Amid the global coronavirus pandemic, the majority of sports events, competitions, and championships have been canceled.
However, the players are still finding ways to stay in shape and entertain the audience.
One of those players is Hardik Pandya, an Indian international cricketer, who is “quaran-training” at home, as he wrote on his Twitter profile.
Pandya is working hard to make a comeback after his back injury in September. Hardik will once again play for India in the three-match ODI series against South Africa.
Cricket fans are patiently waiting for the latest cricket updates, hoping that the sport will return to small screens soon.
Until then, let’s learn about some fascinating facts about cricket.
10-Day Test Match
Test matches used to be never-ending events where cricket players played until a definitive result was reached. In 1939, that resulted in the longest played cricket match ever.
The match between South Africa and England went into the 10th day with England chasing 696.
However, the game was declared a draw by agreement because the captain of the ship who was supposed to take England home refused to wait any longer. England needed just 42 more runs for the win.
Shortest Test Match
In terms of playing time, the shortest Test match was only 50 minutes long. England and Australia played at Trent Bridge in 1926, where England scored 32-0, and 17.2 overs were bowled.
The shortest Test match, in terms of balls bowled, was between West Indies and England at Sabina Park in 1998. In 56 minutes, only 10.1 overs were bowled and England scored 17-3.
The Rule That Never Changed
True cricket fans know how often rules can be changed and adjusted in cricket. The last decade introduced new changes, which created the cricket you know and enjoy today.
However, one rule that stayed the same since cricket was invented is the pitch length. The pitch has been 22 yards or 20.12 meters long and 9.8 feet or 3 meters wide since the game’s inception.
Highest Number of Runs
Probably one of the most exciting cricket matches happened in 1990 in a match between Canterbury and Wellington. New Zealand’s cricket witnessed the highest number of runs scored in a single over — 77. Wellington’s Bert Vance played the oddest overs thus far that progressed like this — 0 4 4 4 6 6 4 6 1 4 1 0 6 6 6 6 6 0 0 4 0 1.
However, Tilak Raj and Malcolm Nash as bowlers and Garry Sobers and Ravi Shastri as batsmen all hold the record of 36 runs in 6 6 6 6 6 6 sequences. Vance’s record is not included as the highest since he deliberately conceded runs in an attempt to manufacture an otherwise unlikely victory.
Retired at 999 Dismissals
One of the finest wicket-keepers of all time, Mark Boucher, holds the record for the most dismissals as a wicket-keeper.
Boucher played all three formats of the game before retiring in 2012. Boucher got his name in the records book with 999 dismissals during his career.
Mark played for South Africa and finished his career on a high with 532 catches and 23 stumpings in Tests, 403 catches and 22 stumpings in ODIs, and 18 catches and one stumping in T20s.
