“Dale Steyn climbs the 400” – (Courtesy of AFP)
The past week produced some intriguing action from the oldest format of the game. South African paceman Dale Steyn captured his 400th Test wicket while England is on a journey of producing a stunning Ashes tale with a remarkable 8-wicket win at Edgbaston in the 3rd Test that witnessed a mere 215 overs.
Following a victorious ODI series and the stalemate at Chittagong, the emerging giants Bangladesh took the first lease of the wicket at Mirpur in the second Test. Dale Steyn’s list of scalps stood at 399 in his 80th Test for the Proteas.
In the 5th over, Tamim Iqbal became his 400th victim when the opener’s loose shot was followed by a top edge to Hashim Amla at slips. 400 was completed, only the second South African to do so, after Shaun Pollock. He also became the joint fastest in terms of Test matches alongside Richard Hadlee (80), behind Murali (72) and the fastest to reach the landmark in terms of balls (16,634). Steyn is only the 13th bowler to get 400 Test wickets. His strike rate (41.58 balls per wicket) is the best of any bowler with more than 200 Test wickets. The next best is Pakistan’s Waqar Younis (43.4). It means that Steyn has taken a wicket approximately in every 6.5 overs.
However decisive Test was interrupted by unceasing rains when Bangladesh were 246/8 in the 89th over creating unplayable conditions for the remaining 4 days, making it one of the shortest Test matches ever played. In fact it was the 11th shortest Test in terms of balls bowled.
The shortest ever Test match was played between the West Indies and England at Antigua in 2009. The game was abandoned after just 10 balls because bowlers were unable to get any solid footholds in a sandy outfield making Alan Hurst, the ICC match referee to rule the ground conditions as dangerous and unfit to play. It was one of the only two Tests where no wickets fell with the other being between England and Australia at Nottingham in 1926.
The second shortest Test match was also played between the same counterparts at Kingston in 1997/98. The play was suspended after 61 balls as the batsmen experienced treacherous deliveries which lifted off a length. At that point, England was grappling at 17/3. In particular it was Alec Stewart who became furious after being hit few times due to the state of the pitch. It was the first ever occasion in the history of Test cricket when a match was called off due to the pitch.
“The Washout at Asgiriya in 1993” – (Courtesy of AFP)
The Test between Sri Lanka and India at Asgiriya in 1993, not only stands third on the list, but has also gained distinction of becoming the shortest non-abandoned Test match of all time. Although only 12 overs were played in a subsequent washout, Kapil Dev equaled Sunil Gavaskar’s record for most number of Tests for India (125).
However, not all the time did rain-affected games have a negative effect on the gentlemen’s game. The Melbourne Test between Australia and England in 1971 which was washed out without a single delivery, was blessed by a 40-over game on its last day (5th January 1971) as the organizers decided not to disappoint the crowd. The resolution proved to be a momentous makeover, as it became the eventual birth of ODI cricket.
The shortest completed Test match was played between Australia and South Africa at Melbourne in 1931/32. The hosts beat South Africa by an innings and 72 runs in a match which lasted 109.2 overs. Batting first, the South Africans were bowled out for 36 with only the skipper Jock Cameron reaching double figures. In reply, Australians were abated at 153 in a spirited resilience by the visitors. However their second innings was hampered again by the left arm seamer Bert Ironmonger who unleashed his swing to capture 6 wickets and a match bag of 12 as they were bowled out for 45.
In the history of Test cricket, so far only 11 Tests have ended in less than 100 overs and all of them failed to produce a result. Three of them had less than 100 balls bowled for the entire match and the longest of them all was the recent Test in Mirpur between South Africa and Bangladesh which stood at 529 balls.
Steyn entering the ‘400 Club’, in just 80 Tests is phenomenal for a fast bowler. Currently he is one of the 8 bowlers between 400 and 500 wickets. Harbhajan Singh is the only spinner in among the bowlers in that range. Glenn McGrath (563) and Courtney Walsh (519) stand 4th and 5th in the all-time top list while India’s Anil Kumble is in third with 619 scalps. Australian legend Shane Warne is the solitary member of the ‘700 Club’ (708 wickets), 92 victims behind the all-time great Muttiah Muralitharan who has amassed 800.
