Cricket is one of the most popular sporting events in the world. But did you know whose bat Afridi used to score the fastest ODI century? Or did you know that there is only one bowler who took the hat-trick on his birthday? Let’s see some of the craziest cricket facts before you go to watch the matches live on OSN!
- You are never too old
People are passionate about cricket, and some evidently more than others. The English cricketer Wilfred Rhodes continued to play test matches for England untilthe age of 52. And so the old idiom proves true, age really is just a number.
- 153!
Even though cricket is an enjoyable game for the spectators, the players may go through serious injuries. They could miss a match or an entire series. They could get dropped for poor performances too. But Alan Border is an exception tothat. The Aussie skipper played 153 test matches consecutively creating a record of his own. Astonishing, isn’t it?
- A rival’s blade
It was 1996 when Pakistan was playing against Sri Lanka. The Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi forgot to pack his bat. When WaqarYounis spoke to Sachin Tendulkar to lend his bat to Afridi, he did not disappoint. That day, Afridi went on to score the fastest century in ODI with 11 sixes and six boundaries. It seems a rival’s blade was lucky for Afridi.
- No mercy for bowlers
Chris Gayle, the West Indies cricketer, is known for his explosive batting. When he shifts gears, no bowler is spared. Something similar happened in a test match against Bangladesh in 2012. Even though test match is a game of patience and resilience, Chris Gayle went on to hit a six on the first ball of the game.
- Multitalented
The Kenyan Asif Karim is the only cricketer who represented his country in both international tennis and international cricket.
- Kings of all formats
The Indian cricket team is the only team in the world to have won 60-over, 50-over, and 20-over in the World Cup.
- Special birthday
There are lucky people, and then there is Peter Siddle. This Australian fast bowler picked up a hat-trick against England in ‘The Ashes’ on his birthday. The match was held at Brisbane, Australia and Siddle became the only bowler to achieve that feat.
- Unusual record
Sachin Tendulkar has made numerous records in cricket – from most hundreds in ODIs to most runs in ODI. However, this legendary batsman holds another unusualrecord. He was the first batsman to be given run out by the third umpire.
- Better than the childhood friend
Vinod Kambli, who is a childhood friend of legendary Sachin Tendulkar, has a better Test match average.
- A batsman with more wickets than Shane Warne
Sri Lankan SanathJayasuriya is a fearsome batsman, but he has more wickets than the King of Spin Shane Warne. Warn has 292 ODI wickets whereas Jayasurya has 323.
For more exciting stuff, watch the next cricket matches live on OSN.
