South Africa vs England 2015-16: Alastair Cook, Stiaan van Zyl register unwanted record
South Africa vs England 2015-16: Alastair Cook, Stiaan van Zyl register unwanted record
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 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.