Venerable Vettori

Sri Lanka has swept aside a very disappointing team of Black Caps, easily winning the home two Test series 2-0.  However, the New Zealand captain may have found some consolation in what proved to be a big match for himself personally.

Not only did Daniel Vettori join a very elite club – the 300 Test wickets and 3,000 runs club, but he scored his fourth, and highest, Test century.  Vettori peeled off 140 runs as New Zealand at least offered some resistance, mustered 400 runs and reduced the losing margin to two digits.

Reproduced below (courtesy of Cricinfo) is the aforementioned list of those lucky enough to take so many wickets and make so many runs. It is sorted (by me) in order of wickets (not deliberately to get Warnie on top).  The list is also enhanced (by me) to include wickets per match and the all rounder quotient (bowling average divided by batting average).

You all know that I love stats and analysis so here goes.

The “club” of eight comprises two distinct types.  There are five genuine all rounders (all with quotients greater than one).  Four of those are Hadlee, Botham, Dev and Imran Khan – iconic all rounders from the glorious final era of the all rounder (from the late seventies through to the early nineties).  What an alignment of the planets it was for the cricket world to be simultaneously graced with such players from all corners of the globe.  South Africa had to wait for its representative until later, due to its exile.  Of course, if South Africa has have been part of the cricket community in the seventies and eighties, Mike Proctor’s name may well have been in this list.

The other members of the club are bowlers who were very handy with the bat.  Warne is the only one not to have scored a Test century and he failed by just one run.  In the modern era, players have so many matches that someone handy with a bat can rack up a serious career aggregate.  Three thousand runs is not what it used to be.  Then again, it’s not to be sneezed at.

Also note that New Zealand, not one of the giants of World cricket, is the only country with two members of the club, while all other members of the “big eight” have one member, except the West Indies (which has none – Sobers is their best).

And finally, have a look at the two left-armers at the bottom.  Their numbers are remarkably similar.

Congratulations on a fine achievement, Daniel Vettori.  I wonder how long until we can call you “Sir Dan”?

The skier who would play cricket

Dirk Nannes made his one day international debut for Australia against Scotland overnight.  While neither the match, nor Nannes’ performance were remarkable, Nannes himself is a fairly remarkable chap.

In a previous life, Nannes was a World Cup mogul skier and narrowly missed selection in the Australian team for the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.  Nannes no longer skis competitively but he owns a snow tour operation.

Nannes is also a handy musician and has studied saxophone at university.

With all that skiing, Nannes has been somewhat of a late bloomer as a cricketer (he is now 33).  I guess it is more a case of being a later starter.  Nannes has played just 22 first class games of cricket but had an impressive last season for the Delhi Daredevils in IPL and represented The Netherlands in the T20 World Cup earlier this year.

Nannes does not have a Cricket Australia contract but I think it is great to see someone who is obviously talented and determined with a great zest for life, having some success on the international cricket stage.