Cricket is known as one of the most unpredictable sports in the world. It is also true because batters and bowlers must be consistent to fix their position in a team. Cricket has seen many unforgettable matches where a team defied the odds. Even though there are some moments where cricket's most significant and strangest coincidences occur, let's look at the top ten Coincidences in Cricket.
1. Lucky Empire
Sachin Tendulkar is one of the greatest batsmen of all time. There were many incidents where different umpires gave the "God of Cricket" wrong. In ODI cricket, Sachin Tendulkar has scored 49 centuries, and his highest ODI three scores are 175, 186 and 200 against Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, respectively. But almost every cricket viewer does not know that Shavir Tarapore was the umpire in all three matches where Sachin played the three highest ODI Knocks.
2. Identical Numbers Between Siblings
David Steele is a former right-handed batsman from England. Even though this batsman got to play only eight tests and an ODI for England, he is one of the greatest batsmen in England's first-class cricket. There is a coincidence of identical statistics associated with him and his younger sibling. In the 1978 first-class season, David Steele scored 1,182 runs in 31 completed innings and had an average of 38.12. His younger brother, John Steele, also scored 1,182 runs in 31 completed innings with an average of 38.12.
3. Nelson At 11:11 On 11/11/11
Nelson is when a team reaches a score of 111, made famous by the legendary empire David Shepherd. There are many incidents of Nelson in cricket, but this one is the most epic. In a 3rd test played between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town in 2011, the third day of the test morning was an oasis of calm. South Africa needed 111 runs to win at 11:11 on the 11th day of the 11th month in 2011. The scoreboard showed 11:11 11/11/11. After this incident, the entire crowd in the stadium stood on one leg for a minute. Undoubtedly, it is one of the strangest coincidences in cricket history.
4. The Luckiest Spectator
In cricket history, the ten-wicket haul in an innings is the rarest thing to see, as only three bowlers could do that in international cricket. Seeing ten-wicket would be an unforgettable experience for any person. Richard Stokes is the luckiest spectator who watched Jim Laker's and Kumble's ten-wicket hauls in the stadium. Richard Stokes was present in the stadium when Jim Laker took the legendary ten-wicket haul in the Ashes of 1956. After 43 years, Anil Kumble took the unforgettable ten-wicket haul against Pakistan, and this time, Richard Stokes was watching the match in the stadium.
5. Alec Stewart’s Test Runs
Alec Stewart is a former right-handed batsman from England. He is one of the most respected cricketers in England who has contributed so much to England's cricket. Alec Stewart is one of the finest wicket-keepers that England has ever produced. Alec Stewart was born on 8th April 1963 and is 60. The strange coincidence is that Alec Stewart's test statistics match his date of birth. In 133 test matches, he has scored 8,463 runs, which shows his date, month, and year of birth.
6. Coincidental Asia Cup Match
There is a coincidental occurrence of the same event between the India and Pakistan match of the Austral Asia Cup in 1986 and the Asia Cup in 2014. In both matches, Pakistan won the toss and bowled first. From India's side, three batsmen scored half-centuries, with two runouts in Pakistan's innings. Both times, India batted first and scored 245 runs, and the match went into the last overs. Batters hit the six to win the game both times, and Pakistan won both matches. In 1986, Javed Miandad hit a six, and Shahid Afridi hit a six in 2014.
7. Ishant Sharma’s Costliest Drops
In cricket history, Ishant Sharma has dropped some of the costliest catches, which was the most fortunate for the batters as they scored big runs after Ishant dropped their catch. In a test match against England, he dropped a catch of Alastair Cook when he scored below 50. Later on, Cook scored 294 runs. The same happened with Michael Clarke and Brendon McCullum, where Ishant dropped their catch, and both batsmen scored triple-centuries.
8. Boyd Rankin And Ed Joyce
Boyd Rankin and Ed Joyce are some of the rarest cricketers who have played cricket for two countries. Royd Rankin is a former fast-bowler, and Ed Joyce is a former batsman. In the 2007 World Cup, Boyd Rankin bowled Ed Joyce, where Ed Joyce was playing for England, and Rankin was playing for Ireland. In an ODI match in 2013, Rankin again dismissed Ed Joyce and this time, Rankin was on England's team, whereas Ed Joyce was playing for Ireland's team.
9. Same Team, Same Result And Margin
It was the story of the first international match played between England and Australia, which took place in 1977. A first and centenary test was played between England and Australia in 1977. Both times, Australia won the match. The giant coincidence is that both times, Australia won both matches by the same margin as they won by 45 runs.
10. Same Marginal Factor
In the 2nd ODI against South Africa, Sachin Tendulkar became the first batsman to score a double-century in ODI cricket history. Next year, Virendra Sehwag scored a double-century and 219 runs against West Indies. After three years, Rohit Sharma scored the highest individual score in the ODI, scoring 264 runs against Sri Lanka. The similarity in all these double-centuries was that India won the match by the same margin. When Sachin scored 200, India won the match by 153 runs, which happened in 2011 when Sehwag scored 219 and in 2014 when Rohit scored 264.
