Cricket Facts: You can’t live in India and not be affected by cricket’s love-wave. I mean, as we’ve talked about before, if we had to split our country in half, it would be between people who love cricket and people who worship cricket.
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Even people like me, who don’t care about sports at all, would be glued to the TV every time India played against Pakistan or in the world cup. So, here are 25 interesting facts about cricket that every fan of the game should know.
1. Shahid Afridi hit the quickest ODI century ever using Sachin Tendulkar’s bat:
In 1996, Shahid Afridi was flown from West Indies to Kenya to play for the Pakistan team. He didn’t have a proper bat with him. Sachin Tendulkar’s bat was given to “Young Afridi” at that time by Waqar Younis. Afridi’s 37-ball century against Sri Lanka was the fastest ODI century at the time. He hit 11 sixes and 6 boundaries with his bat. Corey Anderson broke the record with 36 balls, so it is now held by AB de Villiers of South Africa (31 balls).
2. Only Chris Gayle has ever struck a six off the opening ball in a Test match:
Facts on Cricket: In the 137 years that Test cricket has been played, no one has ever hit a six with the first ball. In 2012, Chris Gayle did this against Bangladesh off the first-time bowler Sohag Gazi.
3. The first Indian cricketer to get a kiss during a Test match was Abbas Ali Baig:
In 1960, when Abbas Ali Baig hit 50 in the third Test match against Australia at the Brabourne Stadium, a pretty young girl ran all the way from the North Stand to greet the batsman. She gave Baig a kiss on the cheek.
4. Vinod Kambli outperforms Sachin Tendulkar in Test matches:
Vinod Kambli only played in 17 Tests, but he scored two double tones in a row. Kambli’s average in Tests is 54.20, while Sachin Tendulkar, a childhood friend who has played 200 Tests, has an average of 53.78.
5. Sunil Gavaskar was out on the first ball of three Test matches:
Sunil Gavaskar was the first batsman to reach 10,000 Test runs, and he ended his career with 34 Test centuries. But did you know that he was out on the first ball of three different Tests? Geoff Arnold (at Edgbaston in 1974), Malcolm Marshall (at Kolkata in 1984), and Imran Khan were the three bowlers who got rid of him (Jaipur, 1987).
6. Australia beat England by 45 runs in the first cricket Test and 1977 Centenary Test:
In 1877, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia beat England by 45 runs in the first Test match. The same people were on the other side, the same place was used, and the same thing happened.
7. All four innings of a test on the same day:
All four innings of the 2000 Lord’s Test between England and the West Indies were played on the same day. This happened again 11 years later when South Africa bowled out Australia for 47 in the famous Cape Town Test.
8. One individual saw Jim Laker and Anil Kumble take 10 wickets in one innings:
Richard Stokes was 10 years old when he saw Jim Laker take all 10 wickets against Australia in the 1956 Old Trafford Test. He went to India 43 years later to watch the India vs. Pakistan Test and saw Anil Kumble take all 10 wickets in an innings. Stokes has only seen these two Tests in his whole life.
9. Sachin Tendulkar played for Pakistan before India:
Can you imagine Sachin Tendulkar playing for Pakistan before India? This happened in 1987 at the Brabourne Stadium during a practice match between India and Pakistan. Tendulkar came on as a substitute fielder for Pakistan.
10. Only Peter Siddle has taken a birthday hat-trick:
Peter Siddle is the only international bowler who has ever taken a hat-trick on his birthday. This happened on November 25, 2010, during the Brisbane Test against England. End of Cricket Facts.
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