Having a rare record is very common in every sport, and cricket is no exception. While records such as taking 19 wickets in a Test match, playing 200 Test matches, or bowling a maiden over in a Super Over are celebrated and revered, there are numerous rare occurrences on the cricket field that are equally fascinating. These extraordinary moments, though not necessarily record-breaking, stand out for their uniqueness and improbability, creating lasting memories in the minds of cricket enthusiasts, and we will look at such instances in cricket.
1. Umran Akmal Getting Out Thrice In 24 Hours.
Getting out twice in 24 hours can be common as you can have two matches in consecutive days or have a super over in the game, but getting out thrice in 24 hours is very rare and has occurred once and might not happen again; it was during a three-match T20i series against England in 2015, the last match of the series when the away team won the toss and decided to bat first, and set a target of 155, in the second inning, Umran Akmal came out to bat when the home team was 50 for 4, but the batter did not help his team and was out for 4 runs in 9 balls by Moean Ali, but the match was tied, and it went to super over where Pakistan batted first and scored 4 runs where Umran Akmal score one run and was bowled by Chris Jordan, England won this match and won the series as well. This match was in Sharjah and the batter took a flight to Bangladesh to play in BPL, where he would play for Chittagong Vikings against Rangpur Riders, where the Vikings would win the toss and bat and would score 111 runs with Umran Akmal scoring another single-digit score of 1 run in 8 balls, as he was caught on Shakib Al Hassan’s bowling and all this happened under 24 hours.
2. India Won 60 Overs, 50 Overs And 20 Over World Cup.
For those who might be confused with this, the first World Cup was in 1975, but the format of this World Cup was 60 overs, and this was the format for three editions of 1975, 1979 and, 1983, before changing it to 50 overs in 1987, the first two was won by West Indies, and the third one was by India. The 50 overs World Cup had ten editions till now with Australia winning six titles, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, England and India winning one each. The 20 overs format World Cup has had nine editions till now, with West Indies, England, and India winning two titles and Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka winning each title. In all this, only one thing is common, which is India who has won all of them at least once, and they are the only team that has done it, only West Indies could join them if they win the 50 overs World Cup and West Indies and India are the only team till now to win two World Cup in each format till now.
3. Mahela Jayawardene
A classy, elegant batter and a legend of the game, the Sri Lankan batter has 54 centuries in his senior career, a high score 374 in test highest by a Sri Lankan. In the 54 centuries, the two centuries he scored would be very special for him and he is the only batter to score a century in a semi final and the final of a World Cup. It was the 2007 edition of the World Cup, the first semi-final between Sri Lanka and New Zealand; Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bat first, and they were 67 for 2 when the legend came to bat and went on to score unbeaten 115 with ten fours and three sixes, and Sri Lanka gave a target of 290, and New Zealand got all out for 208 runs, and Sri Lanka advanced to the final, but they lost to Australia. The second century he scored was in the 2011 edition of the World Cup, and in the final when India and Sri Lanka met, Sri Lanka won the toss and batting first, with the legend came out to bat when they were 60 for 2, the batter went on to score unbeaten 103 with 13 fours, Sri Lanka lost this edition as well, and the batter is the only batter to score a century in the semi-final and a final.
4. Four Innings To Be Played In One Day In A Test Match
The Test match is for five days to accompany the 4 innings which is supposed to play out, but it does before, like the shortest test match ever, between South Africa and India in 2024 with only 107 overs bowled. This match was between England and West Indies, when the latter team toured England in 2000 for a five match series. The second match of the series with West Indies batting first was the second day of the game, where the final ball of the first inning was bowled, the England inning and the West Indies innings were also bowled on the same day. The first seven balls of the last innings was also bowled in the same day, which makes it the only time in the history, and Courtney Walsh became the first and the only cricketer who has batted and bowled in all four innings of a test match on the same day.
