Benedict Bermange brings you more cricket stats and wonders if Mushy and Sussex can really do it again?
Sky Sports' cricket stats man Benedict Bermange has teamed up with skysports.com to bring you statistical highlights from our cricket coverage of the past week.
The glorious game will be brought to you in numbers every week as Benedict unearths relevant historical facts that have arisen from the past seven days in the world of cricket.
He will also be on hand to answer your statistical cricketing questions, be it about an existing record, player, team, ground, umpire, laws of the game or whatever your query may be.
If something has been puzzling you, or you have come across a fact or stat during Sky Sports' cricket coverage that you must have verified to cure your insanity, then ask Benedict.
Or if you've been stumped by a quiz question down the local, just email Benedict here or fill out the comment form at the bottom of the page and he will answer your questions.
Back from the brink
At Port-of-Spain, Sri Lanka slumped to 49 for five, before recovering to post a total of 235 for seven, mainly thanks to Chamara Kapugedara's career-best innings of 95.
This was the sixth occasion when a side lost their first five wickets for less than 50 runs and recovered to total at least 235 runs in a one-day international.
The most famous occasion was back in 1983 at Tunbridge Wells, when Kapil Dev's unbeaten 175 led India from the depths of 17 for five to a winning total of 266 for eight against Zimbabwe.
| MATCH |
VENUE |
YEAR |
SCORE AT FALL OF 5TH WKT |
TOTAL |
| Ind v Zim |
Tunbridge Wells |
1983 |
17-5 |
266-8 |
| Africa v Asia |
Bangalore |
2007 |
31-5 |
283 |
| Ind v SA |
Hyderabad |
2005 |
35-5 |
249-9 |
| Pak v Aus |
Karachi |
1998 |
41-5 |
238 |
| Pak v SL |
Leeds |
1983 |
43-5 |
235-7 |
| SL v WI |
Port-of-Spain |
2008 |
49-5 |
235-7 |
|
It was the 26th limited-overs International match, which was won by virtue of runs scored off the last possible ball of the match but the first time with a six off the last ball when six were needed.
There have been three other occasions when a six off the scheduled last ball has won an ODI, in addition to Shiv Chanderpaul's hit off Chaminda Vaas:
| MATCH |
VENUE |
YEAR |
RUNS NEEDED |
BATSMAN |
BOWLER |
| Zim v BD |
Harare |
2006 |
5 |
Brendan Taylor |
Mashrafe Mortaza |
| SA v NZ |
Napier |
1999 |
4 |
Lance Klusener |
Dion Nash |
| Pak v Ind |
Sharjah |
1986 |
4 |
Javed Miandad |
Chetan Sharma |
|
Cow corner
Both Pakistani openers scored centuries in the second ODI against Bangladesh at Lahore. This was the 17th instance of both opening batsmen scoring centuries in the same limited-overs International innings.
However, the partnership of 151 for the first wicket in this case is the lowest in all those cases. The previous lowest was 171 by Saeed Anwar and Asif Mujtaba for Pakistan against Sri Lanka at Sharjah in October 1993.
Ashwell Prince fought a lone hand in the second innings of the Kanpur Test. He batted at number five, and was undefeated on 21 when the final wicket fell. Only six number fives in Test history have scored fewer runs than Prince when undefeated in a completed all-out innings:
| MATCH |
VENUE |
YEAR |
PLAYER |
SCORE/TOTAL |
| SA v Eng |
Birmingham |
1924 |
JMM Commaille |
1*/30 |
| WI v Aus |
Brisbane |
2000-1 |
JC Adams |
16*/82 |
| Eng v Pak |
Leeds |
1992 |
DI Gower |
18*/320 |
| Eng v SA |
Durban |
1927-28 |
RES Wyatt |
20*/118 |
| SA v Eng |
Jo'burg |
1898-99 |
M Bissett |
21*/99 |
| Eng v Aus |
Leeds |
1938 |
E Paynter |
21*/123 |
|
The partnership of 97 between Saqibul Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza against Pakistan at Multan is a record for Bangladesh's ninth wicket in all ODIs, surpassing the unbeaten 62 added by Khaled Masud and Mohammad Rafique against West Indies at Kingstown in 2004.
Captaincy for Keeps
At Kanpur, Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the first Indian wicket-keeper to captain his side in a Test Match. In total, 25 men have captained their side in Test cricket whilst keeping wicket.
The man to have performed both tasks on the most occasions was Gerry Alexander of the West Indies - on 18 occasions.
Going for gold
Sussex will be attempting to become the first county since Yorkshire in 1966, 1967 and 1968 to win the County Championship three years running.
Their leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed will be looking to continue a remarkable streak, which has seen him end each of the last five seasons as the leading wicket-taker in the County Championship.
Mark Ramprakash started the season with 97 first-class centuries and has added another to his tally already. He hopes to become the 25th batsmen to achieve a century of centuries.
If, or rather when, Ramprakash reaches this milestone he will probably be the last member of this club for a while - the active player with the next most centuries is Somerset's Justin Langer with 81.
Benedict answers your questions...
What is the shortest amount of time taken to win a Test match? Phil Mcfarland
BENEDICT REPLIES: The shortest Test, in terms of balls bowled, that had a definite result, came in the final Test of the 1931-32 series at Melbourne on 12 and 15 February 1932, when Australia (153) beat South Africa (36 and 45) by an innings and 72 runs. That match lasted only 656 balls and the total playing time amounted to 5 hours and 53 minutes.
Benedict, what are the two lowest scores a team has ever been bowled out for in two innings in a Test match?Alex Bird.
BENEDICT REPLIES: Funnily enough, that record was also set in the above Melbourne match in which South Africa only managed a total of 81 runs in their two innings. Australian spinner Bert Ironmonger returned the remarkable match figures of eleven for 24.
Has there ever been a team that has declared twice in a Test match and still lost?Liam Broley.
BENEDICT REPLIES: Only two Test matches have been lost by a side declaring both of its innings closed. West Indies (526-7d & 92-2d) lost to England (404 & 215-3) by 7 wickets at Port-of-Spain in 1967-68 and then South Africa (451-9d & 194-6d) lost to Australia (359 & 288-2) at Sydney in 2005/06.
It is said that to win a Test, you must bowl a team out twice but because of declarations, retired hurts or other factors, what's the fewest wickets taken by a team to win a Test match?Nick James.
BENEDICT REPLIES: You may think that the answer to this question is the above match at Port-of-Spain when West Indies lost despite only losing nine wickets in the match. However, in the famous 'forfeiture' match at Centurion in January 2000, South Africa lost despite only losing eight wickets in the match.
Email Benedict
here or fill out the comment form at the bottom of the page and he will answer your questions.
