6 Facts About Cricketers: Unusual Test Career Stories
Six sourced facts about cricketers, from Betty Wilson’s all-round first to Cook’s farewell century and Ganteaume’s one-innings average of 112.
These six facts about cricketers focus on unusual individual careers and milestones in men’s and women’s Tests—not a ranking of the greatest players.
1. Betty Wilson achieved an all-round first before any man
Against England at Melbourne’s Junction Oval in February 1958, Australia’s Betty Wilson became the first cricketer, male or female, to score a century and take at least ten wickets in the same Test. Her bowling returns were 7/7 and 4/9: 11 wickets for 16 runs across the match. Wisden’s profile documents the first.
Conditions help explain the extraordinary bowling figures. On a wet, uncovered pitch, Australia were dismissed for 38 and England for 35. Wilson then made her century in Australia’s second innings. Despite her performance, the rain-affected match ended in a draw. Cricket Australia’s account describes the conditions and both innings.
2. Garry Sobers’ first Test hundred became 365 not out
Sobers had already played 16 Tests, with a highest score of 80, before making his maiden Test century against Pakistan at Kingston in 1958. He did not stop at 100: he reached 365 not out, breaking the men’s individual Test innings record of the time. ESPNcricinfo’s statistical account confirms that this was his first hundred.
“Maiden century” does not mean “century on debut.” This breakthrough came well into his Test career. The scorecard records West Indies declaring at 790/3 and winning by an innings and 174 runs.
3. Alastair Cook scored hundreds in both his debut and farewell Tests
Cook scored a century on Test debut and repeated the achievement in his final Test against India at The Oval in September 2018. The ICC’s farewell assessment confirms those two career milestones and his final tally of 12,472 runs from 161 Tests.
His last Test innings was 147, following 71 in the first innings. Sky Sports’ contemporary report records both scores.
4. Andy Ganteaume’s Test average was 112—from just one innings
West Indies batter Andy Ganteaume played one Test, against England at Queen’s Park Oval in February 1948. He scored 112 in his only innings and was dismissed, leaving a career batting average of 112.00. Cricbuzz’s career table records one match, one innings and no not-outs.
The calculation is straightforward: 112 runs ÷ 1 dismissal = 112.00. The interpretation needs more care. A one-innings average cannot establish sustained performance, however impressive that innings was. That is why qualification thresholds matter in average leaderboards; our batting-average calculation guide explains the denominator.
5. Shane Warne made 3,154 Test runs without a century
Warne’s Test batting record comprised 3,154 runs in 199 innings, including 12 fifties but no hundreds. His highest score was 99. Those figures appear in ESPNcricinfo’s career table.
The same table shows why the format distinction matters: Warne did score two first-class centuries, with a highest score of 107 not out. “He never scored a century” is therefore wrong unless the claim is restricted to the relevant category—in this case, Tests.
6. Colin Cowdrey scored a hundred in the first man’s 100th Test
England’s Colin Cowdrey became the first man to play 100 Tests against Australia at Edgbaston in July 1968—and scored 104 in that match. ESPNcricinfo’s historical summary identifies the milestone; the scorecard records his first-innings hundred.