At Lord's Ian Bell scored his third hundred in successive Ashes Tests

England middle order batsman Ian Bell's scored 2nd successive score of 109  which followed his 115 in the final Test in Sydney in 2010-11 made him only the fourth English batsman to score hundreds in three successive Tests against Australia, following by Sir Jack Hobbs in 1911-12 and again done in 1924-25, Walter Hammond  did it in 1928-29 and Chris Broad in 1986-87. Bob Woolmer scored hundreds in three successive Ashes Tests in 1975 and 1977, but in the middle played against Australia in the Centenary Test in Melbourne, a one-off match in which the Ashes were not at stake. Sir Don Bradman scored centuries in eight successive Ashes Tests in which he batted between 1936-37 and 1946-47 that excludes the 1938 Oval Test, when Don Bradman was unable to bat while carrying injury.

Most Man-of-the-Match awards despite finishing on the losing side?

The leader in one-day internationals, Sachin Tendulkar has lifted the most Man-of-the-Match award on six occasions in ODIs despite ended up on the losing side. Pakistan Javed Miandad won five, while Chris Gayle, Inzamam-ul-Haq and the Flower brothers (Andy and Grant) won four. Chris Gayle is also one of eight players who have won the match award despite losing a Twenty20 international. Sachin Tendulkar has won three match awards in Tests his side lost, as have Wasim Akram and the Bangladeshi pair of Mohammad Ashraful and Shakib Al Hasan but it should be pointed out that such awards in Tests are a relatively recent innovation.

Most Runs and Wickets in Test cricket after their 40th birthday?

Sir Jack Hobbs made 2440 Test runs after turning 40, while two more Englishmen, Patsy Hendren made test runs 1901 and Tom Graveney 1243, are the only others to make more than 1000, although Geoff Boycott was just one short with 999. Jack Hobbs made eight centuries after his 40th birthday, more than twice as many as anyone else, whereas Jeoff Boycott, Tom Graveney, Patsy Hendren and the Australian Warwick Armstrong all made three. Turning to the bowlers, Clarrie Grimmett took 96 wickets in 16 Tests after his 40th birthday, while another Australian slow left arm spinner Bert Ironmonger, took 74 at the startling average of 17.97 after making his debut in 1928-29 at the age of 46. Next comes England's Sydney Barnes with 49 all in one series in South Africa in 1913-14.

 Jack Hobbs made a staggering 2440 Test runs after turning 40

High Scores in List A matches.

Indian left handed opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan ravaged South Africa A for 248 off 150 balls, as he knew very well that he had achieved what only Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag had before - a double-century in limited-over’s cricket by an Indian. When he finally fell with 32 deliveries still left in the India A innings. Shikhar Dhawan realized he could have become the first man in the world to make a triple in the format. I was aware of the record and it felt really special to score these runs. When I got out in the 44th over it occurred to me that if I had batted till the end I had a chance to score a triple hundred. I am happy with what I scored though. India A coach Lalchand Rajput thought the triple was within sight and he batted exceptionally well. I haven't seen a better innings in one-day cricket than this one. The way he batted he would get 300. He played proper cricketing shots. He pulled, he cut, he drove. He played all shots and it was a real treat to watch. 

 Photo Credit to Cricinfo

Most Wickets in Five match ODI serie

Amit Mishra took 18 wickets in the recent one-day series in Zimbabwe, equalled the record for any bilateral series. That was set by another Indian fast bowler Javagal Srinath, who took 18 wickets in New Zealand in 2002-03 but there were seven matches in that series. The earlier record for a five-match series was 15, set by Sri Lankan mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis against Zimbabwe in 2008-09, which was equalled by Graeme Cremer for Zimbabwe in Kenya later in 2008-09, and Abdur Razzak for Bangladesh at home to Zimbabwe in 2009-10. The West Indian fast bowler Patrick Patterson took 17 wickets in six matches in India in 1987-88, while South Africa's fast bowler Craig Matthews took 17 wickets in seven matches in a home series against Australia in 1993-94.

Five Wickets at One-day International debut

So far only 7 bowlers have taken a five wickets on their one-day international debut. Zimbabwe left arm medium fast bowler Brian Vitori, took 5 for 30 in his first match, against Bangladesh in Harare in August 2011. And then uniquely Brian Vitori followed that up with 5 more in his next match, taking 5 for 20 against Bangladesh in Harare two days later. The West Indian Fidel Edwards is the only bowler to take six wickets on his first ODI debut, when he took 6 for 22 against Zimbabwe in Harare in November 2003.

Best figures in a innings on debut
Player	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Wkts	Team	Opposition	Ground	Match Date
FH Edwards	7	1	22	6	West Indies	v Zimbabwe	Harare	29-Nov-03
AIC Dodemaide	7.2	0	21	5	Australia	v Sri Lanka	Perth	2-Jan-88
SHU Karnain	8	1	26	5	Sri Lanka	v New Zealand	Moratuwa	31-Mar-84
A Codrington	9	3	27	5	Canada	v Bangladesh	Durban	11-Feb-03
AA Donald	8.4	0	29	5	South Africa	v India	Kolkata	10-Nov-91
BV Vitori	10	0	30	5	Zimbabwe	v Bangladesh	Harare	12-Aug-11
TCB Fernando	9	0	67	5	Sri Lanka	v Zimbabwe	Sharjah	26-Oct-01

Australia Failed to Win a Test in an Ashes series

The last time Australia failed to win a Test in an Ashes series is quite unusual as you have probably realized, it doesn't happen very often. There have been only three Ashes series since the Second World War in which Australia failed to win at least one match: in 1953, when England won 1-0 with a victory in the final Test that returned the urn to England's grasp for the first time after a record gap of 19 years; in 1970-71, when Ray Illingworth's side won a six-match series 2-0; and in 1977, when an Australian side probably distracted by the announcement of Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket early in the tour lost 3-0. The only other five-match rubbers in which Australia failed to get on the scoreboard were 1926 (England won 1-0) and 1905 (England won 2-0). Australia also did not win a match in the three-Test series of 1884, 1886, 1893 and 1912.

Highest Average in Third Innings of Test Matches

The highest average of any batsman in the third innings of Test matches given a minimum of 15 innings is the lofty 130.41 of the one and only Don Bradman. Next come is Herbert Sutcliffe of England, with 74.75, then the first man with more than 20 innings - another Englishman, Peter May, with 68.05. And then next come two current players the South Africans Hashim Amla (67.00) and Jacques Kallis (66.54). Don Bradman had only 15 innings, and hit 7 hundreds, while the only people to score more centuries than him in the third innings batted far more often is Kumar Sangakkara leads the way with 11 hundreds from 56 third-innings attempts, while Matthew Hayden 42 innings, Alastair Cook 45, Jack Kallis 66 and Sachin Tendulkar 72 all have ten hundreds. 

1000 First Class Matches

The only player to figure in more than 1000 first-class matches is the old Yorkshire and England all-rounder Wilfred Rhodes, who played in no fewer than 1110 first-class matches in a career that stretched from 1898 to 1930, when he was nearly 53. Next on the list is the graceful Kent batsman Frank Woolley, who took part in 978 first-class games. Then comes WG Grace with 870. Given the smaller amount of first-class cricket played these days, it's unthinkable that anyone will ever get near such a number again.

Highest T20 Score by a Pakistani Batsman.

Opening batsman Ahmed Shehzad made the highest Twenty20 score by a Pakistan batsman, when he plundering Zimbabwer for an unbeaten 98. He also bettered bettered his best T20 international innings of 70, achieved in the previous game, to make the highest score in the format by a Pakistan batsman, going past Misbah-ul-Haq's 87* against Bangladesh in Karachi in 2008. He become first from his country to hit six sixes in a T20 innings, Shehzad added 143 for the second wicket with Mohammad Hafeez, making it the highest T20 partnership by a Pakistan pair. The previous best was 142 for the first wicket between Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt against Bangladesh at Gros Islet in the 2010 World Twenty20.

 Photo Credit To Cricinfo

19-Year Old Ashton Agar Test Debut against England at Trent Bridge

Australia have spun a major selection surprise by including the 19-year-old Ashton Agar, a Western Australian left-arm spinner, in their XI for the first Test against England at Trent Bridge. The first big news of the day is the Ashton Charles Agar, (Born October 14, 1993 Melbourne Australia), the left-arm spinner, will make his Test debut. That is a big call from Darren Lehmann to springs a big surprise first up with Ashton Agar debuting. He’s is only 19 and 269 days old and had very little 10 first-class matches experience (31 Wickets 29.38 apiece, 336 Runs, Average 33.60, Three Fifties, 71 highest score) . It’s a Massive Ashes call for Ashton Agar. Ashes always create such an environment and such anticipation in the cricketing world that nothing else looks so special. Ashton Agar is a capable batsman and also a fine fielder. His inclusion leaves the tourists with a team that can be said to bat all the way down to No. 11. 

Photos Courtsey to Cricinfo.

Who learned that he'd been awarded the MBE while on the field in an Ashes Test? The man in question here was the popular Australian all-rounder Ken Mackay, who’s MBE was announced on Australia Day 1963, while he was playing his last Test - the drawn fourth match of the 1962-63 Ashes series in Adelaide. Kenneth Donald Mackay, MBE, who died on June 13, 1982, aged 56, was one of the best and most popular cricketers ever produced by Queensland. As a left-handed middle-order batsman, he possessed a highly distinctive style, this endearing him to crowds which otherwise might have found his rate of scoring unendurably slow. Ken “Slasher” Mackay, whose nickname was ironic as he was famed for his defensive batting, played 37 Tests overall. However his award became public knowledge during that Test, I imagine Mackay himself actually knew about it sometime previously, as the recipients are usually asked beforehand whether they wish to accept. Kenneth Donald Mackay born on October 24, 1925, Windsor, Queensland and died June 13, 1982, Point Lookout, Stradbroke Island, Queensland (aged 56 years 232 days). His major teams are Australia, and Queensland, while his nick name was “Slasher”, batting style Left-hand bat, and bowling style Right-arm medium. His stats are as below.

Tests: 37

Inns: 52

Runs: 1507

Average: 33.48

100’s: No

50’s: 13

Catches: 6

Highest Score: 89 

Wickets: 50

Best Bowling: 6/42

Special Thanks for Photos: Getty Image

Bowler taking 50 first-class wickets in a season at an average of less than 10.00 a Piece

The Jamaican left arm spinner Nikita Miller took 52 wickets at an average of just 8.05 during the West Indian first-class season that has just finished. Only three previous instances of a bowler taking 50 first-class season at an average of less than 10 since the end of the 19th century (the unique feat was relatively common before that). The first instance of those was the New South Wales fast bowler Sydney Callaway, who played three Tests against England in the 1890s, he later moved to New Zealand, and took 54 wickets at 8.77 in the 1903-04 season there, mainly for Canterbury. Furthermore; another fringe Australian player, Ron Oxenham who played seven Test caps between 1928 and 1931 - took 75 wickets at 7.40 for a privately raised Australian touring side in India in 1935-36. And coming up to date a fair bit, the gangling South African fast bowler Vintcent van der Bijl claimed 54 wickets at 9.50 for Natal in 1980-81. 

photo: Cricinfo