And how often have the highest individual scores in an innings come from Nos. 9, 10 and 11?

Steven Lynch21-Jan-2025The three highest scores in West Indies’ first innings in the first Test against Pakistan came from Nos. 9, 10 and 11. Was this unique? asked Nadeem Moghal from the United States
West Indies’ first innings in Multan over the weekend was unique in Test history: never before have the three highest scores in an innings come from the last three batters in the order. No. 9 Gudakesh Motie made 19, No. 10 Jomel Warrican 31 not out, and No. 11 Jayden Seales 22. The next highest was 11, by opener Kraigg Brathwaite and No. 8 Kevin Sinclair.There have been two previous occasions in Tests when the two highest scores in an innings came from Nos. 10 and 11. The first was in Sydney in 1885, when Australia’s top scorers against England were Tom Garrett (51 not out from No. 10) and No. 11 Edwin Evans (33). It happened again 137 years later in 2022, when Jack Leach (41 not out from No. 10) and No. 11 Saqib Mahmood (49) were England’s top scorers against West Indies in Grenada.I noticed that New Zealand’s Mark Richardson took only one wicket in his Test career – Mohammad Yousuf, who scored 203. Is this the highest score by a batter to be the only victim of a bowler in Tests? And what’s the record in ODIs and T20s? asked Ekambaram Raveendran from India
You’re right that Mark Richardson took only one wicket in Tests – Mohammad Yousuf of Pakistan in Christchurch in 2001, after he’d scored 203. It turns out that Richardson lies second on this particular list, behind South Africa’s Ashwell Prince of South Africa, whose only Test wicket came in Cape Town in 2006, when he dismissed New Zealand’s Stephen Fleming for 262. They were batters having a rare trundle in a big total, but a specialist bowler lies third: the sole wicket for Kent seamer Jack Martin in his only Test, at Trent Bridge in 1947, was South Africa’s captain Alan Melville for 189.The mark in men’s ODIs is held by the Irish left-arm seamer Phil Eaglestone, whose only wicket was Brendon McCullum (another New Zealander) for 166 in Aberdeen in 2008. In the same innings, another left-armer, Reinhardt Strydom, also claimed his only ODI wicket when he had James Marshall caught behind for 161. Strydom lies joint second with the Dutchman Eric Gouka, who removed South Africa’s Andrew Hudson for 161 in Rawalpindi during the 1996 World Cup.In T20s, Tobden Singye of Bhutan dismissed Nepal’s Gyanendra Malla for 107 in Kirtipur in 2019; and Raymon Reifer of West Indies nabbed Quinton de Kock of South Africa for 100 in Centurion in March 2023.In women’s Tests, Yolani Fourie of South Africa had India’s Thirush Kamini caught behind for 192 in Mysore in 2014; in ODIs Karin Mikkelsen of Denmark dismissed England’s Jan Brittin for 104 in Banstead during the 1993 World Cup, while in T20 internationals the only wicket for Belgium’s Nicola Thrupp came when she dismissed Andrea-Mae Zepeda of Austria for 101 in Seebarn in 2021.I noticed that Amir Jangoo of West Indies scored a century in his only ODI so far. Is there anyone with a longer career who scored hundreds in their first and last ODIs? asked Thomas Masters from Barbados
Two retired players scored centuries in their first and last one-day internationals. The first was England’s Dennis Amiss, who made 103 (the first ODI century) on his debut, against Australia at Old Trafford in 1972, and 108 in his last match, against Australia at The Oval in 1977.He was followed by Desmond Haynes, who hit 148 (still the highest debut score) in his first ODI, against Australia in Antigua in 1978, and 115 in his last, against England in Port-of-Spain in 1994.Among current players, Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 127 on his debut for Afghanistan, against Ireland in Abu Dhabi in 2021, and made another century in his most recent ODI; he will presumably play again soon.Amir Jangoo hit 104 not out – at 80 balls his century was the fastest by anyone on ODI debut – against Bangladesh in St Kitts last December. There’s another man in a similar position at the moment: Scotland’s Michael English made 107 in his only ODI to date, against Namibia in Dundee in 2024. Both of them will also presumably appear again soon.Here’s the list of the men who scored a century on ODI debut and the one for hundreds in a player’s final ODI, which includes several current batters.In the Adelaide Test of the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 35 wickets fell to catches alone•Getty ImagesHas there ever been a Test innings in which all ten wickets were out caught? And what’s the highest number of lbws in a single innings? asked Vasco from the UK
There have been no fewer than 93 instances so far of all ten wickets in a Test innings falling to catches, the most recent by Australian fielders in India’s first innings in Perth in November, one of five such cases in 2024. The most catches in an entire Test is 35, in another Australia-India match, in Adelaide in 2018 .The most lbws in a Test innings is seven, which has happened twice: by Zimbabwe’s batters against England in Chester-le-Street in June 2003, and by New Zealand’s against Australia in Christchurch in 2005.The most lbws in a Test is 20 in the match between West Indies and Pakistan in Providence (Guyana) in 2011. No other Test has had more than 17 lbws. If you want to look at the other ways of getting out, the records are on this page under “Similarity of dismissal”.Further to last week’s question about the most wickets in a series by a visiting bowler in a Test series in Australia, what’s the record for a visiting bowler anywhere? asked Jordan Harrison from England
The answer to this one is someone who got a mention last week too: the great English bowler Sydney Barnes not only took 34 wickets in Australia in 1911-12, he hoovered up 49 wickets (at just under 11 runs apiece) in South Africa in 1913-14 – in only four matches, as he fell out with the management and didn’t play in the final Test!That’s the record for any Test series, whether home or away. Next for away series comes the Australian legspinner Clarrie Grimmett, with 44 in South Africa in 1935-36. That was his last Test series: he was 44 years old at the time. Australia’s Terry Alderman took 41 wickets in England in 1989, after collecting 42 in 1981 (both those were six-Test series), and Shane Warne took 40 in five matches in England in 2005.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions