Ducks in a Row

In a match where most of the batsmen hit loads of runs and Harbhajan Singh dominated the New Zealand bowlers there was one man that wished that he had not been picked.

Tim McIntosh opened the batting for New Zealand and spent 16min on the field in two innings. He scored exactly 0 runs in 16 balls faced. He didn’t bowl which is a surprise since even McCullum and Taylor got to bowl. All he did was fill in a gap on the field. It is not easy when your primary job is to make runs and you come off with a pair. It must have been the worst test match of this poor man’s life. I wonder if he knew that he plays with one of the great duck men in history.

Chris Martin must be amongst the worse batsmen in test history. He has an amazing average of 2.35 in 82 innings with 43 not outs and a highest score of 12. Of the 39 completed innings he has an amazing tally of 28 ducks. He has 15 less ducks than Courtney Walsh but Walsh has batted 103 more times than him. If Chris Martin continues for another couple of years, Walsh’s record could be under serious threat. Chris does have a world record and that is that he has 6 pairs, the next closest being 4. He is just 1 duck behind the leading “ducks in a row” gentlemen who have an amazing 5 ducks in a row.

In his defence Danny Morison has got a very similar conversion rate between ducks and innings and Mervin Dillon has got a better conversion rate but both batsmen have far higher averages, both being just above 8.4. Fred Grace (WG Grace’s brother) only played 1 test match and he got a pair so his conversion rate is unbeatable.

It is far easier for me to sit at my desk and look up these stats than batting against the world’s top bowlers but each to their own.

Leading Duck legends

Player	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	Ducks
CA Walsh (WI)	132	185	61	936	30*	7.54	43
GD McGrath (Aus)	124	138	51	641	61	7.36	35
SK Warne (Aus)	145	199	17	3154	99	17.32	34
M Muralitharan (ICC/SL)	133	164	56	1261	67	11.67	33
CS Martin (NZ)	57	82	43	92	12*	2.35	28

Pairs

Player	Mat	Inns	NO	Ave	0	Pairs
CS Martin (NZ)	57	82	43	2.35	28	6
M Dillon (WI)	38	68	3	8.44	26	4
BS Chandrasekhar (India)	58	80	39	4.07	23	4
MS Atapattu (SL)	90	156	15	39.02	22	4
CA Walsh (WI)	132	185	61	7.54	43	4
M Muralitharan (ICC/SL)	133	164	56	11.67	33	4

Ducks in a Row (only a selection of players with 4 ducks)

Player	Ducks
RG Holland	5
AB Agarkar	5
Mohammad Asif	5
R Peel	4
RJ Crisp	4
P Roy	4
ME Waugh	4
DK Morrison	4
GD McGrath	4
CS Martin	4
A Nel	4