Those who were there will never forget seeing Chris Gayle hit a century off only 30 balls in the IPL. He was an expert blaster, and the ball was flying wherever he hit it. The modern era of Twenty20 cricket, however, raises the question of whether or not someone other than Gayle may soon score a speedier century.
For this reason, the accomplishment of the West Indian is left off of this list. After doing some research into cricket’s history, we’ve compiled a list of cricket records that are very unlikely to be surpassed any time soon.
Best Bowling Figures in a Single International Match
With 60 deliveries in a contemporary ODI, Chaminda Vaas’ 2001 return against Zimbabwe is hard to surpass. The left-armer grabbed eight wickets giving away only 19 runs. Or, 80% of the whole African team, as they crashed to 38 all out in 15.4 overs. Despite playing a “weaker” squad, Vaas nevertheless managed to set a new ODI record that is very unlikely to be broken anytime soon.
Best Performance by a Nightwatchman
Many hours of a professional cricketer’s life are spent standing about in boredom while the other team bats. In the 2006 Test match of Australia against Bangladesh, nightwatchman Jason Gillespie scored an unbroken 201. This absolutely amazing performance in Chittagong could be hard to beat. Not to mention the fact that a nightwatchman’s main duty is to sit in the crease for the last few overs of the day.
Shortest Test Match Ever
If you were planning to attend the Australia versus South Africa’s 1932 Test match in Melbourne, you would have felt let down. The action ended in less than 6 Hours on a challenging pitch. South Africa lost by 36 and 45 against Australia’s 153, with Bert Ironmonger getting 11 for 24. Normally, today’s umpire would have called off the game.
Highest Number of Balls Delivered in One Inning
Sonny Ramadhin’s 1957 Edgbaston heroics versus England must have required an ice bath. A record 98 overs were bowled by the spinner in the second innings. The closest anybody has come is during a 2001 Test match versus South Africa, when Ray Price of Zimbabwe bowled 79 overs.
Most Wickets in International Cricket
Considering how long it takes an international cricket player to reach the top, Muttiah Muralitharan’s amazing career wicket total appears nearly unreal. Batsmen were terrorised by the spinner for 20 years, with 1,347 falling prey to his bowling. As Murali’s closest rivals, including Shane Warne, are still 346 wickets under him, it will take a special career to get close to this.
Top Bowling Performance in a First-Class Match
Every few years, a bowler has an incredible match in which he goes through the other squad, taking every wicket that falls during that particular inning. Doubling up like that in a single game is rarely heard of. However, Jim Laker almost accomplished the same thing at Old Trafford in 1956 against Australia. In the second innings, the off-spinner claimed 10 wickets for 53, surpassing his first-inning total of nine wickets for 37. Laker’s massive match stats of 19 for 90 will likely never be equalled, despite the fact that he didn’t get a perfect return.
Most Runs in Professional Career
One of England’s all-time great batters and the game’s most prolific run scorer is the illustrious Sir Jack Hobbs. The guy dubbed “The Master” amassed nearly 60,000 runs over an incredible career that spanned from 1905 to 1934. Among those runs were 199 centuries, which remains a record. These records will stand the test of time since there are just not enough games available these days to approach such levels.
The Best Career Batting Average
Every cricket fan should know the tale of Sir Don Bradman’s final innings. The legendary Australian needed to hit four runs to wrap off his incredible career with a Test average of above 100. Even though he was struck out for a duck and ended up with 99.94, it is still the best score in cricket history. Graeme Pollock’s 60.97 is the second-greatest Test average for a whole career, while Cheteshwar Pujara’s 66.25 is the best of any player presently playing at the top level. But because of his brilliance, Bradman is just a mathematical anomaly that no one who plays a large enough number of games can ever match.
