Tag: Don Bradman

ADELAIDE: Australia batter Travis Head etched his name alongside Sir Donald Bradman in elite Test history after striking an unbeaten century at his home ground during the third Ashes Test against England at the Adelaide Oval on Friday.

Head’s commanding knock marked his fourth century in as many Tests at the venue, a feat achieved by only three other Australians in the history of the game.

Bradman managed it twice, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and at Leeds, while Michael Clarke accomplished the milestone in Adelaide and Steve Smith at the MCG.

The 31-year-old’s unbeaten 142, his second hundred of the ongoing Ashes series and 11th overall in Test cricket, pushed Australia into a commanding position.

By stumps on day two, the hosts had built a daunting 356-run lead, putting them firmly on course to retain the Ashes after winning the first two Tests.

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“Didn’t think I’d get one, so to get four it’s not too bad,” Travis Head said after the day’s play.

He found valuable support from fellow South Australian Alex Carey, who remained unbeaten on 52 as the pair safely steered Australia to stumps.

Head praised Carey’s presence at the crease, saying his energy helped him push through a tiring final session.

“He’s playing well and probably kept me going there late in the day,” Head said. “It was a long day, so it was nice to walk off with him at the end.”

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Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli is on the verge of breaking a 76-year-old record of legendary Sir Don Bradman during the remaining matches of the Border-Gavaskar Test series against Australia.

Kohli landed in Australia with the weight of his below-par form and a 16-month century drought.

However, he turned things around in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar series, displaying a masterclass in strokeplay to mark his return to form with an unbeaten knock of 100 runs off 143 balls in the second innings.

This was Kohli’s 30th Test century, which took him ahead of Bradman, who had 29 Test hundreds to his name, in the list of batters with the most centuries in the format.

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Notably, this was Kohli’s 10th century from 43 matches on Australian soil. This impressive feat placed him second on the list for the most international centuries scored by a visiting batter in a single country.

Kohli has scored seven Test centuries, alongside three centuries in ODI matches in Australia.

The record for the most centuries by a visiting batter in a single country is currently held by Don Bradman, who notched up 11 centuries in just 30 innings in England between 1930 and 1948.

With four matches remaining in the Border-Gavaskar series, Virat Kohli is standing on the brink of history, with the opportunity to surpass the remarkable record of Bradman.

Most Centuries by a Visiting Batter in a Single Country

• Don Bradman (Australia) – 11 centuries vs. England
• Virat Kohli (India) – 10 centuries vs. Australia
• Jack Hobbs (England) – 9 centuries vs. Australia
• Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 9 centuries vs. Sri Lanka
• Vivian Richards (West Indies) – 8 centuries vs. England
• Sunil Gavaskar (India) – 7 centuries vs. England

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Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli etched his name in the history books on Sunday with his 30th century in Test cricket, going past legendary Sir Don Bradman, during the first match of the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia.

Kohli walked out to bat on the third day carrying the weight of four single-digit scores in his last five innings and a 16-month century drought. He last scored a century during the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 semi-final against New Zealand.

However, he displayed a masterclass in strokeplay, marking his return to form with an unbeaten knock of 100 runs off 143 balls, laced with eight boundaries and two sixes.

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His innings propelled India to a commanding position before skipper Jasprit Bumrah declared with a staggering 533-run lead.

Virat Kohli with his 30th Test century surpassed legendary Australian Sir Don Bradman, who had 29 Test hundreds to his name.

The Indian star has now joined Matthew Hayden and Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the elite group of players with 30 Test centuries. Only 14 players have scored more Test tons, with Kohli trailing active players Steve Smith and Kane Williamson in the tally.

Most Centuries in Test Cricket

• Sachin Tendulkar — 51
• Jacques Kallis — 45
• Ricky Ponting — 41
• Kumar Sangakkara — 38
• Rahul Dravid — 36
• Joe Root — 35
• Younis Khan, Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, Mahela Jayawardene — 34
• Alastair Cook (ENG) — 33
• Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, Steve Waugh — 32
• Virat Kohli, Matthew Hayden, Shivnarine Chanderpaul — 30

It’s worth noting that this was Kohli’s seventh Test hundred in Australia, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most centuries in Australia by an Indian batter.

Overall Kohli has scored 10 centuries in Australia across all formats, which is a record by any visiting batter. Previously, the record was held by Jack Hobbs, who scored nine centuries in Australia.

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GALLE: Rising Sri Lanka batter Kamindu Mendis on Friday, flipped record books as he equalled legendary batter, Sir Donald ‘Don’ Bradman’s record of the second-fastest to reach 1000 runs in Test cricket.

Mendis achieved the milestone on the second day of the second Test between Sri Lanka and New Zealand which saw him scoring his fifth Test century.

During his marathon 182-run knock, the left-handed batter breached the 1000 Test runs barrier. Kamindu Mendis achieved the landmark in just 13 innings and drew level with Sir Don Bradman, while England’s Herbert Sutcliffe and West Indies’ Everton Weeks were the joint-fastest with 12 innings.

Furthermore, Kamindu Mendis’ batting average (91.27) is now the second-fastest among players with more than 1000 Test runs and is only behind that of Don Bradman (99.94).

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Mendis’ fifth Test century, which came in just 13 innings, was also the joint-fourth fastest, alongside Bradman. Only three batters Weekes (ten), Sutcliffe (12) and Neil Harvey (12) conceded fewer innings.

On the opening day of the aforementioned fixture, Mendis became the first batter in history to score a half-century in each of his first eight Test matches.

As a result, Kamindu Mendis joined Babar Azam as the only two batters to score eight consecutive half-centuries since 2018.

Furthermore, Mendis, who has been in red-hot form since his Test return, became the first batter in the history of Test cricket to score a fifty-plus score in each of his first eight Tests, going past Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel, who scored seven.

Most 50-plus scores in consecutive Tests

Kamindu Mendis (SL): 8 Matches*
Saud Shakeel (PAK): 7 Matches
Bert Sutcliffe (NZ): 6 Matches
Saeed Ahmed (PAK): 6 Matches
Basil Butcher (WI): 6 Matches
Sunil Gavaskar (IND): 6 Matches

Mendis made his debut for Sri Lanka in 2022 against Australia in Galle and wasted no time to announce himself with a well-crafted 61, playing a pivotal role in leading the home side to an innings victory.

Despite a ground-breaking debut, Mendis remained away from the Test side for almost two years. He finally made his comeback earlier this year in the away series against Bangladesh.

Mendis started from where he left off as he scored two centuries in each innings of the Sylhet Test and backed it with a brilliant 92 in Chittagong.

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NOTTINGHAM: England’s rising batter Harry Brook moved ahead of former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi in the list of batters with the highest strike rate in Test cricket.

Brook, 25, since making his Test debut for England in 2022, has become an instrumental member of the team. Furthermore, England’s new era of aggressive cricket in the longest format, often called BazBall, seemed to have suited the young right-handed batter the most.

The middle-order batter, who put England into a commanding position in the second Test against West Indies with a well-crafted century in the second innings, has been in red-hot form.

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Brook had five consecutive half-centuries to his name prior to his match-defining ton in England’s 241-run victory over West Indies.

He scored 109 off 132 deliveries with the help of 13 boundaries as England set West Indies a daunting target.

Meanwhile, Harry Brook, who conceded the lowest number of deliveries to breach the 1000-run barrier in Test cricket, also has the highest strike rate in the format, marginally ahead of legendary Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi.

Batters with highest strike-rate in Tests (Minimum 1000 runs)

Harry Brook (ENG): 90.70
Shahid Afridi (PAK): 86.97
Ben Duckett (ENG): 85.53
Tim Southee (NZ): 82.95
Virender Sehwag (IND): 82.23
Adam Gilchrist (AUS): 81.95

All in all, Brook has accumulated 1376 runs for England in 14 Tests at an astounding average of 62.54 and a strike rate of 90.70.

Notably, Harry Brook’s average of 62.54 is the second-highest in the history of the format, trailing only behind Australia legend Donald Bradman, who concluded his career with a batting average of 99.94.

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