 43,088 is the largest crowd for day three at the venue.

Australia and England play under lights on the third day of the second Ashes cricket Test match in Adelaide in December 4, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / William WEST
Image: Over 43,000 people packed into Adelaide Oval on Monday

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