How many women cricketers have scored a century in a single session of a Test match?
How many times has Zimbabwe defeated India
Lamela Makonwe from Zimbabwe asked about Zimbabwe’s record against India in international cricket following their recent T20 victory in Harare. This win marked Zimbabwe’s 15th victory over India across all formats, and notably their first in over eight years, since another T20 triumph in Harare back in June 2016. It’s important to note that this Indian team was different from the one that had won the T20 World Cup final in Bridgetown just a week earlier.
Zimbabwe has now secured three T20 victories against India, alongside ten wins in One-Day Internationals, which includes a memorable 50-over World Cup victory in Leicester in 1999. They have also claimed victories in two Test matches: first by 61 runs in Harare in October 1998, and later by four wickets in Harare in June 2001.
How many women cricketers scored century in a single session of a Test match?
AK Srivastava from India asked if any other woman has ever scored a hundred in a session during a Test match. During the recent women’s Test against South Africa in Chennai, Indian opener Shafali Verma had scored 65 runs by lunch on the first day and quickly progressed to 165 not out by tea. While women’s Test cricket records are not as extensively documented as men’s, it appears this was the first instance of a woman scoring a hundred or more runs in a single session.
Verma went on to score 205 runs, marking the tenth double-century in women’s Test history and the second for India after Mithali Raj’s 214 against England in Taunton in 2002.
Verma and Smriti Mandhana’s opening partnership of 292 runs also set a new record for women’s Test cricket. The previous best for the first wicket was 241 runs, achieved by Kiran Baluch and 16-year-old Sajjida Shah for Pakistan against West Indies in Karachi in 2003-04. The highest partnership for any wicket remains 309 runs for the third wicket, scored by Lindsay Reeler and Denise Annetts for Australia against England in Wetherby in 1987.
India’s total of 603 for 6 declared in that match also set a new record for women’s Test cricket, surpassing Australia’s 575 for 9 declared against South Africa in Perth earlier that year.
On a different note, addressing Michael Tucker’s query from the West Indies, Delmi Tucker became the 30th woman in history to register a pair in a Test match. England’s Laura Marsh is the only player with two such instances
What is the record for the most centuries scored in a Test and an ODI match without anyone else reaching fifty?
Vikash Lal Dodani from India asked about instances in Test and ODI cricket where centuries were scored without anyone else making a fifty. In Test cricket, there have been several matches featuring seven individual centuries, with one notable example being the India vs. South Africa match in Kolkata during the 2009-10 season, where seven centuries were scored without any scores between 50 and 99.
In England’s matches against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1938 and against West Indies in Port-of-Spain in 2008-09, there were seven hundreds and only one fifty scored in each match. Similarly, the Australia vs. New Zealand match in Perth during the 2015-16 season saw six centuries but no fifties.
The record for ODIs stands at four individual centuries without anyone else scoring a fifty, set during the match between Pakistan and Australia in Lahore in 1998-99.
How many players have converted their first Test century into a score of 300 or more?
Peter de Vries from Ireland inquired about Test players extending their maiden century to 300 runs. Three players have achieved this feat. The legendary West Indian Garry Sobers was the first, scoring 365 not out against Pakistan in Kingston in 1957-58. Australia’s Bob Simpson reached his maiden century in his 30th Test match, eventually scoring 311 against England at Old Trafford in 1964. The most recent addition to this exclusive club is India’s Karun Nair, who scored 303 not out against England in Chennai during the 2016-17 season.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retired from T20Is as the top two leading scorers in the format. Who currently holds the top position?
Jason Hewitt from England recently asked which current player leads in T20I runs after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli stepped away from the format as its top scorers. Currently, Rohit Sharma has amassed 4231 runs, while Virat Kohli follows closely with 4188 runs. Pakistan’s Babar Azam stands next in line with 4145 runs, needing just 87 more to surpass them, provided Rohit and Kohli do not return to play.
A surprise contender in fourth place is Ireland’s Paul Stirling, boasting 3601 runs. Among active players, Mohammad Rizwan has scored 3313 runs, and Jos Buttler follows with 3264 runs. Interestingly, women players currently lead in this category: New Zealand’s Suzie Bates, continuing to play, recently surpassed Rohit Sharma’s tally with a score of 43 against England in Southampton last weekend .