Five Days in White Flannels: A Trivia Book on Test Cricket

Contents

Word from the Author …

At Headingley, India:

Zero for Four…

Questions

Answers

Ooh ah – Glenn McGrath

Questions

Answers

No Cummins. No goings.

Questions

Answers

Well bowled, Harold!

Questions

Answers

Lillee caught Willey bowled Dilley

Questions

Answers

Flannelled Fools

Questions

Answers

Dowe Shalt Not Bowl

Questions

Answers

At 10 for 2, I have done it for you…

Questions

Answers

The Rat Who Joined a Sinking Ship

Questions

Answers

To:

Lord Guruvayoorappan, my wife Vidya, my 6-yr old and ‘Chak De India’ fanatic Abhimanyu, daddy, mummy

&

My high school classmate and quizzing partner for years, Narayan (1972 – 2006), who is having a hearty laugh at me from somewhere up in the heaven

&

National Public School (Bangalore), India; NIT (Warangal), India; University of South Carolina (Moore School of Business), USA;

The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy (Tufts University, USA)

Word from the Author …

This trivia book is dedicated to all those Indian youngsters of the eighties who followed cricket like a religion, and thus have nostalgic memories of having followed it initially on All India Radio & the BBC, and later on, on Doordarshan. Back then in India, when you were leafing through the stations on the radio during an Indian Test series, one sure would chance upon the signature commentary of Suresh Saraiyya in his baritone voice - Gavaskar 28 not out, Amarnath 18 not out, India 87 for 2 … a forward short-leg, three slips and a gully for Holding. From the Pattabhiraman end, right-arm over the wicket … Those were the good old days.

With proliferation of one day internationals and now, the newer T20, none of the matches stick out exactly for ‘Where were you when Kennedy was assassinated’ moment. For example, I could still reel out statistics and imagery of Gavaskar’s innings of 236 not out in Chennai back in 1983 or for that matter Kapil Dev’s magnificent innings with Vengsarkar against New Zealand in the 1985 Benson & Hedges World championship series.

In honor of Test cricket, this book takes you through some vignettes – a narrative tagged with a question, some typical trivia questions and some cryptic questions. As you will notice, the cryptic ones are slightly different from the rest. In that the readers will have to use the cryptic clue along with the caption attached to it to answer. These various formats will take you through the landscape of Test history and will definitely tickle your brains. So, happy answering!

As for myself, I am your average MBA with a graduate degree in economics and international relations from The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, dabbling in asset management for now. I still aspire to be the next best thing that happened to the Indian economy after Dr. Manmohan Singh and Mr. P.Chidambaram. And for my wildest dream – watching a thrilling Test between India and England at Lord’s sipping numerous cups of Indian ‘Chai’ with Wisden’s Almanack in tow.

Sailesh S Radha

‘The Bangalore Hurricane’

At Headingley, India:

Zero for Four…

Cricket civilizes people and creates good gentlemen I want everyone to play cricket in Zimbabwe; I want ours to be a nation of gentlemen.

- Robert Mugabe, Head of State of Zimbabwe

Questions

1.   In the 1981-82 Test between Australia and Pakistan at Perth, now famous for the spat between Lillee and Miandad, Pakistan were bundled out for 62 runs in the first innings, after 21.2 overs. At one point, Pakistan was 26 for 8 before this famous bowler flashed a breezy 26 to be the only batsman in the team to get into double figures. Who was the bowler?

2.   The spectacular Blue Mountain, home of the world famous Blue Mountain Coffee forms a picturesque and spectacular backdrop to this stadium. Name the stadium. This is simple!

3.   Graham Thorpe made a famous but rather dry Test century at Lahore in 2000-01. What is unique about that century?

4.   In a rare act of humility, an Indian player stepped down in favour of S.Venktaraghavan, since the exclusion of the off-spinner from the playing XI caused much brouhaha among the fans. Who was the modest cricketer?

5.   What took place on the second day, a rest day, of the second Test between New Zealand and Zimbabwe in 1991-92?

6.   How is ‘Peter the Cat’ associated with cricket?

7.   This cricketer played a Test for England in which he captained the team. He also appeared in dozens of Hollywood flicks including Morning Glory, The Prisoner of Zenda, and The Adventures of Mark Twain in the 1930s and 1940s. Who was that cricketer?

8.   In the first Test at Headingley in 1956, during the second innings, India’s score read zero for four with the fall of Vijay Manjrekar’s wicket. The chief architect of this downfall was Fred Trueman. Now, name the three batsmen who were already back in the pavilion.

9.   In the second Test against South Africa at Cape Town in 1888-89, Aubrey Smith, the Captain, did not play due to injuries. A young cricketer, who was playing in his second Test match, captained the English team in his place. After the Test series, this young man stayed back to form a stock-brokering firm with Smith. He later travelled to Rhodesia with Cecil Rhode’s pioneer column where he died after a fall from a cart. He was buried in a coffin made of whiskey cases. Identify the cricketer. Tragic, isn’t it?

10.   Walt Disney named this cartoon character after watching Don Bradman get out for a duck during the Australian tour of North America in 1932. Name the character.

11.   In the Brisbane Test during the 1932-33 Test series, which ailing cricketer, defying doctors, got out of his sick-bed and went to bat to lend support to England’s crumbling first innings? He even refused the Australian Captain Bill Woodfull’s offer of a runner.

12.   Which Australian great died of Bright’s disease at the age of 37? Of course, a cricketer!

13.   In the first Test of the 1985-86 series between Australia and New Zealand at Brisbane, Richard Hadlee achieved a unique distinction to brag about. What? The scoreboard definitely would have revealed the answer.

14.   The 1984-85 series between India and England started on such an inauspicious note that it came close to be called off. Why?

15.   This cricketer’s first names were Cottari Kanakaiya. Who are we talking about?

16.   What’s the good phrase?

   A batsman in the top of the batting order who does well only on pitches of no help to the bowlers.

17.   Victor Trumper, Charles Macartney, Don Bradman and ______. Fill in the blank to complete the list, as identified with an accomplishment.

18.   He is most remembered for his role in England’s first Test defeat at Brisbane in 1990-91. He was hurriedly called up as a substitute and took two catches – one a blinder to dismiss Alec Stewart, as England collapsed at the total of 114 in the second innings. His presence in the field was controversial because Carl Rackemann was the 12th man. Being the best gully fielder in Australia at the time, he was preferred to the not-so-sure pair of hands of Rackemann. Who was this brilliant fielder?

19.   E.M.Grace and W.G.Grace, Hanif Mohammad and _______, and Sunil Wettimuny and _____. Fill in the blanks to complete the pattern.

20.   In his 119-Test career, wicket keeper Ian Healy missed only one Test because of an injury, the third Test between Australia and Pakistan at Lahore in 1994-95. Who replaced him for the Test?

21.   ‘Mad-Max’.

   This Sri Lankan cricketer got to his maiden Test century with a six off Imran Khan.

22.   He captained England in one Test and was injured in the game and played no further Tests. His ascendancy to the captaincy had more to do with his famous dad and a Chairman of selectors, Peter May, who happened to be his Godfather. In fact an attendant at Headingley refused him entry into the car park during the Test he was Captain because the attendant did not recognise him. Who is the ‘He’ in question?

23.   B.C.Booth, a former Australian Captain played field hockey for Australia in which edition of the Olympics? Clue: The answer can be deduced from the question.

24.   Duleep Mendis belongs to a band of cricketers who have scored a ton in each innings of a Test. He scored centuries in both innings of a Test match against India at Madras in 1982-83. What is unique about those tons?

25.   Who stroked a stylish 50 on debut at The Oval in 1992, which gained him a five-pound bill from Geoffrey Boycott, who bet that the former would not pass 35? Serves Boycott right.

26.   What is common to Javed Miandad and Herbert Sutcliffe as far as Test batting averages are concerned?

27.   Which South African bowler’s first names were Petrus Stephanus? Sounds Romanesque!

28.   What was developed on a billiards table during a game of billiards fives or ‘twisty grab’?

29.   What is the claim to notoriety of Trevor Guy, who owed up to his deed after 27 years, in 1998, when he answered an ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) appeal?

30.   What unusual deed from his entire Test career did Steve Waugh execute at the third Test between Pakistan and Australia at Lahore in 1988-89?

31.   I was given the moniker ‘stingray’ during my playing days. I died from the effects of chronic cirrhosis of the liver, while sitting in a chair at a pharmacist in Speightstown, Barbados in 1996. Who am I?

32.   Lance Cairns carried a wooden club, rather than a bat, with cutaway shoulders and bearing the name ____. What name? Can you believe that the first Test that Cairns saw was his debut Test!

33.   What distinguished feat did Ali Naqvi and Azhar Mahmood achieve at the Rawalpindi Test against South Africa in 1997-98?

34.   Which English cricketer was named after Neil Harvey?

35.   Which Englishman made a derisive statement - We’ll make them grovel - about the West Indies cricket team, just before their 1976 tour of England, that later came back to haunt him and his team?

36.   Name the author/wife of a cricketer who made the following uncomplimentary remark about Botham - I have always been physically frightened of people whose bodyweight in kilos is higher than their IQ.

37.   What is common to C.D.Gopinath and Vijay Merchant? Of course, they were Test cricketers.

38.   Captaincy is 90 percent luck and 10 percent skill. Who said this? Guess wildly.

39.   This founder of a cricket magazine had his ashes spread over Lord’s when he died in 1963. Who are we talking about?

40.   Swoop.

   Was the moniker he earned from his mates at Somerset about his fielding at mid-on.

41.   He was the first keeper in history to cross 500 runs in a Test series. Name the stumper.

42.   Which Australian fast bowler as a child would play in the street along which Bill O’Reilly walked home, in the hope of catching the great man’s eye? I tried that with Prasanna and it did not work.

43.   Who missed a stumping at Karachi in 1994-95 gifting Pakistan four bye-runs and a series-winning one-wicket Test victory?

44.   Name the Test umpire who witnessed Brian Lara’s 375, Mike Atherton’s 185 not out at Johannesburg and Courtney Walsh’s 500th Test wicket.

45.   How is Florence Morphy immortalised in cricket?

46.   The first Test between India and New Zealand in 1969-70 was switched from this city to Bombay (Mumbai now) because of serious rioting. It would be another fourteen years before this city made its Test debut. Which is the city?

47.   This maverick batsman is unfortunately best remembered for the undignified end to his Test career. He declared himself unfit for the third Test against Australia at Sydney during the 1972-73 series with a back injury, following a heated altercation with Denniss Lillee in the previous Test at Melbourne. With Lillee seeking revenge at Sydney, Pakistan’s management was sceptical about his injury and sent him home for indiscipline. Who was the Pakistani cricketer?

48.   Who came out of retirement at the age of 41, to aid Packer-series depleted Australia to face India and West Indies.

49.   Northamptonshire and England cricketer David Steele once persuaded a ______ to reward him