The race to a thousand and Nevin's famous fifty
Last week we pointed out that Mark Richardson and Matthew Bell had created a New Zealand Test record with three consecutive opening stands of fifty or more
Francis Payne
26-Mar-2001
Last week we pointed out that Mark Richardson and Matthew Bell had created a New Zealand Test record with three consecutive opening stands of fifty or more. In the third Test at Hamilton more milestones may come their way, although individually this time.
Going into the last first-class game of the season, Bell has scored 987 runs at 49.35 (five centuries) while Richardson has 929 at 58.06 (one century). Should they both reach 1000 for the season it will be the third time that two batsmen have achieved the feat in one season yet only the ninth time in all that a player has scored one thousand. No player has ever reached four figures in a New Zealand season twice.
The seven players to have achieved the feat are:
Season Runs Ave 100s Martin Crowe 1986/87 1676 93.11 8 Glenn Turner 1975/76 1244 77.75 5 Graeme Hick 1988/89 1228 94.46 6 Jeff Crowe 1991/92 1063 62.52 4 Robert Vance 1988/89 1037 64.81 4 John Wright 1986/87 1019 53.63 3 Mathew Sinclair 1999/00 1004 41.83 3
Sinclair currently has 697 runs at 77.44 while Central Districts team mate Ben Smith finished with 939 at 58.68.
With five catches for Wellington against Pakistan, Chris Nevin became the first player to take fifty catches in a New Zealand first-class season. All but one of Nevin's catches were taken behind the stumps and his tally for the season leaves previous records well behind.
Erv McSweeney, former Wellington keeper, twice made 41 dismissals in a season with his 35 catches in 1989/90 being the previous best. The most dismissals by keepers in a New Zealand season are:
Ct St Total Season Chris Nevin 49 - 49 2000/01 Erv McSweeney 31 10 41 1984/85 Erv McSweeney 35 6 41 1989/90 Ian Smith 32 4 36 1990/91 Ian Smith 30 5 35 1979/80 Warren Lees 29 5 34 1978/79 Ian Smith 32 2 34 1986/87 Lee Germon 31 3 34 1991/92 Chris Nevin 33 1 34 1995/96 Robbie Hart 34 - 34 1997/98
While Nevin was enjoying success against Pakistan, team mate Iain O'Brien failed to capture a single wicket and thus did not add to his impressive debut-season tally.
The table of best returns in season of first-class debut is now:
Season Wkts Runs Ave William Robertson (Canterbury & NZ) 1893/94 47 570 12.12 Stu Gillespie (Northern Districts) 1979/80 45 998 22.17 Peter Petherick (Otago) 1975/76 42 847 20.16 William Lankham (Auckland) 1882/83 41 259 6.31 Iain O'Brien (Wellington) 2000/01 41 806 19.65
Chris Drum (48 wickets) is the leading wicket taker in first-classs cricket this season.
Going into the last Test for New Zealand for the 2000/01 season, the leading run scorers are:
Runs Ave Mathew Sinclair 671 61.00 Mark Richardson 604 50.33 Craig McMillan 467 38.91 Stephen Fleming 424 32.61
The bowlers have had relatively slim pickings in the eight Tests played so far. The leading wicket takers have been:
Wkts Ave Chris Martin 22 31.22 Shayne O'Connor 18 26.00 Daryl Tuffey 12 40.41 Chris Cairns 11 20.09 Paul Wiseman 10 49.50
Chris Martin has now made four successive ducks in Test cricket - Johannesburg, Auckland (2) and Christchurch. Australian leg-spinner Bob Holland (who also played a season for Wellington) and Indian paceman Ajit Agarkar had five in a row (both recording two pairs) so Martin's next innings will be viewed with interest.
Martin also scored a duck for Canterbury prior to the two Tests against Pakistan so also has four successive noughts in first-class cricket and is threatening the New Zealand record. Former New Zealand fast bowler Johnny Hayes (1954/55) and Canterbury medium-pacer Steve Bateman (1982/83) both had five ducks in a row.
The New Zealand record for most succssive innings without scoring (i.e. including not outs) is held by former Central Districts pace bowler Peter Visser who went 10 innings without scoring (spread over ten matches) in 1984/85 and 1985/86.
Amongst current players, CD's Lance Hamilton had seven scoreless innings in succession in 1999/00.
Finally a word on the luck (or lack of) of leg-spinners picked to play for New Zealand at Hamilton. New Zealand has only twice selected a leg-spinner to play at Hamilton (which hosted its first Test in 1990/91). Greg Loveridge was chosen to play against Zimbabwe in 1995/96 (his debut) was injured while batting and never got to bowl.
Brooke Walker was recalled for the final Test against Pakistan but he didn't even get as far as Loveridge. Walker injured his shoulder while playing club cricket for Howick-Pakuranga and was forced to withdraw from the team altogether.