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Pairs in Test and first-class cricket

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A pair in cricket refers to when a batsman is dismissed for a duck (without scoring) in both innings. It is called a 'king pair' if the batsman gets out for a golden duck [getting out on the first ball he faced] in both innings.

The name originates from the two noughts together being thought to resemble a pair of spectacles; the longer form is occasionally used.[1]

Most pairs in a Test career

New Zealand fast bowler Chris Martin has been dismissed without scoring in both innings during seven Test matches, three more than any other player. Five players have been dismissed for four pairs of ducks in Tests. Four are bowlers with no great pretensions towards batsmanship – Bhagwat Chandrasekhar of India, Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka and West Indians Mervyn Dillon and Courtney Walsh – but the fifth is top order batsman Marvan Atapattu of Sri Lanka. He started his Test career with just one run in six innings – including two pairs – and has bagged two more since. The 14 men who have collected three pairs include Glenn McGrath, Curtly Ambrose and Andrew Flintoff.[2]

Pairs on Test debut

As of 1 January 2020, 44 batsmen have been dismissed for a pair on their debut in Test cricket:[3]

Consecutive pairs

These batsmen all bagged pairs in two Tests in a row.[4]

In recognition of his consecutive Test pairs, Mark Waugh, who had scored a century on his Test debut, was temporarily nicknamed "Audi", after the car-maker with the four-circle logo. His team mates pointed out that if he had scored five Test ducks in a row, he could have been nicknamed "Olympic".[5]

Ajit Agarkar and Bob Holland actually were each dismissed for five consecutive Test ducks, a record they share with Mohammad Asif for Pakistan in 2005/2006.

Pairs by Test captains

23 captains have been dismissed for a pair.[6]

  1. Joe Darling for Australia v England at Sheffield in 1902
  2. Louis Tancred for South Africa v England at The Oval in 1912
  3. Vijay Hazare for India v England at Kanpur in 1951/52
  4. Harry Cave for New Zealand v West Indies at Dunedin in 1955/56
  5. Frank Worrell for West Indies v Australia at Melbourne in 1960/61
  6. Richie Benaud for Australia v England at Leeds in 1961
  7. Imtiaz Ahmed for Pakistan v England at Dhaka in 1961/62
  8. Bishen Bedi for India v England at Delhi in 1976/77
  9. Ian Botham for England v Australia at Lord's in 1981
  10. Allan Border for Australia v West Indies at Perth in 1992/93
  11. Mark Taylor for Australia v Pakistan at Karachi in 1994/95
  12. Stephen Fleming for New Zealand v Australia at Hobart in 1997/98
  13. Courtney Walsh for West Indies v Pakistan at Rawalpindi in 1997/98
  14. Rashid Latif for Pakistan v South Africa at Port Elizabeth in 1997/98
  15. Nasser Hussain for England v West Indies at The Oval in 2000
  16. Jimmy Adams for West Indies v Australia at Melbourne in 2000/01
  17. Waqar Younis for Pakistan v Australia at Sharjah in 2002/03
  18. Habibul Bashar for Bangladesh v Zimbabwe at Harare in 2003/04
  19. Marvan Atapattu for Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Faisalabad in 2004/05
  20. AB de Villiers for South Africa v England at Centurion in 2015/16
  21. Sarfaraz Ahmed for Pakistan v South Africa at Centurion in 2018/19
  22. Faf du Plessis for South Africa v Pakistan at Centurion in 2018/19
  23. Mominul Haque for Bangladesh v India at Eden Gardens, Kolkata in 2019/20

Sarfaraz Ahmed and Faf du Plessis made pairs in the same match,[7] the first time this had happened in the same Test.[8] Ian Botham's pair came in his last Test as captain while Mark Taylor, Rashid Latif and Habibul Bashar recorded a pair in their first games as captain.

Pairs by designated Wicket-keepers in Tests

As of 22 August 2019, 52 wicket-keepers have been dismissed for a pair.[9]

In July 2019, Jonny Bairstow and Gary Wilson were dismissed without scoring in the both the innings of same Test match. It was the first instance of both designated wicket-keepers being dismissed for a pair in a completed Test.[10]

King pairs in Test cricket

If a batsman is out first ball he has made a golden duck and if a batsman is dismissed first ball in both innings he has achieved a king pair. This worst of all batting fates has befallen 21 players in the history of Test cricket so far.[11]

Notable pairs in first-class cricket

King Pairs have been 'bagged' by many players in first-class cricket. Mick Norman of Northamptonshire bagged a king pair in a single day against Glamorgan at St. Helen's in Swansea in June 1964.

When Glamorgan followed on against the Indians at Cardiff Arms Park in June 1946, last man Peter Judge was bowled for a duck by Chandra Sarwate to end the county's first innings. Invited to follow-on, Glamorgan's captain Johnny Clay, who was the non-striker, decided to waive the 10-minute interval between innings, remained in the middle with Judge, and reversed the entire batting order. Sarwate then bowled Judge again, second ball, incidentally with the same ball, and Judge thus achieved the fastest pair in the history of first-class cricket.[12][13] Zimbabwe opening bat Hamilton Masakadza completed an unusual pair when he was dismissed for a Test duck twice on the same day, 28 January 2012, when his team's two innings were completed within a day.[14] Another notable pair was made by Neil Harvey on 27 July 1956. Playing in the test where Jim Laker took 19 for 90, Harvey completed a pair within about 2 hours on the second day.

Unofficial pairs in Twenty20 cricket

In limited overs games decided by a Super Over, it is possible for a batsman to be dismissed for a duck in both the regular innings and the super over. Since runs made in super overs are not counted towards a player's statistical record, this is sometimes referred to an "unofficial pair".[15] On 25 July 2013, Shoaib Malik scored an unofficial golden pair for Pakistan International Airlines against Habib Bank Limited,[16] while on 10 January 2014, Moisés Henriques scored an unofficial pair playing for the Sydney Sixers against the Perth Scorchers.[15] On 20 September 2020, during the second match of the 2020 Indian Premier League, Nicholas Pooran scored an unofficial pair playing for Kings XI Punjab against the Delhi Capitals.[17]

References

  1. ^ Blofeld, Henry (18 August 2003). "CRICKET: Smith has the class and character to revive England". The Independent. FindArticles. Archived from the original on 8 September 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013. Conversely, Graham Gooch made a pair of spectacles in his first Test, against Australia.
  2. ^ Records – Test matches – Most pairs in career, Cricinfo, Retrieved on 8 December 2016
  3. ^ "Records – Test matches – Pair on debut". ESPN cricinfo. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  4. ^ Players Scoring Ducks in 3 or More Consecutive Innings, Howstat, Retrieved on 20 February 2009
  5. ^ Lynch, Steven (28 May 2012). "Which end of the bat do I hold?: Batsmen who went through spells of wretched form". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  6. ^ Records – Test matches – Pairs by captain, Cricinfo, Retrieved on 28 December 2018
  7. ^ "Olivier, Amla, Elgar shine as South Africa go 1-0 up". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  8. ^ "Record ducks by captains: Sarfraz Ahmed, Faf du Plessis register unwanted record in Test cricket". DNA India. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  9. ^ Pairs by wicket-keepers, Howstat, Retrieved on 22 August 2019
  10. ^ "England achieve once-a-century comeback as Ireland are rolled for 38". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  11. ^ "HowSTAT! Test Cricket - King Pairs". www.howstat.com. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  12. ^ The coach who caught Sachin, and a much-travelled man, Cricinfo, Retrieved on 20 February 2009
  13. ^ John Arlott: Basingstoke Boy 1992 Fontana
  14. ^ "Only Test: New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Napier, Jan 26–28, 2012 | Cricket Scorecard". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  15. ^ a b Malcolm, Alex. "Arafat holds his nerve in One-Over Eliminator". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  16. ^ Super Over gives HBL PCB Ramazan T20 Cup
  17. ^ "DC vs KXIP, 2nd Match, Indian Premier League 2020". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
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