Cricket is one of the oldest games on the planet. The sport has evolved over the years. Earlier, it was played in only one form which is known as Test match cricket. The game usually lasts for 5 days where both the teams bat twice and the one who scores the most runs emerges as the winner. However, the nature of Tests was too long. Hence, the organizers came up with a new format known as ODI cricket. In that game, both the teams bat only once and get 50 overs each to score as many runs as they can.
As time passed, the people thought even the T20 format was a bit longer. Hence, the T20 format came into existence. The trend continued and soon we got a new format named T10. While the format of cricket has gotten shorter, there have been players who have made themselves immortal with their incredible records. While the records are meant to be broken, there is no chance that the following 3 records may ever get a new holder.
Sir Jack Hobbs’ 199 first-class centuries:
It is the dream of every budding cricketer who steps foot on the cricket field to score at least one hundred in his career. The first-class format of cricket tests the fitness of the players and it is very difficult for a player to even play in more than 150 first-class matches. However, England’s top-order batsman, Sir John Berry “Jack” Hobbs had smashed 199 first-class centuries in his career. The right-handed batsman scored a hundred in almost every single game that he played. It is unthinkable for a modern-day day to even come close to this record.
Wilfred Rhodes retires at 52:
Usually in the sports world, the age 40 is considered ideal to call a day on one’s career. There have been players though who have overcome the age factor and extended their careers past 40. However, they were not at their best during that time. In the modern-day cricket, the players tend to retire from all forms of cricket in their late 30s and start focusing on T20 cricket. By the time a player reaches the age of 50, he is either working as a commentator or he becomes the coach of a team. But, a player named Wilfred Rhodes kept on playing regularly until he turned 52. He hung up his boots at 52 after playing the sport for 30 years.
Sir Don Bradman’s average of 99.94:
There have been very few players who have been able to dominate the cricket world for a long time. Sachin Tendulkar was a batsman who stayed at the top for nearly two decades while Virat Kohli holds that position at the moment. Both the players are known for their consistency but, it is unlikely that a batsman will ever be able to match the consistency of Sir Don Bradman. The Australian batsman played 52 Test matches in his career where he thrived all the opposition bowlers. He scored runs at an average of 99.94 which shows that he scored a hundred every now and then. Currently, to average 50 in any format is a big thing so, it will be very difficult to break Bradman’s record.
