10 Guinness World Records held by cricket

Cricket is one of the most followed sports all over the world and the popularity of the sport has touched newer heights ever since the inception of T20 format. A lot of new nations have taken up this sport because of the T20 format and the fans have seen the rise of Nepal, Japan, Thailand and Afghanistan in the world of cricket after the birth of T20s. While cricket may not be the most popular sport on earth, it has a prestigious place in the sports universe. Speaking of sports, there are a plethora of records created and broken everyday in the sports world and a special record book named The Guinness Book of World Records takes note of the most special records from all over the world. It also features a special section for sports and here are the top 10 Guinness World records held by cricket – 1. Most Expensive Bat – Mahendra Singh Dhoni MS Dhoni’s bat. (Photo Source: Twitter) Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the greatest cricket captains of all time. He is the only Indian captain to win the ICC World Cup on home soil besides, no other Indian skipper other than Dhoni has been able to win the T20 World Cup. Although the veteran is no longer the captain of the Indian cricket team, he is still one of the best players on the planet. Because of his insane popularity levels, the bat that he used in the final match of the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka was auctioned at the M.S Dhoni’s ‘East Meets West’ Charity Dinner in London. One of his fans broke the bank and submitted a bid of £100,000 ($161,295) to win the bat. It was later learnt that the buyers of this bat was a company named R K Global Shares & Securities Ltd (India). 2. Most Runs scored in ICC Cricket World Cups (male) – Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Tendulkar of India takes a breather during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) Another legendary Indian name present on this list is the Mumbai-based right-handed batsman, Sachin Tendulkar. The fact that he was nominated to lead the India Legends team comprising the biggest names of Indian cricket in the Road Safety World Series 2020 itself shows the greatness of Sachin Tendulkar. The veteran player was a vital cog of the Indian team during his time as an international player and he represented India in 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011 World Cups. Though India could win only one World Cup during Sachin’s time, the top-order batsman always contributed his 100 per cent on the field as he amassed 2,278 runs in 44 innings to register himself in the Guinness Book of World Records. 3. First broadcast use of Hawk-Eye Technology Hawk-eye. (Photo Source: Twitter) With the advent of technology, there have been several new additions in the world of cricket. Unlike the olden times, now the players have the luxury of challenging the on-field umpires’ decision if they feel the referee has made an error. Also, the wooden bails no longer exist in the cricket world as they have been replaced by LED bails. However, before the introduction of DRS, there was one more historic inclusion on the cricket field and that was the use of hawk-eye technology. Developed in Britain, this technology helps in deciding LBW decisions. The Hawk-Eye Technology was first used in an international Test match played between England and Pakistan during the year 2001. Currently, it is one of the most popular terms in cricket. 4. Most Test matches as a captain – Graeme Smith Former South African cricketer Graeme Smith. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP/Getty Images) To lead his country in one Test match is the dream of every cricketer however, the former South African captain Graeme Smith led his nation in 109 Test matches thereby creating a Guinness World Record. Test match is considered to be the most authentic format in cricket because it tests the stamina and patience levels of a cricketer. A captain’s job is easier in ODI and T20I cricket because he knows that a bowler can bowl a specific number of overs hence, the roles are pre-decided. However, the weather conditions and pitch situation keep on changing in Tests. Thus, it is a very difficult job to captain a Test team and to do it consistently along with achieving success is an art and Graeme Smith was a Picasso of it. He won 53 of the 109 Test matches that he captained in. 5. Oldest player in a first-class cricket match (male) – Raja Maharaj Singh A file picture of Raja Maharaj Singh. (Photo Source: Wikipedia) Currently, the likes of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya have set new benchmarks for fitness levels. All the cricketers of the world have adopted this new approach as they are keen to extend their careers by staying fit. Still, it is noted that a player gives up at least one form of the game before he turns 35. This shows that the players have become soft nowadays because Raja Maharaj Singh, the former Governor of Bombay played a first-class match at the age of 72 years and 192 days. He scored four runs for his team in the game between Maharaj’s XI and Commonwealth XI. It is unlikely that this record will ever be broken because to play a four-day match after 40 is a tough job, forget about playing in the 70s. 6. Youngest Player to hit six sixes off an over (Male) – Anthony McMahon Emirates Riverside. (Photo Source: Twitter) Whenever a cricket fan hears about hitting six sixes in an over, the first player who comes to everyone’s mind is Yuvraj Singh. The left-handed all-rounder from Punjab achieved this feat during a T20 World Cup match between India and England in 2007. Singh completed a 12-ball fifty in that match. Besides, even Herschelle Gibbs had achieved this unique feat earlier that year and the current Indian head coach, Ravi Shastri took 36 runs off an over in a first-class match. However, the youngest man to hit six sixes off an over is England’s Anthony McMahon who achieved this distinction at the age of 13 years and 261 days playing for Chester-le-Street against Eppleton at Durham. 7. Most ODI World Cups won by a captain – Clive Lloyd and Ricky Ponting Ricky Ponting. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images) A unique entry on this list with two holders is the record for winning the most ODI World Cups as a captain. This record is jointly held by West Indies’ former captain, Clive Lloyd and Australia’s greatest captain, Ricky Ponting. MS Dhoni could have joined the elite trio had he been able to lead India to the World Cup in 2015. Speaking of Lloyd’s achievements first, he led the West Indies team to its first-ever Cricket World Cup win in the year 1975. Four years later, Lloyd ensured that the Caribbean team keeps hold of the World Cup trophy. Ricky Ponting captained Australia in the 2003 World Cup and his terrific captaincy made sure that the Aussies win their second consecutive World Cup. Australia successfully completed a hat-trick of World Cup wins in 2007 with Ponting being in-charge of the team once again. 8. Highest team score in One-day Internationals (Male): England Alex Hales. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) The Sri Lankan team held this record for a long, long time before England broke their record of 443/9 in ODI cricket. The English team, led by Eoin Morgan, decimated the Australian bowling attack in a one-day match played during their bilateral series in 2018. England posted a mammoth score of 481 runs on the board at the loss of 6 wickets. Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales scored a hundred each for the home team as it seemed like the duo would drive England past 500. Captain Eoin Morgan played a whirlwind knock of 67 runs while Jason Roy contributed 82 runs. Opposition bowler Andrew Tye gave away 100 runs in his 9 overs as the visitors looked clueless against England. Adil Rashid’s four-wicket haul in the second innings helped England win the match by 242 runs. 9. Oldest debutant in ODI cricket history – Nolan Clarke Nolan Clarke. (Photo Source: Twitter) Unlike today, not many nations were granted ODI and T20I status by the ICC hence, their matches did not classify as international matches. The Qualifiers for the ICC World Cup featured teams like the Netherlands, Scotland among others and when the Dutch side made it to the 1996 World Cup they made history in a strange manner. Playing against New Zealand in a group stage encounter at Vadodara, Netherlands fielded a player named Nolan Clarke who was 47 years and 240 days old at that time. The 47-year-old player was playing his first-ever ODI match hence, he earned the record of being the oldest debutante in the history of ODI cricket. It is unlikely that this record will be ever be broken. 10. Fastest delivery of a cricket ball (Male) – Shoaib Akhtar Shoaib Akhtar. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images) One of the most famous fast bowlers of the world, Shoaib Akhtar is known for his raw pace and the way he decimated the opposition batsmen with his classy bowling skills. He was the cornerstone of the Pakistani bowling attack during his playing days and Akhtar made history by bowling a delivery at the speed of 161.3 km/hr against England. While a lot of cricket fans may argue that Sri Lanka’s U-19 fast bowler, Pathirana bowled a ball at the speed of 175 km/hr in the recently concluded U-19 World Cup, it is noteworthy that the officials did not clarify whether it was a glitch or not. Hence, Akhtar still stands as the number one player in terms of bowling the fastest delivery. He breached the 100 miles/hr landmark against England during the 2003 World Cup.

Topics

Featured Section

Current Series

IPL 2025 Auction

IPL Teams

Cricket Fantasy Tips

Cricket Stats

ICC Rankings

Interviews

Twitter Reactions

Cricket Appeal

Social Tracker

More Links

# Follow Us

Other Sports

10 Guinness World Records held by cricket

While cricket may not be the most popular sport on earth, it has a prestigious place in the sports universe.

3. First broadcast use of Hawk-Eye Technology

Latest Articles

Top 3 India Women cricketers with most runs as captain

IND-W thrash WI-W to register record win in Vadodara

Mohsin Naqvi clarifies reason for Gillespie's coaching snub