Ambidextrous Bowlers

 

In cricket, we have seen cricketers with multiple talents. Some bowlers like Andrew Symonds and Sachin Tendulkar could ball both spin and gentle medium pace. This often left doubts in opponent batsmen’s minds. But times have changed and the cricketing minds are always in search of new plans and ideas. From early times we have seen ambidextrous cricketers. They used to bat with one hand and ball with the other. Players like Saurav Ganguly, Thisara Perera, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, and Kagiso Rabada used to ball with the right hand, but bat with the left. There were some like Zaheer Khan who bowled with his left hand but batted right-handed. But now we are witnessing some other talents in bowlers, who can bowl with both of their hands. This bunch of ambidextrous bowlers may become a boon to their respective teams in the future.

Kamindu Mendis

The Srilankan is primarily a left-handed batsman who plays for Srilanka in all three formats of the game. He has played 16 T20s, 9 ODIs, and 4 Test matches. In as many test matches he has scored 3 centuries and 2 half centuries. He has picked 5 wickets in all formats combined.

Long before he was called up to the national team, Kamindu Mendis was well-known for his special ball-handling abilities. With both arms, he bowls finger spin with precision and skill. Coaches have been impressed by his potential as a bowler who can spin the ball away from both left- and right-handers and use multiple lines of attack against the same batsman in the T20 era.

Kamindu Mendis

Saim Ayub

 Saim Ayub made his PSL debut in 2021 for Quetta Gladiators at the age of 18. He was a highly cherished talent for his consistency and quick run-making capabilities. He averaged 41 in First class career and 26 in T20s. His strike rate was 144 in T20s. But it was not smooth sailing for him in the international arena. He made 309 runs in 23 T20Is with an average of 14.71 and a strike rate of 122. These figures didn’t do justice to his talent showcased in the domestic format. Saim Ayub is an ambidextrous bowler who could bowl right arm medium pace and . But he is only a part-time bowler and has only 1 Test wicket and 2 first-class wickets.

Saim Ayub Bowling in Test Match

Akshay Karnewar

 He is an Indian first-class domestic cricketer who can bowl right-arm off-break and left-arm orthodox spin. He was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 10 lakh in the 2016 IPL auction. He is also a handy batsman and has scored 695 runs at an average of 34.75. He plays for Vidharbha.

Akshay Karnewar

Nivethan Radhakrishnan

Nivethan Radhakrishnan is an Indian-born Australian cricketer. He is an all-rounder who bats left-handed and possesses the ability to bowl both right-arm and left-arm spin. In 2017 he played for Karaikudi Kaalai in Tamil Nadu Premier League. In 2018 he played for Dindigul Dragons in the tournament. His breakthrough came in 2019 when he played for an Australian Under-16 team in Dubai against Pakistan. In 2020, he received the Bill O'Reilly Medal and also obtained the Basil Sellers Scholarship. He signed his first professional deal with the Tasmanian Tigers in 2021. He was included in Australia's squad for the West Indies 2022 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in December 2021. On February 18, 2022, he made his Sheffield Shield debut for Tasmania in the 2021–2022 season.

Nivethan Radhakrishnan

 

Yasir Jan

 Throughout its history in cricket, Pakistan has produced several exceptionally talented fast bowlers. The Lahore Qalandars of the Pakistan Super League carried out a talent search in 2016 and discovered Yasir Jan, a 21-year-old fast who can bowl with both arms and generate significant pace with either. Jan is genuinely exceptional. Yasir has agreed to a 10-year developmental contract with Qalandars. However, things have not gone as smoothly for the newcomer. 2018 saw him suffer an injury while bowling, which hampered his career. After his recuperation, he received funding to travel to the UK in 2019 to participate in a Derbyshire club cricket season. After giving some excellent performances in Pakistan, he was given sponsorship to tour Australia in 2020. He experienced a disappointing stress fracture in his lower back at that time.

Yasir Jan

Bangladesh Defeats Pakistan: Creates History

Bangladesh created history at Rawalpindi when they defeated Pakistan for the first time in Test history. The long wait of Bangladeshi fans was fulfilled in the first test of the series. After winning the toss, the Bangladesh captain, Najmaul Hossain Shanto chose to field first. His decision proved right when Bangladesh bowlers dismissed Abdullah Shafique and captain Shan Masood for single-digit scores and Babar Azam for a duck. At one stage Pakistan was in a precarious situation of 16/3. But a half-century from Saim Ayub and centuries from Saud Shakeel and Mohammed Rizwan helped Pakistan reach a more than decent total of 448/6. Pakistan captain declared the innings at 448/6 and Mohammed Rizwan was stranded at 171*. The declaration later proved costly to Pakistan. 

Bangladesh Openers Zakir Hasan And Shadman Islam

Bangladesh in reply to Pakistan, made a mammoth total of 565 in the first innings. Opener Shadman Islam missed his century by 7 runs. Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan scored half-centuries. But the real hero of Bangladesh's first innings was their veteran batsman Mushfiqur Rahim. He made a breezy 191, which included 22 fours and 1 six. Unfortunately, he missed out on a well-deserved double-century. Pakistani bowlers found it tough to restrict the Bangladeshi batsmen. Pakistan lacked the services of a genuine spinner who could grip and turn the ball. Their pacers were good, but the pitch was least supportive.

Mushfiqur Rahim

The second innings of Pakistan started in the fag end of the fourth day. Bangladesh managed to dismiss Saim Ayub before the close of 4th day's play. The fifth day was going to be important and Pakistani batsmen were expected to show some resilience and application. But they were not up to the task. Wickets kept felling at one end. Only Mohammed Rizwan showed some grit while scoring a half-century. Other, than Rizwan, only 3 Pakistani batsmen crossed the double-digit mark in the second innings. For, Bangladesh Mehidy Hasan Miraz picked up 4 wickets, while Shakib Al Hasan picked up 3. Pakistan's innings ended at 146, and Bangladesh had to make just 30 runs in their second innings. Openers Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam completed the formalities without any further loss of wickets. Mushfiqur Rahim was adjudged the player of the match for his 191 in the first innings.

Shikhar Dhawan Retires From All Formats of Cricket

Shikhar Dhawan, the former Indian opener announced his retirement from all forms of International cricket on 24th August 2024. Famously called Gabbar, the dashing left-hander made his international ODI debut in 2010 against Australia at Vishakhapatnam. Unfortunately, he was bowled off McKay for a 2 ball duck. But Virat Kohli scored a century in the match and India won by 5 wickets. 

Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan Debut

Later in 2011, Dhawan made his T20 debut against West Indies at Port of Spain. In the match, he scored just 5 runs from 11 balls. India went on to win the game by 16 runs. In 2013, Dhawan made his Test debut against Australia at Mohali. He had a forgettable debut in ODI and T20 matches, and this time he wanted to make it a memorable one. Shikhar Dhawan opened the innings along with Murali Vijay. Shikhar Dhawan made the fastest century by a debutant in a Test match when he scored 100 off 85 balls. He scored 187 runs from 174 deliveries, including 33 fours and 2 sixes. Even though the play on the first day was lost, India managed to win the match by 6 wickets. Incidentally, India won the debut ODI, Test, and T20 match of Shikhar Dhawan. 

Shikhar Dhawan Statistics 

Even though he made a scintillating debut in Test, he played only 34 test matches. In as many matches, he scored 2315 runs at an average of 40.6, with 7 centuries and 5 half centuries. Dhawan was much more effective in ODI and T20. In the ODI format, he played 167 matches and scored 6793 runs at an average of 44 and a strike rate of 91.3. He had scored 17 hundred and 39 half-centuries in ODI. Dhawan also played 68 T20 matches and scored at an average of 27.9.

Shikhar played his last ODI match against Bangladesh in 2022 at Chattogram. His last T20 game for India was against Sri Lanka in 2021 in Colombo. He was the captain of the Indian side in the series. Unfortunately, he was dismissed for a golden duck in the innings by Chameera. His last appearance for India in a Test match was in 2018 against England at the Oval. In his last match, he had scored 3 and 1. England won the match by 118 runs.

Shikhar Dhawan along with Rohit Sharma formed a formidable opening pair for India in ODIs. The left-right combination opened in 115 innings and scored 5148 runs together. They had 18th-century stands between them. This was the second-highest century stands for the opening pair for India after the Sachin-Ganguly duo. The opening pair scored at an average of 45.55 runs. After 100 ODIs, Dhawan has scored 4309 runs, which was just behind the record score of 4808 runs of Hashim Amla.

Shikhar Dhawan in ICC Events

On big stages, Dhawan has been India's go-to man. For Shikhar Dhawan, the 2013 Champions Trophy marked a turning point. He started by scoring two centuries in a row against the West Indies and South Africa. Following that, came scores of 48 against Pakistan, 68 against Sri Lanka, and 31 off 24 balls against England in the final match. With a strike rate of 101.39 and an average of 90.75 runs in five innings, he concluded the tournament with 363 runs. India emerged victorious. He led India's run chart in both the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2015 ODI World Cup following the Champions Trophy. He hit a century against Australia in the 2019 ODI World Cup, but his fractured thumb kept him out of the competition. Dhawan has the greatest average (65.15) among players who have scored at least 1000 runs in the ICC tournaments. He amassed 1238 runs with six hundreds and four fifties in 20 matches. Dhawan saved his best for the big occasions: he was India's top run scorer in both the 2014 and 2018 Asia Cups.

Highest Run Scorer in Each Batting Position in Tests

The year 2010 was a special one for ODI fans, because it was in that year, in which Sachin Tendulkar became the first batsman in ODI history to breach the 200-run mark. Since then, the 200-run mark has been achieved on 11 different occasions. 264 scored by Rohit Sharma, against Sri Lanka in 2014 remains the highest individual score in the history of ODI cricket. In the test matches, 400* scored by Brian Lara versus England in 2004 remains the highest-ever individual score in Test cricket. No other batsman has ever reached the 400-run milestone in the history of Test cricket. In this article, we discuss the highest score in each batting position in Test Cricket history.

Position 1: Leonard Hutton

The 364 runs scored by the English opener against Australia in 1938 remains the highest score by any batsman at position 1 in Test cricket. Len Hutton was a prolific scorer for England. He amassed 6971 runs at an average of 56.7 from 79 matches. in his career, he scored 19 centuries and 33 half-centuries. He was injured while participating in the Second World War. But that did not deter him from playing cricket afterward. He played with a lighter bat when he returned to cricket and retired from cricket in 1955.

Leonard Hutton

Position 2: Matthew Hayden

Matthew Hayden made his Test debut in 1993, but could not make the most of it. His poor returns and the success of Michale Slater at the top delayed Hayden's progress at the top. But later after 1999, Hayden became a regular face of the Australian line-up. The heavily built Australian opener scored 8265 runs from 103 test matches at an average of 50.73. He had a good conversion rate, as he went on to score 30 centuries and 29 half-centuries in test matches. In 2003 at WACA he created a world record when he scored 380 runs against Zimbabwe. At that time it was a world record, overtaking Brian Lara's record of 375 runs. Till now, it is the highest score by a batsman at number 2.

Matthew Hayden

Position 3: Brian Lara

Brian Lara is considered one of the greatest ever batsmen in the history of cricket. The run machine for West Indies scored 11,953 runs at an average of 52.88. He has 34 centuries and 48 half-centuries in test matches. His score of 375 against England made in 1994, remained the highest individual score in Test cricket until 2003, when Matthew Hayden overtook him by scoring 380 against Zimbabwe. But Lara regained his record when he scored 400* against England in 2004 at Antigua. This remains the highest individual score in Test cricket.

Brian Lara

Position  4: Mahela Jayawardene

Mahela Jayawardene is the second player from Sri Lanka who has scored over 10,000 runs in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) after Sanath Jayasuriya. The batsman known for his elegance and silken touch, is also the first batsman in the history of Sri Lankan cricket to reach over 10,000 runs in Test matches. In Test cricket, Jayawardene's highest score of 374 against South Africa is the largest, by a batsman at position 4.

Mahela Jayawardene

Position 5: Michael Clarke

The former Australian captain scored at an average just below 50, to amass 8643 runs from 115 test matches. He was an aggressive captain. Michael Clarke scored 28 centuries and 27 half-centuries in tests. His 329* remains the highest score by a batsman at position 5.

Michael Clarke

Position 6: Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes is an admirable English Cricketer. His energy and leadership skills have led England to achieve new goals in the Test arena. England coach Brendon McCullum along with captain Ben Stokes has played an important role in reviving English Test Cricket hopes. The new concept of Bazzball has born the results. Ben Stokes is a tough character and his never-say-die attitude has always earned the respect of the opponents. Ben Stokes scored 258 off just 198 balls against South Africa at Cape Town in 2016. This is the highest score at position 6 by any batsman at position 6. 

Ben Stokes

Position 7: Don Bradman

Don Bradman is regarded as the greatest Test batsman ever and his test average of 99.94 may never be surpassed in the history of the game. He was born to score runs, and he compiled 6996 runs in 52 test matches. He scored just 13 half-centuries, but 29 centuries. The highest score of Don is 334 runs against  England in 1930. But the highest score by a batsman at position 7 is his' 270 against England in 1937 at Melbourne.

Don Bradman

Position 8: Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram is known for his pace-filled swinging deliveries. The former Pakistani Captain is the second-highest ODI wicket-taker with 502 ODI wickets. In tests, he has 414 wickets from 104 matches. In a Test match against Zimbabwe in 1996, he amassed the greatest test innings score by a batsman at position eight with 257 not out. That innings saw him score 12 sixes, which is still the record for the greatest number of sixes by a player in a single Test innings.

Wasim Akram

Position 9: Ian Smith

The former New Zealand wicketkeeper holds the record for the highest score by a number 9 batsman in Test Cricket. He achieved this record when he scored 173 off 136 balls against India in 1990 at Auckland. Ian Smith scored 1815 runs from 63 test matches at an average of 25.56.

Ian Smith

Position 10: Walter Read

Walter Read holds the record for scoring the highest runs at position 10. Although his century came while batting at position 10, he was not a bowler. He scored 117 runs in 1884 against Australia at the Oval. Incidentally, this was his highest score in his Test career. Walter Read has played 18 test matches for England and scored 720 runs.

Walter Read

Position 11: Ashton Agar 

The Australian spinner Ashton Agar made a memorable debut in Test cricket during The Ashes test at Trent Bridge in the year 2013. While Australia was reeling at 117/9, Ashton Agar came at number 11 and scored 98 runs. This remains the highest score by a number 11 batsman. Unfortunately, Ashton could not continue his performances in the Test arena and slowly shifted his interest to T20 cricket.

Ashton Agar

 

Instances When 11 Bowlers Were Used in an Innings

There have been 4 instances in test cricket when all the 11 players of the side found their name in the bowling cards. The first match of such a record happened in 1884 and the latest one was in 2005. All those matches were high-scoring ones and ended up in a draw.

 

England Vs Australia, The Oval (1884)

 It was the third test of Australia's tour of England. Batting first, Australia piled up 551 runs with Billy Mudroch scoring a double century and Percy McDonell and Tup Scott scoring centuries. In reply, England was all out for 346 runs. England was made to follow on, and the game ended in a draw. England were 85/2 in their second innings.

It was in the first innings of Australian batting, that the English team had used 11 bowlers. It was the first time in the history of test cricket. Interestingly, the best bowling figures of 4/19 in the innings for England was achieved by their wicketkeeper Alfred Lyttelton. Lyttelton was also the first man to play both cricket and football for England.

 

Australia Vs Pakistan, Faisalabad (1980)

The second test of Australia's tour of Pakistan took place on a flat track of Faisalabad. Winning the toss, Australian captain Greg Chappell elected to bat first. He led from the front scoring a double century. Australia reached a mammoth score of 617 runs. In reply, Pakistan reached 382/2, and the match ended in a draw. For Pakistan Taslim Arif scored a double century and Javed Miandad scored a century. The Australian captain used all his available members to throw down some overs. Even the Australian wicketkeeper Rod Marsh sent down 10 overs for 51 runs. He went wicketless.

Rod Marsh

India Vs West Indies, St. Johns (2002)

It was the fourth test of India's tour of WI, in 2002. It was the first time in a test match when Wicketkeepers from both sides has scored a century. Winning the toss, West Indies opted to field first. India declared their innings at 513/9. VVS Laxman and Ajay Ratra scored centuries for India. In reply, West Indies scored 629 for the loss of 9 wickets in the first innings. Carl Hooper, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and Ridley Jacobs scored centuries for the West Indies. India used 11 bowlers in the West Indies innings. Indian wicketkeeper Ajay Ratra bowled 1 over, while Rahul Dravid kept wickets.

Ajay Ratra

South Africa Vs West Indies, St. Johns (2005)

It was the fourth time a team has used 11 bowlers in the history of test cricket. Interestingly it was the second time this has occurred in this venue of St. John’s ground. Batting first South Africa declared their innings at 588/6. AB De Villiers, Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, and Ashwell Prince scored centuries for South Africa. In reply, the West Indies scored a mammoth score of 747 runs! Chris Gayle scored a triple century and Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and Dwayne Bravo scored centuries. South Africa used 11 bowlers. Their wicketkeeper Mark Boucher sent down 1.2 overs and picked the wicket of Dwayne Bravo. He was the last man to be dismissed in the West Indies innings. In their second innings, South Africa reached 127/1 and the match ended in a draw.

Mark Boucher

 

The Fastest Bowler in IPL 2024

 Mayank Yadav

    The fastest ball of IPL 2024 belongs to the Delhi Speedster Mayank Yadav. The 21 year old has been the new speed sensation of IPL 2024. Mayank Yadav made his T20 debut for Delhi in 2022. He has so far played only 1 First class match, where he picked up 2 wickets for 46 runs. He has an experience of 17 List A matches and 11 T20 matches. His record in List A matches reads 34 wickets at an average of 21.55. While in T20 matches he has picked up 15 wickets at an average of 14.26.

Mayank Yadav

The lanky speedster has raw pace and can hurry even the best of batsmen. He was bought by Lucknow Super Giants in 2023, but couldn't make his debut that year because of an injury. In the current year 2024, he made his debut for LSG against Punjab Kings. In the match, he picked up 3 important wickets for 23 runs. His scalps included Johny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma. his spell reduced Punjab Kings from 100/0 to 139/3. While doing so, he sent down the fastest delivery of IPL 2024, clocking 155.8 Kmph. He was adjudged the player of the match for his fine performance with the ball.In his second IPL match, he proved that his performance in the first match was not a one-time wonder. In the match he picked up 3 wickets for just 14 runs in his 4 overs. In the match, he breached the 150kmph barrier and delivered the fastest delivery of IPL 2024 at 156.7 Kmph. In his third match, he was injured and left the field.

Injury has been a problem for the pacer and he needs to be nurtured well by the management keeping in view of a longer and extended scheme of cricketing journey. Mayank Yadav has good line and length in addition to his raw pace and this makes him more lethal. But again these are early days for us to jump into conclusions. We have seen many pacers who came to the limelight due to sheer pace but couldn't remain there, due to wayward line and length or injury problems. But let's hope, Mayank can withstand the pressures, improve consistently and be a part of the Indian pace attack.

Gerald Coetzee: Confusion over record

Initially, confusion prevailed regarding the fastest delivery of IPL 2024. During a match of Mumbai Indians versus Rajasthan Royals, the Mumbai Indians pacer Gerald Coetzee was supposedly shown to have bowled a delivery at 157.4 Kmph. So naturally this would have been the fastest delivery of IPL 2024. But later when Mayank Yadav delivered the 156.7 Kmph delivery, he was displayed as the fastest bowler. Later the official list in X platform put by BCCI also displayed Mayank Yadav as the fastest bowler of IPL 2024. There might have been an error in the speedometer or display, which has shown the delivery of Coetzee as the fastest one initially.

Gerald Coetzee