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Cricket · Interesting Facts

Chapter 8: Players & Legends

10 parts · 10 tests · 100 facts · updated 14 October 2026 · markdown

The people behind the records: double internationals, politicians, pioneers, late starters, nicknames, honours, families, captains and cricketers in entertainment.

8.81Double Internationals

Cricketers who also played football, rugby and hockey for their countries.

Test 1Two-sport starsTake a test

  1. He jumped 23 feet 6.5 inches in 1893.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, C. B. Fry profile · recall

  2. He played on the left wing in the final at Wembley.

    Source: Arsenal FC history; ESPNcricinfo, Denis Compton · recall

  3. He made a handful of appearances in the early 1980s.

    Source: Scunthorpe United history; ESPNcricinfo, Ian Botham · recall

  4. He played in qualifiers for the 1974 World Cup.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Viv Richards profile · recall

  5. The team did not travel, and he went to the cricket World Cup instead.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Jonty Rhodes profile · recall

  6. He kicked goals for New Zealand in the late 1970s.

    Source: New Zealand Rugby, All Blacks records · recall

  7. His one rugby international was against Wales in 1956.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, M. J. K. Smith profile · recall

  8. 1893, 1950, 1956, 1974 and 1981.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

  9. 1872, 1918, 1933, 1952, 1969 and 1973.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles · recall

  10. Wilson played four ODIs in 1993 and later returned for more in 2005.

    Source: New Zealand Cricket; New Zealand Rugby · recall

8.82From the Pitch to Parliament

Cricketers who went into politics, the church and public life.

Test 1Public lifeTake a test

  1. He had founded his political party in 1996.

    Source: Government of Pakistan; ESPNcricinfo, Imran Khan profile · recall

  2. He lost in Cardiff South East.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Ted Dexter profile · recall

  3. He was ordained as a Pentecostal pastor.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Wes Hall profile · recall

  4. He played on for a short while after his election.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Sanath Jayasuriya profile · recall

  5. He captained Bangladesh at the 2019 World Cup as a member of Parliament.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Mashrafe Mortaza profile · recall

  6. He was elected for East Delhi.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Gautam Gambhir profile · recall

  7. He led Sri Lanka to the 1996 title.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Arjuna Ranatunga profile · recall

  8. 1964, 1975, 2010, 2018 and 2019.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

  9. 1950, August 1958, November 1958 and 1971.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles · recall

  10. He was bishop from 1975 to 1997 and later sat in the House of Lords.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, David Sheppard profile · recall

8.83Barrier Breakers

The first players from their community to play Test cricket for their country.

Test 1Firsts and pioneersTake a test

  1. The Barbados-born Middlesex batter made his debut in the Caribbean.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Roland Butcher profile · recall

  2. He went on to take 390 Test wickets.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Makhaya Ntini profile · recall

  3. He was a fast bowler and was only 18 at the time.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Henry Olonga profile · recall

  4. His patka became a familiar sight on English grounds.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Monty Panesar profile · recall

  5. He was born in Islamabad and moved to Sydney as a child.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Usman Khawaja profile · recall

  6. His cousin Danish Kaneria later became Pakistan's leading spinner.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Anil Dalpat profile · recall

  7. He later made South Africa's first Test triple-hundred.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Hashim Amla profile · recall

  8. 1981, 1984, 1995, 1998, 2004 and 2006.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles · recall

  9. Butcher 71, Ntini about 700, Khawaja over 6,000 and Amla 9,282.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles · recall

  10. Their statement ended both men's international careers.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, the black armband protest, 2003 · recall

8.84Late Starters

Players who reached Test cricket in their thirties or later, and made it count.

Test 1Late bloomersTake a test

  1. The New Zealand-born leg-spinner took 5 for 45 and 6 for 37 against England at Sydney.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Clarrie Grimmett profile · recall

  2. He played on until he was 50.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Bert Ironmonger profile · recall

  3. He lost the top of his left index finger in a chaff-cutter.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Bert Ironmonger profile · recall

  4. His record in county and state cricket had made him impossible to ignore.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Mike Hussey profile · recall

  5. He made 130 not out against West Indies at Roseau, Dominica.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Test records, oldest debut centurions · recall

  6. He returned for the 2013 Ashes and made a hundred at Durham.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Chris Rogers profile · recall

  7. He was soon one of the leading spinners in the world.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Saeed Ajmal profile · recall

  8. 30, 31, 33, 35 and 46.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles · recall

  9. 1925, 1928, 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2015.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles · recall

  10. He played for the Netherlands at the 2009 T20 World Cup and then for Australia.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Dirk Nannes profile · recall

8.85What They Were Called

Cricket's nicknames and where they came from.

Test 1NicknamesTake a test

  1. The name came from his home city and his speed.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Shoaib Akhtar profile · recall

  2. He moved quickly and gracefully for such a tall man.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Clive Lloyd profile · recall

  3. Shane Warne gave him the name.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Ricky Ponting profile · recall

  4. Team-mates thought his legs looked like a pigeon's.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Glenn McGrath profile · recall

  5. He weighed around 20 stone late in his career.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Warwick Armstrong profile · recall

  6. He took 297 Test wickets.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Derek Underwood profile · recall

  7. Team-mates joked that he never stopped talking about cricket.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Mike Hussey profile · recall

  8. Armstrong 1902, Tyson 1954, Underwood June 1966, Lloyd December 1966, McGrath 1993 and Shoaib 1997.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles · recall

  9. 1975, 1977 and 1979.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles · recall

  10. 'Typhoon' Tyson's pace won the 1954-55 Ashes.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Frank Tyson profile · recall

8.86Knights, Peers and Honours

Knighthoods, peerages and the highest national honours won by cricketers.

Test 1HonoursTake a test

  1. The honour came in the year of the Coronation.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Jack Hobbs profile · recall

  2. He was knighted soon after his retirement.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Don Bradman profile · recall

  3. It came two years after he retired.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Frank Worrell profile · recall

  4. The country's new stadium was later named after him.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Viv Richards profile · recall

  5. It is India's highest civilian honour.

    Source: Government of India, Bharat Ratna · recall

  6. He took the title Baron Botham of Ravensworth.

    Source: UK Parliament, Lord Botham · recall

  7. He later trained with a parachute regiment.

    Source: Indian Army, Territorial Army honours · recall

  8. 1949, 1953, 1975, 1999, 2014 and 2020.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

  9. 1882, 1908, 1924, 1936 and 1952.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles · recall

  10. The ceremony was at the Garrison Savannah in Bridgetown.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Garry Sobers profile · recall

8.87Unusual Beginnings

Ticket collectors, policemen, engineers and a spinner who began as a seamer.

Test 1How they startedTake a test

  1. Walters told New South Wales to have a look at the young bowler.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Glenn McGrath profile · recall

  2. A school coach suggested he try off-spin.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Muttiah Muralitharan profile · recall

  3. He studied in Bangalore while playing for Karnataka.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Anil Kumble profile · recall

  4. He turned to off-spin after an injury in his teens.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Ravichandran Ashwin profile · recall

  5. Johnson took several years more to reach the Test side.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Mitchell Johnson profile · recall

  6. He took leave from the police to play cricket.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Shane Bond profile · recall

  7. He played for the Army side in Sri Lanka's domestic cricket.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Ajantha Mendis profile · recall

  8. 1990, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2005 and 2011.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, player profiles · recall

  9. 2001-03, 2004, December 2004 and 2007.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, MS Dhoni profile · recall

  10. He played for the railways team while working there.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, MS Dhoni profile · recall

8.88Cricket Families

Brothers, twins, fathers and sons, and grandfathers who all played.

Test 1FamiliesTake a test

  1. Wazir, Hanif, Mushtaq and Sadiq all played; a fifth, Raees, came close.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, the Mohammad family · recall

  2. Mark made his debut at Adelaide and scored a hundred.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Mark Waugh profile · recall

  3. Three generations of Headleys played Test cricket.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, the Headley family · recall

  4. Darren played one Test for England in 2008; James played for Australia.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, the Pattinson brothers · recall

  5. They are the first father and son to make Test hundreds on debut.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, the Amarnath family · recall

  6. Geoff himself opened for Australia in the 1980s.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, the Marsh family · recall

  7. Their father Kevin also played for Zimbabwe.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Ben Curran profile · recall

  8. 1933, 1973, 1976, 1991 and 2008.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

  9. Grandfather, father and son.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, the Headley family · recall

  10. Eric Bedser never played a Test, but the twins were inseparable all their lives.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, the Bedser twins · recall

8.89Captains' Tales

A captain with one eye, a declaration on 334 and a toss that had to be redone.

Test 1CaptainsTake a test

  1. He led India in 40 Tests despite the injury.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi profile · recall

  2. His book 'The Art of Captaincy' is still widely read.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Mike Brearley profile · recall

  3. The crowd saw the colourful cap as a sign of his aloofness.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Douglas Jardine profile · recall

  4. Taylor said he did not want to pass Bradman's highest Test score.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Pakistan v Australia, Peshawar 1998 · recall

  5. His team copied the push-ups after winning the match.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, England v Pakistan, Lord's 2016 · recall

  6. He took blow after blow from Holding and Roberts at Old Trafford.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Brian Close profile · recall

  7. He turned Australia from a struggling side into world champions.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Allan Border profile · recall

  8. 1932-33, 1962, 1976, 1998 and 2016.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

  9. July 1961, December 1961 and March 1962.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi profile · recall

  10. Crowd noise drowned Kumar Sangakkara's call, so MS Dhoni tossed again.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, World Cup final 2011 · recall

8.90Stars Off the Field

Dancers, singers, presenters and a horror star: cricketers in entertainment.

Test 1Fame off the fieldTake a test

  1. He followed another cricketer who had won the year before.

    Source: BBC, Strictly Come Dancing winners · recall

  2. Cricketers won the show two years running.

    Source: BBC, Strictly Come Dancing winners · recall

  3. The spinner spent two weeks in the Australian jungle.

    Source: ITV, I'm a Celebrity winners · recall

  4. He presented it alongside Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris.

    Source: BBC, Top Gear presenters · recall

  5. The song 'You're the One for Me' reached the Indian charts.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Brett Lee profile · recall

  6. West Indies danced to it after winning the final.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Dwayne Bravo profile · recall

  7. The club was founded by the former England captain C. Aubrey Smith.

    Source: Hollywood Cricket Club history · recall

  8. 1932, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2016 and 2019.

    Source: BBC; ITV; Hollywood Cricket Club · recall

  9. 2005, 2006, 2012 and 2013.

    Source: BBC, Strictly Come Dancing · recall

  10. His brother Shane, also a cricketer, was in the band too.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Brett Lee profile · recall

Sources

Primary/official sources only, no Wikipedia citations: ESPNcricinfo player profiles and match reports, the BBC, UK Parliament, club histories. The great batting, bowling and keeping records are asked in Knowledge Testing level 7 and left out here.

  • ESPNcricinfo, player profiles10
  • ESPNcricinfo5
  • ESPNcricinfo, Viv Richards profile2
  • ESPNcricinfo, Bert Ironmonger profile2
  • ESPNcricinfo, Mike Hussey profile2
  • ESPNcricinfo, Glenn McGrath profile2
  • ESPNcricinfo, MS Dhoni profile2
  • ESPNcricinfo, the Headley family2
  • ESPNcricinfo, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi profile2
  • BBC, Strictly Come Dancing winners2
  • ESPNcricinfo, Brett Lee profile2
  • ESPNcricinfo, C. B. Fry profile1
  • Arsenal FC history; ESPNcricinfo, Denis Compton1
  • Scunthorpe United history; ESPNcricinfo, Ian Botham1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Jonty Rhodes profile1
  • New Zealand Rugby, All Blacks records1
  • ESPNcricinfo, M. J. K. Smith profile1
  • New Zealand Cricket; New Zealand Rugby1
  • Government of Pakistan; ESPNcricinfo, Imran Khan profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Ted Dexter profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Wes Hall profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Sanath Jayasuriya profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Mashrafe Mortaza profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Gautam Gambhir profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Arjuna Ranatunga profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, David Sheppard profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Roland Butcher profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Makhaya Ntini profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Henry Olonga profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Monty Panesar profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Usman Khawaja profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Anil Dalpat profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Hashim Amla profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, the black armband protest, 20031
  • ESPNcricinfo, Clarrie Grimmett profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Test records, oldest debut centurions1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Chris Rogers profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Saeed Ajmal profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Dirk Nannes profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Shoaib Akhtar profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Clive Lloyd profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Ricky Ponting profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Warwick Armstrong profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Derek Underwood profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Frank Tyson profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Jack Hobbs profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Don Bradman profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Frank Worrell profile1
  • Government of India, Bharat Ratna1
  • UK Parliament, Lord Botham1
  • Indian Army, Territorial Army honours1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Garry Sobers profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Muttiah Muralitharan profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Anil Kumble profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Ravichandran Ashwin profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Mitchell Johnson profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Shane Bond profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Ajantha Mendis profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, the Mohammad family1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Mark Waugh profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, the Pattinson brothers1
  • ESPNcricinfo, the Amarnath family1
  • ESPNcricinfo, the Marsh family1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Ben Curran profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, the Bedser twins1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Mike Brearley profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Douglas Jardine profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Pakistan v Australia, Peshawar 19981
  • ESPNcricinfo, England v Pakistan, Lord's 20161
  • ESPNcricinfo, Brian Close profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Allan Border profile1
  • ESPNcricinfo, World Cup final 20111
  • ITV, I'm a Celebrity winners1
  • BBC, Top Gear presenters1
  • ESPNcricinfo, Dwayne Bravo profile1
  • Hollywood Cricket Club history1
  • BBC; ITV; Hollywood Cricket Club1
  • BBC, Strictly Come Dancing1