Wednesday, June 17, 2015

James Franklin debut against Pakistan in Auckland in 2000

Franklin, an effective allrounder, couldn’t buy a run, first trapped in front by Saqlain Mushtaq and then bowled by Mohammad Sami. He was dropped after the series, but returned to the side in the mid-2000s – scoring an unbeaten 122 against South Africa in 2006 – and played the last of his 31 Tests in 2013 in South Africa.

Saeed Anwar had an inauspicious start to his Test career, against West Indies in Faisalabad in 1990.

Curtly Ambrose and then Ian Bishop dismissed him for zero even as he shone in One-Day Internationals, but he matched his ODI prowess when wearing whites soon after. He ended with 4052 runs in 55 Tests, at an average of 45.52 and 11 centuries one of those, an unbeaten 188, helping Pakistan to a 46-run win in the Kolkata Test in 1999.

Marvan Atapattu made his runless debut in 1990, against India in Chandigarh,

Atapattu join with Virender Sehwag, Javed Miandad, Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting  in the list of batsmen with most 200-plus scores in Test cricket. His assiduousness was the perfect foil for the adventurous Sanath Jayasuriya, his opening partner for much of his career, but Atapattu had major hurdles to cross when he started out. He made his runless debut in 1990, against India in Chandigarh, where he was caught and bowled by Venkatapathi Raju in the first innings and then trapped in front by Kapil Dev. It took him till 1997 to get established in the side but, thereafter, there were runs aplenty – 90 Tests, an average of 39.02 and 16 centuries speak volumes of his class.

A more-than capable batsman

New Zealand Ken Rutherford managed just 12 runs in his first seven Test innings, having started out with a pair on debut against West Indies in Port of Spain when, as a 19 year old, he had the unenviable task of facing Malcolm Marshall. He was then run out in the second innings to cap a poor debut, but thereafter scored 2465 runs for New Zealand on his way to an average of 27.08 from 56 Tests.

Pair on Debut

Former England’s highest Test run-scorer, Gooch ended his 118-Test career with 8900 runs at an average of 42.58 and 20 centuries. All rather incredible, given that on Gooch’s debut in 1975, against Australia, Max Walker and Jeff Thomson sent him back for successive ducks. Pair on debut for Rajendra Chandrika, but he's part of a club that includes Graham Gooch, Marvan Atapattu and Saeed Anwar.