Cricket is one of the oldest sports that is globally played. From the initial officially documented Test match that was held on the 15th of March 1877, international cricket has now been around for more than 141 years, covering three distinct centuries. It is a game of uncertainty and each year, new milestones are set.
Many cricket players have been immortalized in the hall of fame and are remembered as legends. Over such a long period of time, it was inevitable that some remarkable occurrences would take place. Here are some noteworthy facts, statistics, and records.
1. First wicket as ‘bowled out’:
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the only bowler in cricket who has taken his first wicket in each of the three formats of the game as bowled.
2. Unbeaten centuries
Shivnarine Chanderpaul holds the record for most centuries not out (unbeaten) in Test cricket, having made 18 out of his 30 centuries in Test matches.
3. Longest start without a duck
Faf du Plessis is the only cricketer to have gone through 100 consecutive innings without being out for a duck since his very first match.
4. Consecutive Player of the Match awards
Sourav Ganguly is the only cricketer to have earned four Player of the Match awards in a row in One Day Internationals.
5. Whitewash
Australia is the only team to have achieved a clean sweep (win all matches) against every Test-playing nation in Test cricket.
6. Most numbers of maidens
Muttiah Muralitharan holds the record for the greatest number of maiden overs bowled in international cricket, with 1992 overs.
7. Finishing the match with a six
MS Dhoni has the most successful record of ending a match with a six out of nine occasions for India in ODI cricket.
8. Most numbers of hat-tricks
Wasim Akram is the only bowler who holds the record for the most number of hat-tricks, having taken two in both Test and ODI cricket.
9. Number coincidence
It was a remarkable coincidence that Alec Stewart was born on 8-4-63 and he went on to tally 8,463 Test runs in his career.
10. Hundred in the first innings as opener
KL Rahul is the only opener to have achieved the milestone of scoring a hundred in his first innings as an opener in both ODI and Test matches.