Stats: Batsmen who have scored most hundreds over a team in their first 10 Tests against them
There are some batsmen who enjoy playing against an opposition. So much so that they cannot stop scoring against them. It takes immense quality to score big runs in Test cricket and when you are up against a quality opposition then it takes something more than talent to make it big.
There are some batsmen who have scored big runs at the highest level and have enjoyed thoroughly against a particular opposition. Steve Smith is one of them. He has been an outstanding player for Australia and ever since he has taken up captaincy Smith has been invincible. When India toured down under, Smith was up for it and scored a century in every Test match as they whitewashed the Indians.
This is Steve’s first tour as captain and he is already showing signs of greatness. He has scored three centuries in the series only missing out in Bangalore and Australia were beaten fair and square. This form of smith has taken him to seven centuries in eight Test matches against India. India surely doesn’t like him.
There are other batters who have such records against different opposition. Mohammad Yousuf of Pakistan has scored seven centuries in the first ten Test matches against the West Indies. Yousuf was one of the most consistent batsmen for Pakistan. He has over 7000 Test runs to his name but enjoyed playing against the West Indies more often than not.
When it comes to scoring centuries Sir Donald Bradman has to be mentioned. Bradman averaged 99.94 in his Tests. A career that spanned over 20 overs saw Bradman play 50 Tests but it was his first ten Test matches that made Bradman a star. Sir Donald Bradman scored seven Test centuries against their colonial masters England in the first 10 Test matches and he went on to score 29 Test centuries and 12 double centuries.
Sir Everton Weekes was again one of those batters who enjoyed batting against the Indians. He scored 7 centuries in the first 10 matches against India and was a prolific scorer in the mid-1900s. His career was a short-lived one as he played for just ten years but has over 4000 Test runs to his name.
Neil Harvey is termed as one of the best left-handers to have ever graced the games. Harvey played for the Australian team during the 1950s and the 1960s. He scored over 6000 runs in the 79 Test matches he played. But his record against the South Africans was impeccable. He scored a total of 1625 runs against them in 14 matches. He scored eight centuries and all of them came in the first ten Tests. The Aussie averaged 81.25 against the Proteas.
Here is the list of batsmen who scored most hundreds against an opposition in their first 10 Tests:
Name | Opposition | Hundreds |
Neil Harvey | South Africa | 8 |
Don Bradman | England | 7 |
Everton Weekes | India | 7 |
Mohammad Yousuf | West Indies | 7 |
Steve Smith | India | 7 |
(Stats updated till March 25, 2016)
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