(Note: Every so often I shall have a pop quiz on my blog with questions about people, places, things, events, and any other thing that comes to mind. Please take the quiz without peeking at the answers, which will be included at the end, and let me know how you did.)
Today's quiz is about cricketers.
a) My first four wickets in Test cricket were of Matthew Hayden, Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, and Ricky Ponting. I was the Man of the Match when my team defeated Australia for the first time at Perth. I was also the Man of the Match when we won a World Cup. I have scored over a 1000 runs and taken at least 100 wickets in both ODIs and Tests. I have scored a Test century and once took a hat-trick in the first over of a Test match. Even though I am only 26, its been almost two years since I played for my country in any form of the game.
b) I was the first Indian bowler to take 5 wickets in an ODI twice. But I was better known for my batting. I top scored in the finals of two world level competitions but was not the Man of the Match on either occasion.
c) I took more than 40 wickets in an Ashes series, not once but twice. Yet, I am mostly remembered for a horrific shoulder injury suffered when I tackled a spectator, who ran onto the field, causing me to miss almost two years of cricket in my prime.
d) When I came to the crease in my debut Test, the score was 790 for 4. I still found time to notch a 50 and have not looked back since. People don't talk much about me when it comes to the best slip fielders in history but, don't look now, I am just 35 short of 200 Test catches for my career. I was the first Test captain to successfully appeal a decision using the UDRS system. I am one of the few fellows to have scored international centuries in all 3 forms of the game. No fielder in Test cricket has ever taken more catches off one bowler than I have (77 catches).
e) Of my first 21 Test matches, 20 were away from home. By then I had already played in 7 different nations. In spite of that I had scored 1158 runs with 4 centuries and 5 fifties. Luckily, I was able to play a few more matches at home after that and some would argue that I have forged a fairly decent career.
f) In 2001, I scored 10 centuries in 10 domestic first-class games. Yet, that wasn't the batting feat that got me the most press that year. Before that, on my Test debut, I was the only batsman in the top 8 on either side to score a fifty in the match. I am the only batsman to score two triple centuries in the history of the Ranji Trophy.
Answers:
a) You haven't forgotten me, have you?
b) Here are some highlights of my finest hour.
c) I was Jaunty's favorite bowler in the 1980's. Here's a detailed account of that injury I suffered.
d) My given names are: Denagamage Proboth Mahela de Silva
e) Who else did you think it was? Here's the first part of my career.
f) But, of course.
Today's quiz is about cricketers.
a) My first four wickets in Test cricket were of Matthew Hayden, Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, and Ricky Ponting. I was the Man of the Match when my team defeated Australia for the first time at Perth. I was also the Man of the Match when we won a World Cup. I have scored over a 1000 runs and taken at least 100 wickets in both ODIs and Tests. I have scored a Test century and once took a hat-trick in the first over of a Test match. Even though I am only 26, its been almost two years since I played for my country in any form of the game.
b) I was the first Indian bowler to take 5 wickets in an ODI twice. But I was better known for my batting. I top scored in the finals of two world level competitions but was not the Man of the Match on either occasion.
c) I took more than 40 wickets in an Ashes series, not once but twice. Yet, I am mostly remembered for a horrific shoulder injury suffered when I tackled a spectator, who ran onto the field, causing me to miss almost two years of cricket in my prime.
d) When I came to the crease in my debut Test, the score was 790 for 4. I still found time to notch a 50 and have not looked back since. People don't talk much about me when it comes to the best slip fielders in history but, don't look now, I am just 35 short of 200 Test catches for my career. I was the first Test captain to successfully appeal a decision using the UDRS system. I am one of the few fellows to have scored international centuries in all 3 forms of the game. No fielder in Test cricket has ever taken more catches off one bowler than I have (77 catches).
e) Of my first 21 Test matches, 20 were away from home. By then I had already played in 7 different nations. In spite of that I had scored 1158 runs with 4 centuries and 5 fifties. Luckily, I was able to play a few more matches at home after that and some would argue that I have forged a fairly decent career.
f) In 2001, I scored 10 centuries in 10 domestic first-class games. Yet, that wasn't the batting feat that got me the most press that year. Before that, on my Test debut, I was the only batsman in the top 8 on either side to score a fifty in the match. I am the only batsman to score two triple centuries in the history of the Ranji Trophy.
Answers:
a) You haven't forgotten me, have you?
b) Here are some highlights of my finest hour.
c) I was Jaunty's favorite bowler in the 1980's. Here's a detailed account of that injury I suffered.
d) My given names are: Denagamage Proboth Mahela de Silva
e) Who else did you think it was? Here's the first part of my career.
f) But, of course.
4 comments:
Epic - I got Terry Alderman but NOT Sachin Tendulkar :-D
I never dd think of Pathan and Tendulkar.
TG, knowing what (little) I know of you it does not surprise me one bit that you knew the Aussie and not the Indian! Though, I must admit, SRT was my trump card.
D, I'm not surprised about SRT. Very few people followed him closely enough in his early years and, even if they did, they have forgotten how our first impressions of the man were made through the eyes of the foreign press, part of the reason why foreign journalists were never shy about praising the man, whereas other sub-continental batsmen have to endure the "flat track bullies" tag until they score a century in England or Australia.
By the way, check out AB de Villiers' track record and tell me what you think his reputation would have been had he been a subcontinental batsman with the same record.
JQ
Nope it's got nothing to do with who or how I am , just that the SRT question was lot more tricky.
The Terry Alderman Q was a dead give away - especially when you mentioned the shoulder injury when tackling a spectator.
It indeed does beggar belief that SRT had initially played so many away tests - Pak, NZ, Eng, Aus before a proper series at home. If I'm not mistaken the one test he played at home was the Chandigarh test against SL ?
Post a Comment