Published: Dec 27, 2015, 05:26 PM (IST)
Edited: Dec 27, 2015, 05:28 PM (IST)
The 2015-16 series between England and South Africa began in dramatic fashion at Kingsmead, Durban. England captain (and No. 1 batsman in the English batting order) Alastair Cook edged one off Dale Steyn for a duck to give South Africa the perfect start. After England put up 303, however, it was their turn to respond: Stuart Broad dismissed young Stiaan van Zyl (No. 1 batsman in the South African batting order) for a duck. This is the sixth time that the No. 1 batsman has scored a duck in the first innings of both sides in a Test. Interestingly, there was no such occurrence till 1977-78, or, in other words, in the first hundred years of Test cricket. The last occurrence was more than a decade back. Live Cricket Scorecard: South Africa vs England, 1st Test at Durban Day 2
No. 1 batsman falling for duck in first innings of both sides in a Test:
| Batsman 1 | Team | Batsman 2 | Team | Venue | Season |
| Sunil Gavaskar | India | John Dyson | Australia | MCG | 1977-78 |
| Krishnamachari Srikkanth | India | Gordon Greenidge | West Indies | Kotla | 1987-88 |
| Gary Kirsten | South Africa | Matthew Hayden | South Africa | St George’s Park | 1996-97 |
| Adrian Griffith | West Indies | Neil Johnson | Zimbabwe | Queen’s Park Oval | 1999-00 |
| Hannan Sarkar | Bangladesh | Devon Smith | West Indies | Gros Islet | 2004 |
| Alastair Cook | England | Stiaan van Zyl | South Africa | Kingsmead | 2015-16 |
Note:
– When Sunil Gavaskar scored a duck, his partner Chetan Chauhan scored a duck as well.
– When Neil Johnson scored a duck, his partner Grant Flower scored a duck as well.
– Adrian Griffith actually ended up scoring a pair.
– Hannan Sarkar scored a golden duck.
