1st June, 2002

Name: Rahul
Question: Please give me a solution to this riddle: A team requires 7 runs from 3 balls to win. It has last wicket in hand and both the batsmen are on 94. Now, how will the chasing team win and both the batsmen make hundreds also?

Answer 1: The batsman hits the first ball for a four and then takes three runs off the second ball. But he has to ensure that he is one run short . This means he completes his 100 and is now at the non-striker's end, with the team still needing one run to win. The second batsman duly completes his 100 with a six, which is also the winning shot.

Name: Ashish
Question: This is an interesting one Mr.Menon - "Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas" is the fullname of Sri Lankan fast bowler Chaminda Vaas. Is this the longest name in cricket? Did anyone beat this?

Answer 2: Among first-class cricketers Vaas seems to be having the longest full name. However, the full name of Rangana Herath (HMRKB Herath) who played in 3 Tests for Sri Lanka in 1999-00 as a left-arm slow bowler also has a long full name :Herath Mudiyanselage Rangana Keerti Bandara HERATH.

Name: Subrata
Question: Hi, I would like to know Sachin Tendulkar's scores in the 2nd innings of each Test he played when there was a result.

Answer 3: Tendulkar's overall Test record in the first and second innings of his career.

	M	I	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100	50	0
1		94	3	5815	217	63.90	21	24	6
2		60	12	2189	155*	45.60	8	8	4
T	96	154	15	8004	217	57.58	29	32	10
His record in each innings in winning Test matches
1		27	0	1660	176	61.48	6	8	0
2		16	6	613	155*	61.30	2	1	2
T	27	43	6	2273	176	61.43	8	9	2
His record in each innings in losing Test matches
1		28	0	1415	177	50.54	5	4	4
2		28	0	894	136	31.93	3	4	2
T	28	56	0	2309	177	41.23	8	8	6

Name: Sunil Shinde
Question: Can you give us an analysis of how many times Sachin has been out in his 0s [0 to Nine], 10s [10 - 19], 20s [20 - 29] etc? If we consider 80+ as close to a century, which batsman has the most number of close centuries missed? I guess Waugh has been out in his 90s 5 times. Thanks?

Answer 4: Distribution of Tendulkar's Test scores

		0-	10-	20-	30-	40-	50-	90-	100-	150-	200-
TOTAL	(154)	38	23	12	10	10	28	4	19	8	2

Australian Steve Waugh has a record 10 scores in the nineties, while England's Mike Atherton's 16 scores between 80 and 99 is the most by any batsmen in Tests.

Name: Venkatesan Santhanam
Question: Respected Menon, I have an ambition to become umpire in Test cricket. My question is, is it possible for a non-cricketer like me, who played only for his college, to become an umpire? If so, then what do I need to do? I am reading lot of cricket books to update my knowledge in cricket. Thanking you, Venkatesan Santhanam.

Answer5: For a start, you are on the right track. You need to read a lot of cricket books. So continue doing so.You will also need to be through with the Laws of Cricket. Meanwhile, I suggest you contact your local cricket association who may periodically conduct workshops and examinations for aspiring young umpires.

Name: Girish
Question: Hi Mr Menon, who has bowled the fastest ball for India in ODI's as well as for Tests?

Answer:6 Javagal Srinath, Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan, during their international careers, have bowled some of the fastest deliveries by any Indian bowler. However, the old timers feel that former Indian fast bowler Ramakant Desai was quite nippy in during his initial spell.

Name: Steve
Question: Mr. Menon, Are there any occasions where in ODI/Test match, the entire team were (given) out in a similar fashion, i.e., either the entire team were out LBW, bowled, caught, run out, etc?

Answer7: There are several instances of the entire team being dismissed 'caught' but never lbw, bowled or run-out.

Name: Sharan Desai
Question: Which batsman has the distinction of scoring the highest ever individual score in any class of cricket?

Answer8: Arthur Collins (then 13 yrs old) has this distinction while scoring 628 not out - for Clarke's House against North Town in a junior house match in England in June 1899- which still remains the highest individual score made by any batsman in any class of cricket.

Name: Binil
Question: Hi Mohan, A couple of questions:
a. Can you remember any instance when a captain, sitting comfortably in a Test match heading for a draw, declaring the innings and loosing the match? (Like Cronje vs England).

Answer9a: There have been several such instances. The famous of them all came at Port of Spain in March 1968, when West Indian captain Gary Sobers declared his team's innings to set England 215 runs in 165 mins. The visitors won the Test with just three minutes to spare. Sobers, with his attack weakened by a thigh muscle injury to fast bowler Charlie Griffith, gambled on a slight chance of winning rather than let the five-match Test series stagnate. In fact, this was the only Test match in the series that had a result.

#635 WEST INDIES v ENGLAND 1967-68 4th Test
Port-of-Spain 14th - 19th March 1968
England won by 7 wickets

West Indies 1st Innings 526 for 7 dec
RB Kanhai 153, SM Nurse 136, GS Camacho 87 DJ Brown 3/107, IJ Jones 2/108

England 1st Innings 404
MC Cowdrey 148, APE Knott 69*, G Boycott 62 BF Butcher 5/34, WV Rodriguez 3/145

West Indies 2nd Innings 92 for 2 dec
MC Carew 40*, GS Camacho 31, SM Nurse 9 JA Snow 1/29

England 2nd Innings 215 for 3
G Boycott 80*, MC Cowdrey 71, JH Edrich 29 LR Gibbs 2/76, WV Rodriguez 1/34

Captains: GStA Sobers, MC Cowdrey
Toss: West Indies
Umpires: R Gosein, D Sang Hue

Question 9b. What's the Test and ODI record of Chris Cowdrey?

Answer9b: Chris Cowdrey's
Test record from 1984-85 to 1988 - 6 Tests, 101 runs (avg. 14.43), Highest score: 38; 5 catches; 4 wickets (avg. 77.25), Best 2-65
ODI record in 1984-85 - 3 matches, 51 runs (avg. 25.50), HS: 46 not out; 0 catches; 2 wickets (avg. 27.50).

Name: Vithal
Question: What is the highest score made by a number 11 batsman in all forms of cricket?

Answer10: This distinction goes to Tom Smith, who, for Essex against Derbyshire at Chesterfield in 1947, made 163 while batting at number eleven. He put on 218 for the last wicket with Frank Vigar.

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