DreamCricket.com Ashes Quiz

As per the request by many of you Cricket Lovers and Ashes Fans , I am putting all the hundred questions of the COUNTDOWN QUIZZES in this post for easy perusal. Those who wish to send their answers in one shot please do so by having the subject line on your email as "Answers to DreamCricket’s Ashes Countdown Quiz”. The last date for sending your answers is now extended to December 10th , 2006.

Q1- Q10 : Foreign Born Players.

Q1. England’s team for this winter’s Ashes has three players who were not born in England. Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Strauss were born in South Africa while Geraint Jones was born in Papua New Guinea. Though Monty Panesar is of Indian descent and Sajid Mahmood has his roots in Pakistan, they were both born in England and hence do not qualify as foreign born players representing England. The interesting question here is: which country, other than England obviously, holds the record for giving birth to more Test Cricketers who represented England in Ashes? Can you name the cricketers too?

Q2. In the first ever test match played at Melbourne in 1876/77, two cricketers who were making their test debut against the country in which they were born, were also making their first class debut. Name them.

Q3. The first ever test match had a player who was neither born in Australia nor in British Isles (i.e. England, Scotland, Ireland & Wales). Name this cricketer and his place of birth.

Q4. Only three players born in New Zealand ever played test cricket for Australia, the most famous of them being Clarrie Grimmett. However England fielded just one player born in New Zealand in a test match. Name him.

Q5. Both Maharaja Ranjitsinhji and his nephew Maharaja Duleepsinhji made a century on their Ashes debut against Australia with Ranji’s century coming in his maiden test. Duleepsinhji’s own nephew hit a century on debut in test cricket but narrowly missed hitting a century on debut against the Aussies, like his uncle and his uncle’s uncle before him. Name this nephew of Duleepsinhji.

Q6. Only one cricketer from each of the Ashes rivals went on to play and captain the country in which they were not born and against the country of their birth. Name them.

Q7. Who was the first cricketer to score a century in test cricket who was not born in England or in Australia?

Q8. Very rarely do two brothers make a test debut in the same match. The names that come to mind are the Grace Brothers for England and the Hearne Brothers for South Africa (born in Eng). These happened in the 19th century. However, one set of siblings made their debut for England in the same test against Australia in the 20th century. Who were they and where were they born?

Q9. Only one cricketer in the history of cricket holds the record for playing for Australia against England and for England against Australia. He was born in England but played test cricket for Australia first and then finished his test career there, while representing his birth country in between. Name him.

Q10. Name the cricketers to have been born in Peru and Italy who then went on to captain the English team in an Ashes Series.

Q11-Q20 : Bodyline Series (1932/33 Ashes).

Q11. Though the series was considered a failure for Bradman, he still led Australia both in the number of runs scored and batting averages even after missing the first test. Who made the most runs and led the batting averages for England?

Q12. Which English batsman after making a century on his test debut in the first test of the series played only one more test in the bodyline series. He returned to England after having an argument with his captain Douglas Jardine, and did not further participate in the series.

Q13. Harold Larwood, the Bodyline attack enabler took most number of wickets in the test series. But another bowler who refused to bowl according to the so called leg theory went on to claim the second highest number of wickets in the series for England. Who is he?

Q14. Bert Ironmonger , the Australian left arm spinner , made his first class debut when he was 46 yrs old four years prior to the Bodyline Series. He was one of the only three bowlers who took more than 10 wickets in the series for Australia along with Bill O'Reilly (27) and Tim Wall (16). Ironmonger took 15 wickets in the four tests @ 27.13. What unique record does he share with W.G. Grace, Wilfred Rhodes and George Gunn of England?

Q15. How do you connect India's great all-rounder Vinoo Mankad and the Chappell brothers to the Bodyline Series?

Q16. Insipte of numerous bodyblows taken by most of the Aussie players, four Australians managed to play in all five tests. Name them.

Q17. For three Australians the series provided their only test appearance and put them in the One Test Wonder Club. Who are they?

Q18. Which Australian cricketer declined a knighthood in 1934 and later said if it was awarded for his professional work rather than playing cricket, he would have accepted it.

Q19. In the only test match that Australia won, Bradman hit his only century of the series. However in the same test he was dismissed for a first ball duck in the first innings. Who was the bowler and what was so special about the dismissal?

Q20. Two of the English cricketers who took part in the Bodyline series were later captured as POWs during World War II. One of them returned back home but the other player died of wounds he suffered during the attack. Name them.

Q21-Q30 : Bradman's Invincibles (1948 Ashes).

Q21. The final innings of Bradman, a second ball duck, got more applause than any of his 29 centuries. Listening to the thunderous applause, the bowler Eric Hollies told one of his teammates “"Best ball I I've bowled all season and they are clapping him!". Later that day he called another teammate and said “He never saw it, Tom”. Name these two teammates.

Q22. For holding Bradman’s batting average under 100, Eric Hollies certainly deserves another question. What unique record does he hold in first class cricket, which presumably will never be broken?

Q23. One of Bradman’s team members on 1948 tour was just 54 days old when the Don made his test debut. Who was he?

Q24. Like Bradman, another great cricketer too ended his test career with a second ball duck during this series. Name him.

Q25. England started the series disastrously losing 8 wickets for 74 runs in the first test. However their ninth wicket pair rescued them with a partnership of 89 runs. They both registered their highest test scores during the test series. Who are they and what are their highest test scores?

Q26. During their England tour the "Invincibles" won 23 of their 34 matches. How many of them were innings victories?

Q27. Playing against the Essex the Aussies established a team batting record in first class cricket. What is it?

Q28. Another team record, which they achieved in a test match during the series, stood for nearly 28 years before being overtaken by the Indian team of mid 70s. What was the record?

Q29. In the final test of the series England was bowled out for a paltry total of 52. No batsman except Len Hutton reached double figures. Hutton very narrowly missed recording a rare feat in that match. What is it?

Q30. Who are the only Aussie members of 1948 Invincibles who did not play in any test match during the series?

Q31-Q40 : Ashes in 1950s.

Q31. England regained the Ashes last summer after 16 years in 8 attempts, but the 1953 Englishmen waited even longer to regain the Ashes. How many years and how many attempts did they take to bring back the Ashes?

Q32. Which Australian great ended the tour with an amazing knock of 135 in a first class match which included 11 sixes though he could make just 15 runs in the test series?

Q33. Australia lost the 1953 series with a 0-1 margin, their loss coming in the fifth test of their tour. What is so remarkable about that loss?

Q34. Which English cricketer took more wickets during the 1953 series than the runs he made?

Q35. Three cricketers, who played a major part in regaining the Ashes for England in 1953 in the final test at the Oval, were not selected for the 1954/55 Ashes tour. Name them.

Q36. In the first test of the 1954/55 a player who made his test debut went on to achieve a first which at that time was thought an impossible thing. Who is the cricketer and what first did he achieve in test cricket?

Q37. The 1954/55 series was totally dominated by bowlers to an extent that more than 300 runs in an innings were scored only twice by each team in that series with Frank ‘Typhoon’ Tyson being the leading wicket taker for both sides. Which test matches witnessed 300+ scores in that series and who scored them.

Q38. The last test match of 1954/55 saw debut of a cricketer who 38 years later became the first referee to suspend a player for abusing an umpire. Name him.

Q39. 1956 series was totally dominated by Jim Laker with that unbelievable 19 for 90 at Old Trafford in the 4th test. Laker did take ten wickets in innings against Australia in a tour match earlier that summer. There is a remarkable coincidence in both those innings. What is it?

Q40. Four of the Australian bowlers were the main discussion topic during the 1958/59 series because of their doubtful actions which lead the English touring party to believe they were chucking. Name the bowlers.

Q41-Q50 : Ashes in 1960s.

Q41. Which Australian batsman was once described as “ a corpse with pads on” by an English reporter for his hard to watch and difficult to dismiss batting style, made his test debut during the 1961 series.

Q42. Raman Subba Row hit a century in the first test of the 1961 Ashes and carried on the tradition of century on Ashes debut by a player of Indian descent. Who were the other English players of Indian origin who hit a century on their Ashes Debut before him ?

Q43. What Ashes record does Raman Subba Row share with RA Duff, MA Leyland, WH Ponsford and Mark Waugh.

Q44. During the 1962/63 series, an English bowler broke the test record held by his team’s Assistant manager. Name the bowler and the Assistant Manager of the MCC team.

Q45. Which Australian cricketer made his test debut during the 1962/63 Ashes and has a New Zealand Test Venue’s name as his middle name. He also wrote an autobiography titled Bowled Over.

Q46. By scoring a triple hundred in the fourth test of the 1964 series whose record did Bob Simpson emulate and what is the record?

Q47. During their 1964 England tour Australia lost only four matches. Three of them to Glamorgan, Warwickshire and Essex. Which was the only other team to have beaten Australia during that trip and where was the match played.

Q48. This Australian cricketer made his test debut during their 1961 Ashes tour to England and ended his test career during the 1965/66 series in Australia. He captained Australia in two of the first three tests of that series before getting sidelined. Name him.

Q49. He appeared in three of the five tests of 1968 series and a feat he achieved thirty years prior to that is yet to be emulated. Who is he and what is his unique feat?

Q50. Australia may very well have won the 1968 Ashes series but for the intervention of spectators on the field and subsequent deadly spell of 4 wickets in 27 balls by an English bowler which resulted in a dramatic victory for England. What was the incident and who was the bowler?

Q51-Q60 : Ashes in 1970s.

Q51. Which successful English batsmen of 1970/71 Ashes tour wrote an autobiography titled “Bootboy to President” and what is so odd about his last appearance in first class cricket.

Q52. Dennis Lillee made his debut in the sixth test of the 1970/71 series at Adelaide and opened the bowling a fast bowler who holds a unique record in ODIs. Four years later Lillee paired up with another fast bowler with last name. Name the bowler and the unique record he holds in ODIs which can never be surpassed.

Q53. Lord’s test of the 1972 Ashes will always be remembered as Massie’s Test. Which English batsman denied Bob Massie the record of 'claiming the wickets of all eleven opponents in a test match at least once' and be a part of an exclusive club? Also name the six current members of that exclusive club.

Q54. Tony Greig became the third English cricketer to achieve this feat in 1972 test series and only one other English player did it ever since. What rare feat did Tony Greig achieve and which other English cricketers achieved the same apart from Tony Greig?

Q55. During the 1974-75 series England’s captain Mike Denness has done something that no other cricketer has done either before him or ever since. What is it?

Q56. Who in 1974-75 Ashes played test cricket again after missing 62 tests for his country?

Q57. Which Englishman made his Ashes test debut in the first test of the 1975 Series and made his last appearance in Ashes in 1993 at Leeds?

Q58. What distinction does the fourth test match of the 1975 series holds in the history of cricket in England?

Q59. Which cricketer’s account of 1978/79 Ashes series has chapters named “Sacked”, “Skinned Alive” and “Slaughtered” and what is the title of the book?

Q60. The 1979/80 series between Australia and England saw the return of all WSC cricketers back to the test scene. It was played with an agreement that Ashes will not be yet stake. That season marked the beginning of a cricket tradition which still continues after 26 years. What is it?

Q61-Q70 : Ashes in 1980s.

Q61. In the centenary test played at Lord’s in 1980, the Australian vice Captain Kim Hughes became only the third cricketer achieve a certain feat. Three more players recorded the same feat in last 25 years. What is this rare feat and who else have registered this feat in test cricket.

Q62. Which cricketer who played in the 1980 centenary test later ended his life tragically by committing suicide?

Q63. Which well known name in test cricket has started and ended his test career during the 1981 Ashes?

Q64. During the sixth test match of the 1981 Ashes series, Dirk Welham of Australia hit a century on debut and became the second batsman in the history of test cricket to achieve two different records. He still remains as the last cricketer to have achieved both those records. Whose and what records did he emulate?

Q65. What unique distinction does English opener Graeme Fowler, who played his only Ashes tests during the 1982/83 series, hold in the history of cricket which he achieved while playing for Lancashire in 1982.

Q66. This English Cricketer had a more successful career in football playing for Manchester United and his only test appearance during the 1985 Ashes. Incidentally his son too made a single appearance in test cricket 16 year later. Name the father and son.

Q67. This Australian cricketer played his last test during the 1986/87 Ashes. He holds the distinction of being the first player to have batted as night watchman in both innings of a test match. He also headed the first class bowling averages for the Australian team when they toured England in 1993. Name him.

Q68. Which current member of the academy team for England was just one and half year old when his father was fined $500 for showing his anger at getting out in the Bicentenary Test match played at SCG in 1987/88 England’s trip to down under? Name his father and the reason why he was fined.

Q69. By claiming 41 wickets in the 1989 Ashes Australia’s Terry Alderman achieved a unique distinction. Shane Warne might want to emulate it when he takes on the Englishmen during this winter’s Ashes. What unique record does Terry Alderman holds in the test cricket history?

Q70. This Australian cricketer made his test debut during Australia’s 1989 Ashes campaign and his nephew is now one of the leading batsmen in Australia. Name the uncle and nephew.

Q71-Q80 : Ashes in 1990s.

Q71. Which Australian cricketer who took couple of catches as substitute during the 1990-91 Ashes went on to play for another country in One Day Internationals?

Q72. England’s victory in the 6th test at The Oval in 1993 Ashes was their first in 7 years. How many Ashes tests did they go winless during that period?

Q73. Which cricketer topped the bowling averages for his country in 1994/95 Ashes later went on to appear in a Television realty show? Also name the show.

Q74. One of the victims of this Australian bowler’s hat-trick went on to perform a hat-trick himself five years later against Australia. Name both of them.

Q75. Excluding Steve Waugh what is so unique about the Australian team that toured England in 1997?

Q76. Which Australian batsman hit three test hundreds on two separate occasions in an Ashes series but could not even hit a first class fifty during their 1997 Ashes tour?

Q77. What unwanted record does Steve Waugh hold that he achieved in the last Ashes test of the 90s decade?

Q78. This cricketer holds the record as the only player in the history of cricket to have played more than 100 tests in a single decade, which he achieved in 1990s. Name him.

Q79. Only one player has played in every Ashes test played during the decade of 90s. Name him.

Q80. During the 1990s decade Australia had just two captains in Ashes Tests. How many did England have and who are they?

Q81-Q90 : Ashes in 2000s.

Q81. In the first Ashes test of the new millennium as many as four Australians and five Englishmen made their Ashes Debut. Name them.

Q82. Which cricketer made his test debut during the 2001 Ashes who was earlier when on the verge of test match inclusion on a tour of Sri Lanka but was quarantined for having chicken fox?

Q83. During the 2001 Ashes England had just three century partnerships in 5 tests. Two of them involved Mark Butcher for the 2nd wicket. Once with Michael Atherton in the 1st test at Birmingham and once with Nasser Hussain in the 4th test at Leeds. Who were involved in the other century stand?

Q84. In the final test of the 2001 Ashes played at the Oval Mark Waugh broke a test record which he went on to better later and still holds it. Which test record?

Q85. Australia won both 2001 and 2002-03 Ashes series with the same margin 4-1. Another coincidence is both the series were decided in same number of playing days. How many days did Australia take to retain the Ashes in these series?

Q86. In the first test of the 2002/03 series Australia has done something which they have not done for 10 years in an Ashes test. What is it?

Q87. Name the cricketer who holds the record for playing most number of tests before making an Ashes test debut, which he did during 2005 Ashes.

Q88. Shane Warne took both his 400th and 600th wicket in Ashes tests and Adam Gilchrist caught them on both occasions. Who were his victims?

Q89. One of the greatest test matches ever played , the Edgbaston test will go down in the history of Ashes as the closest ever test match finish. However England did something on the first day of that match which eluded them for more than four decades. What is it?

Q90. What was the name of the substitute who ran out Ricky Ponting during the 2005 Ashes and how many first class matches did he play in 2005 season.

Q91-Q100 : Ashes Superlatives.

Q91. Who was the first player in the Ashes to be out stumped?

Q92. Which bowler holds the record for conceding the most number of runs in an innings of an Ashes Test?

Q93. What is the highest total in the first innings of an Ashes test for a team that went on to lose the test match?

Q94. Who holds the record for hitting the fastest fifty in an Ashes test?

Q95. Who is the youngest player to have scored a double hundred in an Ashes Test?

Q96. Who is the oldest cricketer to have made his test debut in the Ashes?

Q97. Who holds the record for the slowest hundred in an Ashes test?

Q98. What is the lowest total in an Ashes test which included a hundred?

Q99. Who holds the record for hitting the least number of hundreds in Ashes in spite of aggregating 1000 or more runs?

Q100. Who was the last batsman to have hit a triple hundred in the Ashes as a captain of his team?

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Please mail your answers for each quiz individually or in one shot to vijay@dreamcricket.com latest by 10th December, 2006. If you are sending your answers for individual quizzes, please have the subject line as "Answers to Ashes Countdown XX Quiz" . Replace XX with the Countdown number. If you wish to send all your answers at once, please have the subject line as "Answers to DreamCricket’s Ashes Countdown Quiz”.

Happy Quizzing.