8 Most Unexpected Record Holders In International Cricket History

The game of cricket, over the years, has produced some unexpected, surprising, at times even unbelievable outcomes of matches. So have been the same case with incidences, records, or statistics.

There are some records or facts in the game which will blow your mind away; take you by surprise by their unexpectedness. It will make you wonder: How is it possible? How did it happen? That must be factually incorrect. But no, the game throws days that may seem improbable, but are true.

Here we take a look at the 8 Most Unexpected Record Holders In International Cricket History:

Ajit Agarkar: Fastest Fifty By An Indian Player In ODIs

Batting a strike rate of 268 for more than 50 runs is an outstanding effort even in modern-day cricket. Doing the same in the year 2000 was madcap crazy; coming it from a bowler would have been extraordinary.

India pacer Ajit Agarkar played a blinder against Zimbabwe in December 2000 in Rajkot. He assaulted the bowling attack comprising Heath Streak, Grant Flower, Bryan Strang, and Brian Murphy for a knock of 67 runs in 25 balls, rolling to his fifty off just 21 balls – a record for an Indian batsman standing till date. Kapil Dev, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, and Rahul Dravid are all behind Agarkar with half-centuries off 22 balls.

Wasim Akram: Most Sixes In An Inning In Test Cricket – 12 Sixes

Bowlers love batting; they love whacking the ball; swinging for the fences when there isn’t much left to gain. Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram did the same – he swung and connected 12 good times – in his unforgettable double hundred against Zimbabwe in 1996 at Sheikhupura.

Coming in at 183/6, in reply to Zimbabwe’s first innings total of 375, the left-arm launched a surreal counter-attack on the bowlers. He smashed 22 fours and a world-record 12 sixes, for an unbeaten 257-run blitz taking the total of 553.

James Anderson: Conceded Most Runs (28) In An Over In Tests

Regarded as one of the greatest Test bowlers, if not the greatest, James Anderson has taken over 600 Test wickets – the only pacer to do so. However, it was a forgetful day for the legendary bowler when he came up against a rampant George Bailey in Perth in the third Ashes Test of the 2013/14 series.

Looking to force the target, on the verge of declaration, in Australia’s second innings, Bailey went after England’s now-leading wicket-taker. He harrumphed Anderson for 4,6,2,4,6,6 taking 28 off the over.

Anderson shared this record with teammate Joe Root and Robin Peterson who conceded the same amount of runs against Keshav Maharaj and Brian Lara respectively.

Sanath Jayasuriya: Has More ODI Wickets & 5-Fers Than Shane Warne

One of the most fearsome batsmen of his time, Sanath Jayasuriya has a mind-boggling bowling record as well. The left-hander, with his part-time off-spin, has picked a staggering 323 ODI wickets with 4 five-wicket hauls.

What makes the feat even more astonishing is that it is a better record than legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne. The Australian prised out 293 ODI scalps with just a solitary five-fer in his ODI career.

Sachin Tendulkar: Has More 5-Fers Than Shane Warne

Now, even Sachin Tendulkar, who is regarded as arguably the greatest batsman to have graced the game, has more five-wicket hauls than Shane Warne in ODIs!

Sachin Tendulkar wasn’t even as regular a bowler as Jayasuriya. Tendulkar, with his mixed variations of seam, leg-spin and off-spin, scalped 154 ODI wickets and has 2 five-fers to his name – 1 more than Warne. So, while Tendulkar used to dominate Warner with the bat, it is with the ball as well where he has one up over the Aussie, albeit in ODIs five-fers.

Australia: Lost 3 Matches After Enforcing Follow-On In Test Cricket

There have been just three instances in the history of Test cricket where a team has lost the game even after enforcing the follow-on; coincidentally, on all three of these extraordinary occasions, Australia was the losing side.

Australia, renowned as one of the most dominating cricket teams, suffered three humiliating losses even after forcing the follow-on: two against England – at Sydney (1894) and Headingley (1981); one against India at Calcutta (2001).

Rahul Dravid: ‘The Wall’ Bowled Most Times In Test cricket – 55 Times

In a surprising piece of statistic, Rahul Dravid, who holds the record of most balls faced in Test cricket, and nicknamed ‘The Wall’ for his tenacious ability to hold his wicket and unflappable patience, ironically, also has been out bowled most times in Test cricket.

His stumps have been rattled 55 times in the longest format – just 1 more than Sachin Tendulkar. In the last 7 Tests of his career, Dravid was bowled 9 times and it was the one major factor that forced him into retirement.

Misbah-ul-Haq: Second Fastest Test Century (56 Balls)

Misbah-ul-Haq has a career Test strike rate of 44.53; in the second innings of the second Test of the 2014 series against Australia in Abu Dhabi, the then Pakistan captain batted at 177.19, registering a historic Test ton in 56 balls, equaling the record of Viv Richards for the then fastest century in Test cricket.

Misbah, known as the ‘tuk-tuk’ batsman for his general tranquil batting approach, went berserk against the Aussie bowlers hitting 11 fours and 5 sixes.

A little over a year later, the then New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum broke Misbah and Viv Richards’ record. McCullum, playing in his last Test, came out swinging for everything against Australia and brought up his ton in 54 balls in his knock of 145 runs off 79 balls.

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