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The Three Graces
Wisden CricInfo staff - November 4, 2001

Friday, November 16, 2001 The column in which our database director answers your queries, large or small, about the history of the game. If you have a question for Steven Lynch, e-mail him at steven.lynch@wisden.com

Three brothers in the same Test side

Record gap in a player's Test career

How many players have been capped by Australia

Highest partnership in the World Cup

Involved in all ten wickets in an innings

Test hundreds before lunch

Who was the Australian WG

Bradman bowled by a magician

England's rugby and football openers

Centenary Test survivor

How often have three brothers all played in the same Test side? asks Peter Nicholson (November 16)

There have been two instances of three brothers appearing in the same Test side. The first time it happened was at The Oval in 1880 - the first Test match in England - when WG, EM and GF Grace all played. It was the only Test for EM and GF - in fact Fred (GF) Grace died of congestion of the lungs a fortnight after this match. The other occasion involved the famous Mohammad brothers, four of whom represented Pakistan. Three of them played against New Zealand at Karachi in 1969-70 - Mushtaq, Hanif, in his last Test, and Sadiq, in his first. There was an oddity in the Test at Cape Town in 1891-92, when three Hearne brothers played - Alec and George for England, and Fred for South Africa.

What is the record gap, in terms of matches missed, in a player's Test career? asks Brian Warren (November 16)

The record-holder is Younis Ahmed, the Pakistan batsman who did not appear in a Test between 1969-70 and 1986-87 (two people - John Traicos and George Gunn - have had longer time gaps). Pakistan played 104 Test matches in the time between Younis's first two matches and his last two, when he was called back by Imran Khan to bolster the middle order. Younis was a controversial character who played for three English counties as well as South Australia, and who incurred a long ban from Pakistan cricket after visiting South Africa. He only just shaded the record from Hampshire's metronomic medium-pacer Derek Shackleton, who missed 103 Tests between his third Test, in India in 1951-52, and his fourth - the famous Lord's Test of 1963 against West Indies, when it was the run-out of Shackleton that brought Colin Cowdrey, broken arm and all, to the crease in the last over.

How many Australians have played for their country? asks Roy Tingle (November 9)

The total now is 401. Of those, 384 have worn the famous baggy green Test cap � Simon Katich was the latest addition to that exclusive club at Headingley last year. There are 17 more players who have played for Australia in one-day internationals but not in Tests, so have only sported the slightly less legendary tight yellow baseball cap.

What is the highest partnership for any wicket in the World Cup? asks Anoop Ahmed (November 9)

The highest is the second-wicket stand of 318 between Sourav Ganguly (183) and Rahul Dravid (145) for India against Sri Lanka at Taunton in 1999. Ganguly hit 16 fours and seven sixes, and was one six-hit away from beating the record for the highest individual score in the World Cup, Gary Kirsten's 188 not out for South Africa against the United Arab Emirates at Rawalpindi in 1995-96. The partnership set up a massive Indian victory by 157 runs and ensured that Sri Lanka, the holders, would not reach the second phase of the 1999 competition. The stand of 318 was an overall record for any one-day international � but the record lasted for little more than five months, when Sachin Tendulkar (186 not out) and Dravid (153) piled on 331 for India's second wicket against New Zealand at Hyderabad.

When Richard Hadlee took nine wickets against Australia at the Gabba (1985-86), he also caught the tenth batsman out, to give Vaughan Brown his one and only Test wicket. Has anyone else (apart from Jim Laker and Anil Kumble when they took all ten wickets) been involved in all ten wickets to fall in a Test innings? asks Donovan Storey (November 9)

The only other occasion was in 1956-57, when Hugh Tayfield bowled South Africa to victory over England at Johannesburg with 9 for 113 � and he also took the catch (off Trevor Goddard) to remove the other batsman, England's top-scorer Doug Insole (68). Tayfield's performance grabbed the top spot in the Wisden 100 bowling ratings.

How many batsmen have scored a Test hundred before lunch? asks Channer Aeon (November 9)

Only four batsmen have started a Test match in style by scoring a century before lunch on the first day. Three of them are Australians � Victor Trumper (v England, Old Trafford, 1902), Charles Macartney (v England, Headingley, 1926), and that man Bradman (v England, Headingley, 1930 � he finished the first day with 309 not out). The other one was Majid Khan, the elegant Pakistani opener, against New Zealand at Karachi in 1976-77. Eleven batsmen are known to have scored a century before lunch on one of the other days: KS Ranjitsinhji (1896), Clem Hill (1902-03), Warren Bardsley (1912), Philip Mead (1921), Jack Hobbs (1924), Tuppy Owen-Smith (1929), Wally Hammond (1932-33), Les Ames (1935), Stan McCabe (1935-36), Greg Chappell (1981-82) and Mark Taylor (1998-99). Of those Ames, with 123 on the third day against South Africa at The Oval in 1935, has scored the most runs in any pre-lunch session.

Can you settle an argument and tell me who was known as the Australian WG Grace? asks John R Thomas (November 9)

This was George Giffen, the indefatigable 19th-century South Australian allrounder who once followed up an innings of 271 by taking 9 for 96 and 7 for 70 . In all he did the match double (100 runs and 10 wickets) nine times (WG managed it on 17 occasions, but played many more matches). Giffen scored 1238 runs in 31 Test matches, and also took 103 wickets.

Which member of the Magic Circle bowled Don Bradman for a duck in a Test? asks Tom Ware (November 4)

It was Bill Bowes, of Yorkshire, who bowled The Don at Melbourne in 1932-33. Bradman hooked at a short-pitched ball, but only succeeded in under-edging it into his stumps. He made up for it in the second innings, however, with 103 not out. That was the bespectacled Bowes's only wicket of the infamous Bodyline series. In all Bowes took 68 wickets at 22.33 in his 15 Test appearances, and he was also an important member of the strong Yorkshire side which won the County Championship seven times in the 1930s. After retirement Bowes, who was a keen amateur magician - hence his membership of the Magic Circle, the famous conjurors' club - became a well-respected cricket writer. He died in Leeds in 1987.

When was England's batting opened in a Test by an international rugby player and an international footballer? asks Allan Sanders (November 4) This was in the third Test of the one-sided 1958 series against New Zealand, at Headingley. The players involved were Mike (MJK) Smith and Arthur Milton. Smith had played once at fly-half for England's rugby team, against Wales in 1956. His cricket career was much longer -- he won 50 caps, scoring 2278 runs, and captained England in exactly half his Tests. Milton was making his debut in that Headingley match, and scored 104 not out, to become the first Gloucestershire batsman to make a century on test debut since WG Grace in 1880. But that was the highlight of his short six-match career -- his next-highest score was 34. Milton's England football career was even shorter: he was called up as a replacement, after only 12 league matches on the right wing for Arsenal, for the 2-2 draw against Austria at Wembley in 1951. He never played again.

Who was the only man to play for England in both Centenary Tests? asks Matt Barnard (November 4)

This looks like a trick question at first - after all, the two Centenary Tests were little more than three years apart. But actually you're right, only one Englishman played at Melbourne in March 1977 and at Lord's in August 1980 ... Chris Old, the Yorkshire fast bowler. For the record, the England sides in those matches were as follows. Melbourne 1976-77: Bob Woolmer, Mike Brearley, Derek Randall, Dennis Amiss, Keith Fletcher, Tony Greig (capt), Alan Knott (wk), Old, Derek Underwood, John Lever and Bob Willis. Lord's 1980: Graham Gooch, Geoff Boycott, Bill Athey (making his debut), David Gower, Mike Gatting, Ian Botham, Peter Willey, David Bairstow (wk), John Emburey, Old and Mike Hendrick. Only three Australians played in both games - the great triumvirate of Greg Chappell, the captain, wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, and Dennis Lillee.

More Ask Steven columns
October 2001
September 2001
August 2001

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