Also: India’s youngest and oldest centurions, and an autobiography called
Steven Lynch09-May-2016Who has had the highest batting average in a calendar year, given a reasonable number of innings? asked Richard Edelman from England
Two Sri Lankans lead the way here. Kumar Sangakkara averaged 138.29 in 2007 – he had nine innings, two of them not-out, and his 968 runs included four centuries. Second comes Hashan Tillakaratne, with 136.40 from ten innings in 2001, helped by five not-outs. Next is Garry Sobers who, in 1958, made 1193 runs in 13 innings at an average of 132.56. Four of those innings were not-outs, including his 365 not out against Pakistan in Kingston, the Test record at the time. If you insist on a qualification of ten completed innings, then the leader is Michael Clarke, with 106.33 from 15 completed innings in 2012, the year he completed a record four double-centuries in Tests.Is Sachin Tendulkar both the youngest and oldest Test and ODI centurion for India? asked Ashish Mittal from Singapore
Sachin Tendulkar was only 17 (plus 112 days) when he made his first Test century, against England at Old Trafford in 1990. He was, by nearly three years from Kapil Dev, India’s youngest Test centurion. In fact, Tendulkar made five hundreds before his 20th birthday, and no other Indian has made one. His last Test century came in January 2011, when he was aged 37 years and 255 days. Three Indians have been older when they reached three figures in a Test: Rahul Dravid scored seven hundreds at a greater age, the last in November 2011 when two months short of his 39th birthday, while Vinoo Mankad made two – both double-centuries – against New Zealand in 1955-56 when he was 38. But the oldest Indian centurion is Vijay Merchant, who was 22 days past his 40th birthday when he scored 154 against England in Delhi in 1951-52, in what turned out to be his final Test.It’s the other way round in one-day internationals. In these, Tendulkar is the oldest to make a hundred for India: that elusive 100th international hundred, his 114 against Bangladesh in Mirpur in March 2012, came up when he was aged 38 years and 327 days – around seven months older than Sunil Gavaskar when he made 103 not out (his only ODI century) against New Zealand in Nagpur during the 1987 World Cup. Tendulkar was 21 years 138 days old when he made his first ODI hundred, in September 1994. Three Indians have reached three figures when younger. Yuvraj Singh was aged 21 years and 120 days when he made an unbeaten 102 against Bangladesh in Dhaka in April 2003, while Virat Kohli made two centuries in 2009-10, not long after turning 21. But the youngest of all for India remains Vinod Kambli, whose 100 not out against England in Jaipur in January 1993 was scored on his 21st birthday.I noticed that Ravi Bopara has scored three Test hundreds, but no fifties. Has anyone else done this? asked Duncan Field from England
The Test career of Essex and England’s Ravi Bopara featured an unusual sequence. After three ducks in a row in Sri Lanka late in 2007, he was ignored for more than a year, then was recalled and made 104, 143 and 108 in three successive Tests in which he played in 2009 against West Indies, despite being dropped after the first of those centuries! Bopara has played only seven Tests since, the last in 2012, with a highest score of 44 not out: his international career appears to be over, even though he only turned 31 last week. No one else has finished their Test career with three centuries but no scores of 50-99. The only men with two hundreds but no fifties are Barry Knight (another Essex man) and Allan Steel of England, Australia’s Harry “Dasher” Graham, Amal Silva of Sri Lanka, and former Pakistan opener Wajahatullah Wasti. India’s KL Rahul currently also has two hundreds but no fifties to his name, but will probably play again soon.Will Ravi Bopara ever get the chance to score a Test fifty?•Getty ImagesAs per a recent question, Brad Hogg is the oldest player to figure in the IPL. But who’s the youngest? asked Jamie Stewart from Canada
The youngest player to appear in the IPL is Sarfaraz Khan, who was only 17 years and 177 days old when he made his debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Chennai Super Kings in Bangalore in April 2015. Sarfaraz just edged out Delhi Daredevils seamer Pradeep Sangwan, who was two days older on his IPL debut, against Super Kings in Chennai in May 2008. Unmukt Chand was 16 days past his 18th birthday when he played his first match in the IPL, for Daredevils against Mumbai Indians at the Feroz Shah Kotla in April 2011.Which cricketer called his life story Run Out? Was it Jonty Rhodes? asked Simon Ellis from England
I suppose that’s what Rhodes should have named his autobiography, but actually his 1998 book is actually just called Jonty (and subtitled “Fruits of the Spirit”). Others might suggest that Denis Compton or Inzamam-ul-Haq should have had books by this name, but actually I can only find one cricketing title that broadly fits the bill. Graham Halbish called his 2003 book Run Out: it details the events that led to his removal as the Australian Cricket Board’s chief executive.Further to last week’s question about most missed Tests, how many did Bob Simpson miss in his ten-year break? asked Peter Blundell from Australia
Between his initial retirement in 1967-68 and his surprise recall, rising 40, to captain Australia in 1977-78 in the wake of the defections to Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket, Bob Simpson missed 71 Tests. That’s joint 14th on the overall list, but second for Australia, behind Brad Hogg, who missed 78 matches between his debut in 1996-97 and a short-lived recall in April 2003. Simpson’s gap of nine years and 305 days between Tests is another Australian record (Edgar Mayne also went more than nine years between appearances, mainly thanks to the First World War), although overall he is well down that particular list. Over his entire career, Simmo missed 86 Tests after his debut: that’s fifth on Australia’s list after Mike Whitney (92), Peter Sleep (95), Damien Martyn (101) and Brad Hogg (129).Send in your questions using our feedback form.