Was Noman Ali's hat-trick against West Indies the first for Pakistan in a Test? asked Nasir Ahmed from Pakistan
That hat-trick by slow left-armer Noman Ali, which reduced West Indies to 38 for 7 in the second Test in Multan, was the first by a Pakistan spinner in a men's* Test, but it was their sixth overall. . (They also have one in a women's Test, by legspinner Shaiza Khan, also against West Indies, in Karachi in March 2004.)
The other men were all by quick bowlers: Wasim Akram took two in successive matches against Sri Lanka during the Asian Test Championship in 1999, and he was followed by Abdul Razzaq (2000), Mohammad Sami (2002) and Naseem Shah (2020). When he achieved the feat against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, Naseem became the youngest to take a Test hat-trick; at 38, Noman is now the second-oldest (after Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath, who was a month senior against Australia in Galle in 2016). Here's the list of hat-tricks in men's Tests. Shaiza Khan's is one of only three hat-tricks in women's Tests.
There were 20 wickets on the first day in Multan. Was this a record? asked Richard Arkwright from England
Twenty wickets on the first day of the second Test between Pakistan and West Indies in Multan was a new high for any Test in Asia, surpassing 18 on the first day between India and West Indies in Delhi in 1987. But it's not the overall record: 25 wickets went down on the first day between Australia and England in Melbourne in 1902, and it's only a year since 23 fell on the first day between South Africa and India in Cape Town last January.
The most wickets on any day of a Test is 27, on the second day of the match between England and Australia at Lord's in 1888.
Which player was run-out while attempting to complete his 10,000th Test run? asked Ricky Dooley from Sri Lanka
The man who was run out one short was Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene, who was beaten by a throw from South Africa's Jacques Kallis while trying for his 10,000th Test run in Centurion in 2011. He was, according to the ball-by-ball commentary, "less than a yard away from his 10,000th run". Jayawardene got to five figures with his first scoring shot in the next Test, in Durban.
This is a timely question, as Australia's Steve Smith is currently sitting on 9999 Test runs after also being dismissed one short - caught in the gully rather than run-out - in the final Test against India in Sydney earlier this month. He'll be looking to make it 10,000 in the Test that starts tomorrow in Galle.
Did Rocky Flintoff become the youngest Englishman to score a first-class century the other day? asked Martin Hazell from England
Rocky Flintoff, who's still three months short of his 17th birthday, scored 108 for England Lions in their four-day game against a Cricket Australia XI in Brisbane last week. Had it been a first-class match, he would indeed have become the youngest… but the teams were rotating 14 players, which means it doesn't count as first-class. He does have another chance to take the record, in the unofficial A-team Test that starts in Sydney on January 30.
Rocky's century was apparently the youngest for England A or the Lions in any match, a record previously held by… his father Andrew Flintoff, who was 20 when he hit 104 for England A in a 50-over game against Kenya in Nairobi in 1998.
And so the youngest Englishman to score a first-class century remains Shiv Thakor**, who was aged 17 years and 180 days when he made 134 on debut for Leicestershire against Loughborough MCCU at Grace Road in April 2011.
Thank you for answering my question last week about Nos. 9, 10 and 11 top-scoring in a Test innings. But the three highest scores in West Indies' first innings in the second Test against Pakistan also came from the last three. How often has your answer been made redundant in just three days?! asked Nadeem Moghal from the United States
I did notice, with some astonishment, that West Indies' last three batters in Multan repeated their achievement in the first Test: No. 9, Gudakesh Motie, top-scored with 55; Jomel Warrican added 36 from No. 11; and Kemar Roach chipped in with 25 from No. 10: the next-highest score in the innings was 21 by the No. 4 Kavem Hodge (no one else reached double figures).
This particular achievement did not happen at all in the first 2576 men's Tests, but has now occurred in successive matches. I certainly didn't expect last week's answer to be out of date so quickly! However, even that wasn't quite a record… during the 2011 World Cup, I was asked about batters who had scored ODI centuries on their birthday. There were three - but on the day the answer was published (March 8, 2011), Ross Taylor made it four with 131 not out for New Zealand against Pakistan in Pallekele on his 27th birthday.
January 28, 2024, 15:08GMT
*The answer was amended to add that Noman Ali's hat-trick was the first by a male Pakistan spinner
** This answer was corrected after publishing
Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo's stats team helped with some of the above answers.
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