Nathan Lyon dismissed Angelo Mathews for his second Test wicket, and also for his 552nd. Was this the biggest difference in terms of getting the same player out? asked Peter Walker from Australia
The Australian offspinner Nathan Lyon bowled Angelo Mathews for his second Test wicket in Galle in September 2011, having dismissed Kumar Sangakkara with his first delivery. You’re right that Mathews recently became Lyon’s 552nd wicket – also in Galle – and my first thought that this difference of 550 would be the most.
But I’d overlooked an even more famous spinner… Sri Lanka’s own Muthiah Muralidaran actually occupies the top five places on this list. Anil Kumble of India was his 18th Test victim, and also his 755th (a difference of 737). Daniel Vettori was his 97th and 783rd wicket (686), Sachin Tendulkar his 124th and 793rd (669), Sourav Ganguly his 132nd and 754th (622), and Rahul Dravid his 130th and 749th (619). England’s Stuart Broad also has an entry higher than Lyon’s: Tim Southee of New Zealand was Broad’s sixth Test wicket, and also his 573rd – a difference of 567.
It was Muzarabani’s tenth Test: 31 players who won more caps achieved their highest score and best bowling figures in the same match. Top of the list is England’s Michael Vaughan: his highest score of 197 and best bowling of 2 for 71 both came in the 21st of his eventual 82 Test matches, against India at Trent Bridge in 2002.
Next come a pair of Pakistanis, who often played together: Majid Khan made 167 and took 4 for 45 against West Indies in Georgetown in March 1977, in the 35th of his 63 Tests, while Wasim Raja recorded 125 and 4 for 50 against India in Jalandhar in 1983, in the 47th of his 57 matches. The best performances of Yuvraj Singh’s 40 Tests for India both came in his 20th match – 169 and 2 for 9 against Pakistan in Bengaluru in December 2007.
Prabath Jayasuriya has 80 of his 116 Test wickets at Galle. Is this the highest percentage for anyone with more than 100? asked Alistair Lynch (no relation!) from Bermuda
After the recent series against Australia, Sri Lanka’s slow left-armer Prabath Jayasuriya had 116 wickets in his 20 Tests. And 80 of them have come in Galle, which amounts to almost 69% of his victims. You’re right that this is easily a record for anyone with 100 or more: next comes the 19th-century Australian “Terror”, Charlie Turner, who took 45 of his 101 Test wickets (44%) at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Zimbabwe’s Heath Streak took 83 of his 216 (38.4%) at the Harare Sports Club, while the Bangladesh slow left-armer Taijul Islam currently has 217 Test wickets, 82 of them (37.7%) at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur.
Harshit Rana took three wickets in an innings in his first Test, his first ODI and his first T20 international. Has anyone else managed this? asked Tom Collier from England
India’s Harshit Rana picked up 3 for 48 on his Test debut against Australia in Perth in November 2024, added 3 for 33 against England in his first T20I in Pune last month, and completed the set with 3 for 53 in his first ODI, against England in Nagpur on February 6.
Four other players have completed this notable treble of at least three wickets in an innings on debut in all three formats: Jon Lewis of England (4 for 24 in T20Is, 3 for 32 in ODIs, and 4 for 68 in his only Test, against Sri Lanka at The Oval in 2006), Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis (3 for 39 in his first ODI, 4 for 72 and 4 for 60 on Test debut against India in Colombo in 2008, and 4 for 15 in his first T20I), Devendra Bishoo of West Indies (3 for 34 in first ODI, 4 for 17 in first T20I, and 4 for 68 on Test debut), and Australia’s Pat Cummins (3 for 25 in first T20I, 3 for 28 in first ODI, and 6 for 79 on his Test debut, all in South Africa in 2011 when he was 18). The feat has only been possible since T20Is started in 2004-05.
Was 2024 the year in which the most home Tests were lost? asked Unnikrishnan from India
With only three drawn games, there was a record number of completed Tests in 2024 – 50. That included 21 wins away from home, which as you suspect was also a record: there were 19 in 2004, 18 in 2021, and 16 in 2000, 2001 and 2008. These numbers exclude matches on neutral territory, like Ireland’s win over Afghanistan in Dubai early last year. In 1967, when 12 Tests were played, there were no away wins at all. For the year-by-year details, click here.
There were 28 home wins in 2024, matching the amount from 2002, and beaten only by the 29 home Test victories in 2013. For that list, which also excludes matches on neutral territory, click here.
Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.