Australian Fast Bowler Shaun Tait, once the Fastest Bowler in The World.

Australian Fast Bowler Shaun Tait, once the Fastest Bowler in The World.

Test captain to score a triple-century

The first captain to score 300 runs in a Test was Australian Bob Simpson who produced a brilliant inning of 311 at Old Trafford in 1964. After that there have been seven further triples by Test captains:

• ·        Graham Gooch's 333 for England v India at Lord's in 1990.
• ·        Mark Taylor's 334 not out for Australia v Pakistan in Peshawar in 1998-99.
• ·        Brian Lara's 400 not out for West Indies v England in St John's in 2003-04.
• ·        Mahela Jayawardene's 374 for Sri Lanka v South Africa in Colombo in 2006.
• ·        Younis Khan's 313 for Pakistan v Sri Lanka in Karachi in 2008-09.
• ·        Michael Clarke's 329 not out for Australia v India in Sydney in 2011-12.
• ·        Brendon McCullum's 302 for New Zealand v India in Wellington 2013-14.

Bob Simpson the first Test captain to make a triple-hundred, at Old Trafford in 1964 John Dawson  © PA Photos

Cricketers have played Tests for England and Australia against each other?

There's only one player who has played both for England against Australia and for Australia against England and it was an awfully long time ago, when the qualification rules were bit more elastic. Billy Midwinter was born in Gloucestershire in 1851, but he was taken to Australia at the age of 9. He played for Australia in the very first Test of all, at Melbourne in March 1877. He was very handy all-rounder but he returned to England later that year, and played for Gloucestershire. When an Australian team toured England in 1878 and he played a few games for them - until in a famous incident he was more or less kidnapped by WG Grace, Gloucestershire's captain, and ‘persuaded’ to turn out for the county. In 1881-82 Billy Midwinter was part of Alfred Shaw's privately raised team which toured Australia, and played in 4 games now considered Tests  before resuming his Australian connections and playing 6 more Tests for them, in 1882-83, 1884 (in England) and 1886-87. Overall Billy Midwinter appeared in 12 Tests, scoring 269 runs at 13.45 and taking 24 wickets at 25.20, with a best return of 5 for 78 in the very first Test of all, at the MCG in 1876-77.

1878 Australian Team and Billy Midwinter sitting in the middle

Billy Midwinter

One Day Hundred at No. 7

Australian James Faulkner's express 116 in last ODI in Bangalore against India was actually the 10th century by a No. 7 in one-day internationals. The first batsman was Sir Lankan Hashan Tillakaratne's round 100 for Sri Lanka against West Indies in Sharjah in Oct 1995, whereas the highest runs remains MS Dhoni's unbeaten 139 for the Asia XI v Africa in Chennai in June 2007. James Faulkner's hundred, which came up in just 57 balls, actually is the fastest by a No. 7, beating Indian Yusuf Pathan's 68 balls against South Africa in Centurion in January 2011. For the record, there has not yet been a one-day hundred by anyone batting lower than No. 7.

Most Sixes in One Day International.

There were 38 sixes in the last one-day international between India and Australia at Bangalore 2013 was easily a record in an ODI, well beating the previous 31 sixes hit by New Zealand (13) and India (18) in Christchurch in March 2009. Both sides in Bangalore at full mood and cracked 19 sixes, beating the previous record of 18 in an innings, which had happened four times, most recently in that Christchurch match. Moreover 38 sixes was also a record in any List A (senior one-day) game, beating the 33 hit by New South Wales (14) and Victoria (19) in their Ryobi Cup match in Sydney in 2012-13.

Both No. 8s scored centuries in Test.

There have been only two previous instances of both No. 8s batsman reaching three figures: in Bridgetown in May 1955, Ray Lindwall scored 118 for Australia, and Clairmonte Depeiaza countered with 122 for West Indies; and in Sheikhupura in October 1996, Zimbabwe's Paul Strang made 106 not out, and Wasim Akram replied for Pakistan with an unbeaten 257 - the highest score by any No. 8 in Tests. New Zealand wicketkeeper batsman BJ Watling (103) and Sohag Gazi for Bangladesh (101 not out) at Chittagong Test in 2013.

Maximum Number of Players to Appears in a Test Series.

England is specialists in this area, when they’ve used in Ashes series at home record 30 players in the 5 match series against Australia in England in 1921, and 29 in six games in 1989. Australia employed 27 players in their home series against England in 1884-85, helped by having to change the entire XI for the second Test after a dispute about payments. West Indies used 27 players in the four Tests of their first home series, against England in 1929-30, including a different captain for each match. Australia used 13 players in 1921, giving the overall record for both sides of 43 men participating in one Test series. 

Player Played his First Four Tests against Four Different Countries.

Tony Dodemaide of Australia did do it in 1987-88, when his first four Tests against New Zealand, Sri Lanka, England and Pakistan were successive matches for Australia, so it wasn't a case of him being in and out of the side. Tony Dodemaide started his career as a fast-bowling all-rounder and appeared in 10 Tests and 24 One Day Internationals for Australia, taking 534 first-class wickets for Victoria and Sussex. In spite of healthy batting and bowling averages for an all-rounder at test level Tony only made 10 Test appearances. On his debut, he took six wickets in the second innings against New Zealand in Melbourne in 1987

But it wasn't unique, even then: the Scottish-born Middlesex and England opener Eric Russell had played his first five Tests against different countries during the 1960s (Pakistan, India, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand). Since then three others have replicated Russell's feat: Robin Peterson, the South African slow left-armer;  and current New Zealand quick bowler; Trent Boult,  and the Bangladesh fast bowler Hasibul Hossain, who actually only played five Tests, all against different opposition. 

Played most Test matches without ever bowling?

Over ten years, Ian Healy was the pulse of the Australian team. From his shock selection and humbling beginning in Pakistan in 1988-89, he worked and willed himself to become the most successful wicketkeeper of them all.  Ian Healy leads this list. He never turned his arm over during the course of 119. Second is the leading non-wicketkeeper, New Zealand Stephen Fleming of New Zealand, with 111: the only other man to play a century of Tests without ever bowling is Andrew Strauss, who won exactly 100 caps.

11 Oct 1999 Ian Healy of Australia the usual wicketkeeper, in the unusual position of bowling, during the tour match between the Zimbabwe President's XI and Australia at Bulawayo

Wicketkeeper made the most stumpings in Tests?

This record has stood for more than 75 years now, the only wicketkeeper to make more than 50 stumping in Tests is Bert Oldfield, the little New South Welshman who spent much of his long international career which stretched from 1920-21 to 1936-37 keeping to the teasing leg-spin of Clarrie Grimmett. Bert Oldfield ended up with 52 Test stumping, 28 of them off Grimmett’s bowling. Next come Godfrey Evans, with 46 stumping, and then next Indian Syed Kirmani (38) and Adam Gilchrist (37), just ahead of the leading current keeper, MS Dhoni (36). The leader in one-day internationals is Kumar Sangakkara, with 85 stumpings, ten ahead of MS Dhoni and Romesh Kaluwitharana both at 75.

Wicketkeeper made the most stumpings in Tests?

Player                                                      Span                        Mat         Inns         Dis           Ct             St            

WAS Oldfield (Aus)                                1920-1937               54            101          130          78            52           

TG Evans (Eng)                                       1946-1959               91            175          219          173          46           

SMH Kirmani (India)                               1976-1986               88            151          198          160          38           

AC Gilchrist (Aus)                                   1999-2008               96            191          416          379          37           

MS Dhoni (India)                                     2005-2013               77            143          248          212          36           

HAPW Jayawardene (SL)                        2000-2012               52            90            129          97            32           

IA Healy (Aus)                                         1988-1999               119          224          395          366          29           

Wasim Bari (Pak)                                      1967-1984               81            146          228          201          27           

RS Kaluwitharana (SL)                            1992-2004               49            85            119          93            26           

JM Blackham (Aus)                                 1877-1894               35            57            59            35            24           

ATW Grout (Aus)                                    1957-1966               51            98            187          163          24           

LEG Ames (Eng)                                      1929-1939               47            81            95            72            23           

MV Boucher (ICC/SA)                             1997-2012               147          281          555          532          23           

AFA Lilley (Eng)                                      1896-1909               35            67            92            70            22           

Kamran Akmal (Pak)                                2002-2010               53            99            206          184          22           

H Carter (Aus)                                         1907-1921               28            55            65            44            21           

JJ Kelly (Aus)                                          1896-1905               36            67            63            43            20           

KS More (India)                                       1986-1993               49            90            130          110          20           

KC Sangakkara (SL)                                 2000-2013               117          90            151          131          20           

Moin Khan (Pak)                                     1990-2004               69            118          147          127          20