Stump The Bearded Wonder No 21

Bill Frindall, aka the Bearded Wonder, is poised to solve your cricket queries and teasers.

The Test Match Special statistician will be busy answering your questions throughout the English winter.

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Here's a selection of the latest answers

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Andrew Hooper, England

Since England are touring India, can you give me the performances of Ian Botham versus India and India's Kapil Dev versus England. Which one stands out of the two?

I assume we are talking proper cricket (Test matches). Botham's record against India is 14 Tests; 1201 runs (avge 70.65); 59 wickets (avge 26.41); 14 catches.
Kapil's against England is 27 Tests; 1355 runs (avge 41.06); 85 wickets (avge 37.34); 11 catches. You decide!

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Frank Calegari, Australia

If the ball hits an unused helmet during play, five runs are scored. How many times has this actually happened in Test cricket?

Innumerable times! Since the law was amended in 2000, such instances are measurable from the breakdown of extras because they are recorded as penalty points and the latter have not been awarded - so far - for any other infringement.

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Nick Russell, UK

I recently stumped a player off a wide. One umpire said he was out, the other said he couldn't be out. As it was a friendly, it didn't really matter, but what is the actual rule - can you be stumped off a wide?

Yes, a batsman can be stumped off a wide - it is quite commonplace. The run for the wide stands. You can also be out handled the ball, hit wicket, obstructing the field and run out off wides.

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Kissoon Lall, Canada

I have noticed that the nomenclature "Proteas" is being used to describe the South African cricket team now playing in Australia. Can you tell me the meaning and origin of it? Thank you in anticipation.

Until the recent 'reformation' the South Africans were known as the Springboks. I think their rugby sides still are. The protea is a shrub, native to South Africa, which produces conelike flower-heads.

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Chamath Perera, USA

What is the highest Test/First Class score by a number 11?

First-class: 163, TPB Smith, Essex v Derbyshire, Chesterfield 1947.
Test: 68* RO Collinge, New Zealand v Pakistan, Auckland 1972-73.

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S Paul, UK

When did the following countries start playing Test Cricket: India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

India: 25 June 1932 v Engalnd at Lord's.
Pakistan: 16 October 1952 v India at Delhi.
Sri Lanka: 17 February 1982 v England at Colombo.

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Vijay Kumar, USA

My research indicates Brian Lara's aggregate of 350 (220 and 130) in the third Test in Colombo, coupled with his world record 375 in St. John's makes him the only man to aggregate 350 plus in Tests twice. Please confirm this.

Absolutely correct, Vijay. G S Chappell, G A Gooch, Hanif Mohammed, L Hutton, A Sandham, G St A Sobers and M A Taylor have achieved this feat one each.

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Dave, UK

Can you be given out 'handled the ball' if you deliberately use your elbow/forearm guard to deflect the ball?

No. You can only be dismissed handled the ball if you willfully touch the ball while in play with a hand or hands not holding the bat unless you have done so with the consent of the opposing side, are avoiding injury or are returning the ball to a member of the fielding side.

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Mohan Naidu, India

Can a wicket-keeper bowl in a cricket match. If yes, has anybody done it so far?

Yes and it has frequently happened. Two wicket-keepers have removed their pads and taken hat-tricks in first-class cricket: Probir Sen for Bengal v Orissa at Cuttack in 1954-55 and A.C. (Alan) Smith for Warwickshire v Essex at Clacton in 1965.

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Kissoon Lall, Toronto, Canada

Can you tell me how many batsmen have scored 200 runs in a day, both in Tests and first-class cricket. Thank you in anticipation.

Test matches: 26 instances by 18 batsmen. Don Bradman (6) and Wally Hammond (4) are alone in achieving this feat more than once, 'The Don' holding the record with 309 v England at Leeds in 1930.

Other first-class matches: the benchmark is 300 hundred in a day. There have been 19 instances and no one has achieved it more than once. The record is 390 by Brian Lara during his record 501* for Warwickshire v Durham at Birmingham in 1994. Bradman's 309 is the only instance at Test level.

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Carol Parker, England

Did Graham Yallop ever play county cricket in England? If so, who for?

No, he didn't. He played in the 1980 Centenary Test at Lord's, in all six Tests in England in 1981 and in the 1983 World Cup. Apart from his 114 at Old Trafford in 1981 he met with little success over here.

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Chris Wheatley, New Zealand

Richie Benaud goes on endlessly in his commentaries about the present front foot rule, claiming it is daft and that the old rule made more sense. Unfortunately, he never says what the old rule was! Can you explain?

The old rule concentrated on the bowler's back foot and allowed the umpire slightly more time to adjust his gaze from the crease to the batsman. At the instant of delivery the bowler had to have at least part of one foot behind the bowling crease and not touching or grounded over either crease.

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ERRATA

Stephen Rutkowski, Australia

In a reply to a past query from Adam Harchuk, you mentioned Don Bradman's innings of 334 at Leeds in 1934. Surely 1930?

Quite right, Stephen. He had a miserable time at Headingley in 1934 and scored only 304!

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Chand Patel, UK

This is in response to the answer mentioned in Stump The Bearded Wonder No 17 in which it is wrongly mentioned that only four batsmen have been dismissed on 199. I think five batsmen have been dismissed for 199, fifth batsmen being Sanath Jayasuriya against India in the second Test of the 1997-98 series played in the SSC, Colombo.

Thank you, Chand. You spotted the deliberate omission - perhaps we should introduce a prize-winning feature!

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