In the New Year's Test match in Cape Town between South Africa and Sri Lanka, Stephen Cook was caught behind of Suranga Lakmal before South Africa got off the mark. It was the 13th instance in Test cricket where a year saw a batsman walking back to the pavilion before any runs were scored. Interestingly, the last Test in Port Elizabeth saw the pair of Cook and Dean Elgar becoming just the ninth pair in Test history to register two century stands in the same Test.
Instances of a wicket lost before any run was scored in a calendar year in Tests
|
Batsman
|
Team
|
Bowler
|
Team
|
Venue
|
Date
|
|
G Ulyett
|
Eng
|
F Spofforth
|
Aus
|
MCG
|
02 Jan 1879
|
|
A Rose-Innes
|
SA
|
J Briggs
|
Eng
|
Port Elizabeth
|
12 Mar 1889
|
|
G Lohmann
|
Eng
|
J Willoughby
|
SA
|
Port Elizabeth
|
13 Feb 1896
|
|
V Trumper
|
Aus
|
S Barnes
|
Eng
|
MCG
|
01 Jan 1902
|
|
Jack Ryder
|
Aus
|
J Douglas
|
Eng
|
MCG
|
01 Jan 1921
|
|
G Hearne
|
SA
|
G Macaulay
|
Eng
|
Cape Town
|
01 Jan 1923
|
|
ML Jaisimha
|
Ind
|
Mahmood Hussain
|
Pak
|
Kolkata
|
01 Jan 1961
|
|
S Gavaskar
|
Ind
|
D Lillee
|
Aus
|
SCG
|
02 Jan 1981
|
|
M Atherton
|
Eng
|
A Donald
|
SA
|
Cape Town
|
02 Jan 1996
|
|
M Bell
|
NZ
|
J Srinath
|
Ind
|
Hamilton
|
02 Jan 1999
|
|
P Jacques
|
Aus
|
RP Singh
|
Ind
|
SCG
|
02 Jan 2008
|
|
G Gambhir
|
Ind
|
J Pattinson
|
Aus
|
SCG
|
03 Jan 2012
|
|
S Cook
|
SA
|
S Lakmal
|
SL
|
Cape Town
|
02 Jan 2017
|
Out of the 13 instances above, 11 matches started on the respective year whereas two matches began in the preceding year and the batting side lost one of the overnight batsman without adding anything to his tally.
The Tests are:
Aus vs Eng, MCG, 1921
Ind vs Pak, Kolkata, 1961
In the Kolkata Test of 1961, India lost Abbas Ali Baig on the last ball of day's play on Dec 31st 1960 and ML Jaisimha on 1st Jan 1961 without any run being added to the total.
The Test match in 1879 was the only match played the entire year. Later on the same day, Fred Spofforth achieved Test cricket's maiden hat-trick.
