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Quiz : Who am I? ($50,000)

Gambit

By Gambit
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Gambit

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I posted this a long time ago as well (not here). First person to get all 10 gets $50,000. I did not compile this but got it from somewhere else a long time ago. Rules: 1. Post your answers in one post. Just one post. Once posted, you are not allowed to edit that post. Edited entries will be declared null and void so think hard before you post. 2. Person with most correct answers with get the 50 grand. 3. In case of a tie, money will be divided.

1.Everyone else is a superstar in my team. Michael Vaughan is England's answer to the Haydens, Laras and the Tendulkars, Marcus Trescothick is the best opener in the World (according to the press), Freddie Flintoff is the next Botham and James Anderson - the less said about him, the better. But you'll find very little written about me. Perhaps that's why I'm able to score runs with such an amazing consistency, and without any distractions off the field. I have been instrumental with my tons when, in the recent past, England have put a couple of matches across the old enemy - Australia. Those who watched my century against South Africa this season(2003), will aver that my stroke play justifies my name. Sadly for England, I have never played a one day international(when will they ever learn?). So, who am I? 2. I have quite a good lineage behind me. Both my father and my grandfather played for the West Indies. My grandfather is considered as perhaps the greatest black batsmen of all times. Even though my batting was not of the same caliber, my bowling was incisive. I was shaping up as my country's leading pace bowler, when my persistent back injury cut short my test and first class career. But I had my finest moments on the field - three hat-tricks for Kent in 1996, and most notably, a career best 6-60, when I ripped open a rampaging Australian side, chasing 175 at Melbourne(Sadly, most people remember the guy who took the last few wickets and not me!). Who am I? 3. It was baptism by fire for me. Against an attack comprising of Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Michael Holding and Winston Davis, I never managed to cross 5 in 7 innings. However, I had finer moments including a century each against England, Srilanka and our "friendly" neighbour, the Aussies. My career was shaping up fine, when captaincy was thrust upon me. I can't say I distinguished myself in that role. I lost 11 of the 18 tests I captained my team in - winning only two of them. My one day international record was not so bad. I played in two World Cups, making significant contributions in the second one. However, Mr. Glenn Turner had other ideas about me and some of my team mates, and I found myself on the wrong side of a "Team rebuilding exercise". So who am I? (P.S: You Indians will surely remember me - though, not for my "exploits" on the field) 4. Though I cannot be blamed for that, I made my test debut quite late - at the age of 29. But then I was playing for South Africa. I had already established myself as a stingy and accurate bowler in one day internationals. In just my second test, I tore apart the Aussies in their own lair at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with a five wicket haul, a six wicket haul, that enabled my team to win the test by 5 runs. I also had the distinction of picking up three consecutive five wicket hauls. I went out with a bang ripping open the Pakistanis in my last test match, to claim my best figures of 6 for 23. In One day Internationals, I might not have been a successful wicket taking bowler, but I never gave away much. I soon established the reputation of being the most miserly fast bowlerof the time. A bowling average of 27.7 speaks for itself. Who am I? 5. It didn't help that I played most my cricket as a middle-order bat, at a time when Kim Hughes dumped a team of no-hopers on the back of Allan Border. Australia won only 4 tests among the 30-odd that I played. I had a sensational debut, scoring a century in my second test match, against Pakistan at Faislabad. But still we went on to lose the match. In a career which spanned almost 6 years and 30-odd tests, I scored only two more centuries - against England and India. My one-day record was also not much to speak about, though I had some moments of glory, including a laborious 84 on a seaming Kingston pitch, and as many of you Indians would remember, a 53 ball 75 against Kapil Dev and co. in the 86 tour to India. But then, as Aussie cricket started looking for "quickness on the field", I soon found myself out of favour(Not surprising, since I was nicknamed "Fat Cat"). Who am I? 6. I was one of those dibbly-dobbly all rounders who got a chance to play for New Zealand in the 90s. I had a sensational debut match in the Rothman's cup against India, picking up 3 for 19, including the prize wicket of Sachin Tendulkar for a second ball duck. But a mere 18 runs from my first six matches meant that I was ignored and not selected for the World Cup in 1992. But I made a strong comeback after the World Cup, with my best being in 1993/94, when I played some really important knocks to lead my team to victory. Perhaps I was the next big all rounder on the block! But my batting fell away subsequently. Even though I was selected for the 96 World Cup, I could not do much, except being remembered for what some people called the Catch of the World Cup. My test career had some moments of triumph. I managed a draw for my team with an 80 not out against a rampaging Graeme Labrooy, who blew away the top order, when we were chasing an improbable 383 at Auckland. But my finest hour came against the two Ws - Wasim and Waqar, when I countered their reverse swing to score 120 not out, in a partnership of 154 with Bryan Young to lead my team to victory. But soon, with Chris Cairns knocking on the door, there was only one way - out. Who am I? 7. It was very difficult for me to follow the legacy of the greatest opening pair in the history of the game. There is very little to talk about my ten years as a test player, except for a few innings - a hundred for a losing cause against Australia at Melbourne, a match which is remembered in Australia as the first time Shane Warne stamped his exclusive seal on a scorecard. Three tests later, I played a part in my team's last famous series victory. On the Perth minefield, I made a painstaking 81 in a match which is more remembered for Curtly Ambrose's destructive spells. My one-day record was however very impressive(though an average of 29-odd does not talk much). I scored 5 hundreds, all on a winning cause, and 18 fifties. Though not in the mold of the Jayasuriyas or the Greatbatches, on my day, I could rip apart the bowling. I could do my bit with the ball also. Batsmen found my gentle medium pacers hard to hit, and I ended up bowling "at the death" quite often. And of course, my world record bowling spell still stands! Well, who'm I? 8. I was one of the first bowling superstars of Sri Lanka. I was gone long before Chaminda Vaas and Muthiah Muralitharan came on the scene. The fact that I played at the time Sri Lanka were the whipping boys of World Cricket, would make it difficult for people to remember my name. I made my debut as a specialist bowler, at the age of 21, against Pakistan at home. The wickets were difficult to come, but I'm thankful that the selectors persisted with me. I rewarded their faith with 5 for 42 versus New Zealand at Colombo. My best was yet to come. On the tour of Pakistan, I wrecked the famed batting line up at Sialkot - which included Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Salim Malik and Imran Khan, among others - with my best figures of 8 for 83. I palyed some of my best cricket in the series in India that followed. Promoted to open the innings in the first test, I scored my highest test score of 93, in a partnership of 159 with Sidhath Wettimuny, and later returned to pick up four wickets. I carried on my form to the next test to score a fighting 54 when all around me, wickets collapsed. In the last test, once again I stood tall with a 5 wicket haul. I continued to perform consistently for my team until the end of my career. Well, do you remember me? 9. When I burst into the scene as a 21 year old, I was considered as the challenge to the likes of Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar. My international career was short lived. I played only 19 tests and 50 one day internationals. I had my fine moments, against the West Indies during the 93 tour, when I stood tall amongst the ruins, and during the New Zealand tour, when I scored my only test century at Christchurch(the same match mentioned in question 6). Though my team lost the match, I gave a fine account of myself, with my only 100 and a 67. My one day career was equally impressive. A resound middle order bat who could score quickly, I played my finest innings against the West Indies in the famous Champions Trophy final match at Sharjah. A 75 ball innings of 129, laden with 12 fours and 5 sixes were not enough to stop a rampaging Brian Lara from running up a mammoth 153 to lead the West Indies to victory. I consistently continued to notch up fifties. But just when everything was shaping up nicely, I dropped a bombshell. On the tour to Zimbabwe, I "retired" from cricket agains. Though I tried to make a comeback, the death knell had been sounded. By 1996, my international career was over. Do you know me? 10 Well, I'll be frank enough to say that I was picked as a spinner in the Australian team. My international bowling record does not speak much, though the only time I ever managed to pick two five wicket hauls has gone down as a poignant moment in test cricket history(that too, against the best in the business!). But surprisingly, I proved to be a handful with the bat. I scored four centuries and twelve fifties in my test career, finishing with an average of 41. But then my on-the-field behaviour did not endear well with everyone - especially my behaviour towards the crowd - and soon, I found myself out of the team. However, I managed to make a comeback at the ripe old age of 33, to help my team to a famous away win against Sri Lanka - a match which saw a young dude named Shane Warne take his first steps towards eventual stardom. Who am I?
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sm332 Newbie

sm332

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Wow. That was shortlived! Well done sm332. Here are the correct answers:
as my wife would say countless hrs watching/reading/talking about cricket should have its uses somewhere somehow:two_thumbs_up: not pass over the 50K ... I need to get to betting!!
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sm332 Newbie

sm332

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How did dial get Ian Bell for number 1? Bell's played ODI's. Curious, how do you guys (Gambit/sm) know/remember this stuff? Please tell me you guys didn't know this off the top of your head :rolleyes:
as mentioned earlier ... I knew about half of them ... needed to google the others
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