In the pursuit of fame across the 22 yards of the Cricket pitch, cricketers stake their lives along the line by performing incredible feats that set them apart from the crowd. Inhuman records, extraterrestrial agility, godlike precision in batting, savage fast bowling, and magic in those spinning fingers all contribute to players we call ' a sport stalwart.' There are a few dreadful records among these accomplishments that no cricketer wants to be associated with their names. A duck against a batter's name on the scorecard is a terrifying sight for any batsman. A batsman dismissed without disturbing the scorers is referred to as a 'duck' in cricket. Ducks are of two types: golden and diamond. A golden duck refers to a batsman getting out on the very first delivery of his innings. In contrast, a diamond duck refers to a cricketer getting dismissed even without facing a delivery. On that point, here is the list of the top 10 players who have the most number of golden ducks in Test cricket.
1. Muttiah Muralitharan
At the top of this dreaded list is Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka. Murali's batting technique was of 'pure village' style, and he was known for swinging his bat from the start in his inimitable style. He could score a few runs when he connected, but his innings were usually short. In a career spanning 133 Test matches and 184 innings, Muttiah has scored 14 golden ducks. He has a golden duck percentage of 8.54%
2. Rangana Herath
At the second position on this list is the teammate of Muttiah, Rangana Herath. In his test match career of 93 matches and 144 innings, Rangana has scored a duck 23 times, out of which 11 are golden ducks. The golden duck percentage for Rangana stands at 7.64%. Well, is there any connection between Sri Lankan spinners and golden ducks?
3. Courtney Walsh
Next on the list stands Courtney Walsh of West Indies. Walsh was a typical number tail ender batsman and seemed clueless most of the time. The ducks frequently came as well, and throughout his illustrious career, which spanned 132 Test matches, he amassed a total of 43 ducks, a record. Ten of those 43 ducks were golden ducks, although the percentage of such ducks is only 5.41%.
4. Stuart Broad
Well, we all know Stuart Broad of England for being beaten by Yuvraj Singh for six sixes in an over in the T20 World Cup 2007. However, little did we know he would land up on this list as well. In his career of 149 test matches and 217 innings, Broad has scored ten golden ducks. The percentage of golden ducks in his career is 4.61%, which isn't over yet. What's in store more?
What's in store more?
5. Chris Martin
It seems that the destiny of bowlers finding themselves in this feared list isn't ending soon, and Chris Martin of New Zealand finds himself at the fifth position in this list. Chris Martin has become something of a cult character thanks to his comedic failure as a batsman. He played in 71 test matches and batted 104 innings, out of which 36 were ducks, and nine were golden. He has a golden duck percentage of 8.65%.
6. Steve Harmison
At the sixth position in this list stands Steve Harmison of England. Harmison's strategy was to go after the bowlers right away and score some runs. That strategy, however, does not work in international cricket, as he ended up with 21 ducks during his Test career. Nine of those were golden ducks, accounting for 10.47 percent of his 86 innings. Steve has the highest golden duck percentage amongst the players on this list.
7. James Anderson
Anderson has a bad record when it comes to ducks. The left-handed batsman was bowled for a duck in the 2014 Test against Sri Lanka in Leeds, but he had devoured 55 balls in the process. In his test career of 166 matches to date, he has batted in 233 innings, and 8 of them have turned out to be golden ducks. His golden duck percentage is 3.43%. He is only two golden ducks behind to overtake his teammate Broad; well, will it happen? Only time will tell.
8. Makhaya Ntini
Makhaya Ntini of South Africa stands at the eighth position in this list. Ntini was dismissed on the first ball eight times in his cricketing career spanning 101 Test matches and 116 innings. His percentage of golden duck is 6.90%. Despite not scoring many runs, Makhaya Ntini liked batting, and the eventual result was entertaining.
9. Morne Morkel
Morne Morkel isn't the worst batsman in history, but he did have a few flaws in his technique that world-class bowlers took advantage of time and time again. In the 86 test matches Morkel played, he batted 104 times; 22 were ducks. Of these 22 ducks, 8 were golden ducks, i.e., a golden duck percentage of 7.69%.
10. Mitchell Johnson
And so here, we are at the end of this dreaded list and find another tailender in this list. Mitchell Johnson of Australia, known for his deathly bowling, finds himself on this list. In 73 test matches and 104 innings, Johnson was dismissed on the first ball eight times. His golden duck percentage is 7.69%.
