Cricket World Records - Cricket Quiz! Test Yourself

With the ongoing world cup this post will make sense! If you call yourself a cricket buff you must test yourself with these questions. Take a shot and check out yourself! For answers scroll thorugh to the bottom.

One Day International:
1. Which batsman has the most centuries to his credit?
2. Which team has scored the highest ever total?
3. Which cricketer has played the most matches?
4. Which bowler has taken the most wickets in a match?
5. Which bowler has had the best bowling start?
6. Which batsman was dismissed the most number of times by the same bowler?
7. Name the wicket keeper who has the most dismissals to his credit?
8. Name the cricketer (fielder) who has taken the most catches?
9. Name the cricketer who has the most runs in one-day international career?

Test Matches:
1. Who has scored the most runs in test matches?
2. Name the batsman who has the fastest test match half-century to his credit?
3. Name the batsman who has scored the fastest century?
4. Name the batsman with the most double centuries to his credit?
5. Name the cricketer who has the most runs without scoring a century?
6. Who has taken the most wickets in test matches?
7. Who has the best bowling average in test matches?
8. Name the umpire who has umpired the most test matches?
9. Name the batsmen who have triple centuries in test cricket?
10. Name the wicket keeper who has the most dismissals in a single test match?
11. Name the batsman who was dismissed the most number of times by the same bowler in test cricket.

Test & One day:
1. Name the cricketer who has taken the most international wickets in test matches and one-dayers?

Answers:
One Day International:
1. Sachin Tendulkar – 39 centuries in 362 matches from 1989 to 2006.
2. South Africa 438-9 in the second innings of a one-day match against Australia in Johannesburg on 12 March 2006. Australia scored 434-4 in the first innings.
3. Sachin Tendulkar 362 matches from 1989 to 2006.
4. Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka) 8-19 against Zimbabwe at Colombo on 8 December 2001.
5. The best bowling start was made by Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka) in a world cup match against Bangladesh in South Africa on 14 Feb 2003. He took a hatrick with the first 3 balls of the game and claimed a 4th wicket in his opening over before finishing 6-25. Sri Lanka won by 10 wickets.
6. Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka was dismissed by Waqar Younis of Pakistan 13 times in 45 matches between Sri Lanka and Pakistan between 1989 and 2002, a record for one-day intl matches.
7. Adam Gilchrist of Australia has a total of 384 dismissals in 239 matches between 1996 and 2006.
8. Mohammad Azharuddin of India took 156 catches in 334 matches between 1985 and 2000.
9. Sachin Tendulkar scored 14,146 runs (average of 44.20) in 362 one-day international matches from 1989 to 2006.

Test Matches:
1. Brian Lara of West Indies has scored 11,124 runs in 294 tests (average of 53.02) between 1990 and 2006.
2. Jacques Kallis of South Africa made a half century from 24 balls against Zimbabwe at South Africa on 4-5 March 2005.
3. Viv Richards of West Indies scored a century in 56 balls against England in Antigua from 11 to 16 April 1986.
4. Sir Don Bradman of Australia has 200 runs or more 12 times playing for Australia in 52 matches from 1928 to 1948. He also holds the record of the highest batting average in Test cricket, with an average of 99.94 in 52 tests.
5. Shane Warne of Australia has scored 2,908 runs without making a century, from 1992 to the present. He has scored 11 half centuries in that run total.
6. Shane Warne is the leading Test match wicket-taker, with 670 wickets (avg 25.16 runs per wicket) in 137 matches from 1992 to 2006.
7. From 1886 to 1896, George Lohman (UK) averaged a strike rate of 10.75 for England, from at least 2,000 balls.
8. Steve Bucknor of Jamaica has officiated a total of 110 Test matches between 1989 and 2006.
9. Only two batsmen in Test match cricket history have scored two innings of more than 300 runs: Sir Don Bradman of Australia in 52 matches, between 1928 and 1948; and Brian Lara for West Indies between 1990 and 2005.
10. Jack Russell made 11 dismissals for England against South Africa in the test match staged between 30 November and 4 December 1995.
11. Between 1994 and 2001 Michael Atherton of England was dismissed by Glen McGrath of Australia 19 times in 17 matches between England and Australia.

Test & One day:
1. Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka has taken over 1,000 international wickets. The off-spinner became the first to reach a four-figure aggregate from Test matches and one-dayers when he took his 1,000th wicket against Bangladesh in a test match on 2 March 2006.

Source: Guinness World Records

Conjoined Twins - Abigail and Brittany Hensel

Brittany (left) and Abigail (right) are conjoined twins. Born in 1990 they live in Minnesota, USA. They have two spines which join at the pelvis. They have two stomachs, three lungs, and two arms.

They appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on April 8 and April 29, 1996. In September 1998, the twins were featured on the cover of Life under the caption "One Body, Two Souls", and their daily lifestyle was depicted in the corresponding article titled The Hensels' Summer. In 2003, an updated story of them at age 11 (filmed in 2001) was published in Time and again in Life.

Common organs

Most of Abigail and Brittany's shared organs lie below the waist line.

* 2 heads

* 2 arms—originally 3, but the short malformed central arm was removed

* 2 spinal cords and backbones—surgery corrected scoliosis

* 3½ lungs—surgery expanded their chest cavity while correcting scoliosis

* 2 breasts

* 2 hearts in a shared circulatory system—medicine taken by either affects both

* 1 liver

* 2 stomachs

* 3 kidneys

* 2 gallbladders

* 1 bladder

* 1 ribcage

* 1 large intestine

* 1 reproductive system

* 1 pelvis with 2 legs

You can read about Abigail & Brittany Hensel in Wikipedia

You can watch a short video clip of them here

You can read the Time Magazine article “The most intimate bond”

Nice Moral: The Student And The Teacher

This is a very heartwarming story. It is rather long but do go through it. It shows the ability of a teacher to touch the lives of her students. Please read through and also watch the movie of the same story at the end.

As she stood in front of her 5^th grade class on the first day of school she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. However that was wrong, because there in the front row slumped in his seat was a little boy named Teddy Stallard. Miss Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn’t play well with other children and that his clothes were messy, and that he constantly needed a bath. And, Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Miss Thompson would actually take delight in marking Teddy’s papers with a broad red pen making bold X’s and then putting a big ‘F” at the top of his paper.

At the school where Miss Thompson taught, she was required to review each child’s past records; and she put Teddy’s off until the last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise. Teddy’s first grade teacher wrote: “Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners. He is such a joy to be around. Teddy’s second grade teacher wrote: “Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness, and life at home must be a struggle.” His third grade teacher wrote:”His mother’s death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn’t show much interest, and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren’t taken.” Teddy’s fourth grade teacher wrote:”Teddy is withdrawn and doesn’t show much interest in school. He doesn’t have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class”.

By now, Miss Thompson realized the problem and felt ashamed herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy’s. His present was clumsily wrapped in a heavy brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Miss Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the students started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children’s laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stallard stayed after school that day long enough to say, “Miss Thomson, today you smell just like my Mom used to”. After the children left she cried for at least an hour.

On that very day she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Miss Thomson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him his mind began to come alive. The more she encouraged him the faster he responded. By the end of the year Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class. And despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her “teacher’s pets”.

A year later she found a note under the door from Teddy, telling her that she was the best teacher he’d ever had in his whole life!

Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Four years later after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times; he’d stayed in school. He’d stuck with it and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. Again he assured Miss Thomson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had.

Then four more years passed, and another letter came. After he got his bachelors degree he had decided to go a little further. She was still the best and favorite teacher he’d ever had. But now his name was a little longer…the letter was signed “Theodore F Stallard M.D”.

The story does not end here. There was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said that he had met his girl and was going to be married” He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago, and he was wondering if Miss Thomson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course Miss Thomson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet; the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together. They hugged each other and Dr. Stallard whispered in Miss Thomsons’s ear: “Thank you for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference.” Miss Thomson with tears n her eyes, whispered back. She said “Teddy you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn’t know how to teach until I met you”.

You can never tell what type of impact you may have on another’s life by your actions…or lack of action. Please consider this fact in all your ventures through life, and just try to make a difference in someone else’s life today.

This is a fictional story written by Elizabeth Silance Ballard; published in 1974 by “Home Life Magazine” as “Three Letters from Teddy”. You may purchase the book at Amazon here Three Letters from Teddy. You can also watch the lovely movie of this story at makeadifferencemovie Keep your speakers on.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF THREE LETTERS FROM TEDDY:

Elizabeth Silance Ballard is a wife, mother, and grandmother of three, and works with the Department of Social Services in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She has B.S. in Human Services Counseling and has done extensive graduate work in that field. She is originally from North Carolina where she attended Wingate College. She is a graduate of Old Dominion College.

Nissan Qashqai Commercial Video - Nice One

Watch this video. Nissan has done some out of the box thinking with this spot. It is a nice spot for the Qashqai crossover vehicle. The "Nissan Qashqai" is their new urbanproof vehicle. Wish I could skate cars like this!

The premise is simple; buyers are bored with routine hatchbacks and crave something that looks tough and makes them feel secure, which might also be fun to use, and is practical.

Cricket: India in World Cup 2007

It is time Indian cricket underwent a sweeping revamp. Indians went to the Caribbean with a bang and returned with a whimper. I think the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) should change its name to BSCI (Board of Control for Sports India). Indians would do well to promote so many other sports that are not given the importance they deserve. Why not promote games like hockey, football, tennis, badminton, table tennis or athletics? The BCCI has tons of public money. India would have made a mark in one of these sports had they received the attention required. Cricket has been responsible for destroying all sport in India. At least now other sporting disciplines should be given some importance.

The cricket board should be professionalized. Only cricket players of good standing must hold positions and not politicians and non-players. Instead of hiring foreign specialist coaches by paying huge sums of money; a good alternative would be to hire specialists from within the country and conduct training camps at the school and university and town levels where great talent can be scoured. Talent should be discovered at the grass roots level.

The BCCI’s move to limit sponsorships to three per cricketer is a good move and should be implemented. The sponsors in India have learnt a lesson by putting large money on cricketers and the sport. I hear that one leading nationalized bank withdrew its sponsorship to India’s top chess player Koneru Humpy and opted for Rahul Dravid. With India’s dismal shown in the World Cup I am hoping it will mean seeing less of cricketers selling and endorsing products on television.

Our cricketers are generally a non performing bunch, and yet a billion Indians insanely cling to them. Indians in any sport usually enter with a fatalistic attitude resigned to defeat lacking the competitiveness that is so necessary. Added to this is the fact that the media in India over hypes cricket to unimaginable levels. I only hope the BCCI and the sponsors come to their senses for a better Team 11 for the next world cup.

Watch these 2 videos…sad and funny!

Also check out for this post on Indian cricket