Home Statsman Cricket is back from the COVID-19 break Test cricket returned after 127 days when England hosted the West Indies, making it the joint-third longest span of days without Test cricket in the last 50 years. Mohandas Menon 13 September, 2020 23:33 IST Test cricket resumed with England hosting West Indies at Southampton. - Getty Images Mohandas Menon 13 September, 2020 23:33 IST 127The number of days when no Test cricket was played the world over. The truncated opening day of the first Test match of the series between England and the West Indies at Southampton on July 8 made this lull the joint-third longest span of days when no Test cricket was played around the world in the last 50 years. Interestingly, in the last two years, there has twice been a lull in Test cricket spanning exactly 127 days.Longest spans with no Test matches played since 1970 (i.e. last 50 years)DaysFromToRemarks261March 11, 1970November 5, 1970South Africa tour to England cancelled (replaced by a World XI side)175August 25, 1971February 15, 1972South Africa tour to Australia cancelled (replaced by a World XI side)127March 19, 2019July 23, 2019Period before 2019 ODI World Cup127March 3, 2020July 7, 2020Amid Covid-19 pandemic125March 7, 1975July 9, 1975Period before 1975 ODI World Cup123August 28, 1973December 28, 1973 6The number of players who have achieved the all-rounder’s double of 4,000 runs and 150 wickets in Test cricket. England’s Ben Stokes did so in the opening Test against the West Indies at Southampton while captaining his side for the first time. By reaching this landmark in just 64 Tests, Stokes is now the second quickest player after Garry Sobers to do so.Fewest matches to complete the all-rounder’s double of 4,000 runs and 150 wickets in TestsTestsPlayerCountryRunsWicketsAchieved againstVenueMonth/year63Garry SobersWest Indies5,764151EnglandBridgetownFebruary 196864Ben StokesEngland4,145153West IndiesSouthamptonJuly 202069Ian BothamEngland4,019295West IndiesLord’sJune 198469Jacques KallisSouth Africa4,674151EnglandThe OvalSeptember 200397Kapil DevIndia4,031333West IndiesBridgetownApril 1989101Daniel VettoriNew Zealand4,003150IndiaAhmedabadNovember 2010Note: The runs and wickets tallies are updated until the end of the Test match.4The number of times Joe Root has been run out in his Test career as captain. His dismissal in this manner in the second Test at Manchester means he now holds the dubious record of being run out on the most occasions while captaining the England Test team.Run out on most occasions as England captainNo. of timesCaptainInningsCaptaincy span4Joe Root772017-203Archie MacLaren361897-19092Mike Denness301974-752Mike Brearley521977-812Mike Gatting391986-882Mike Atherton981993-20015The number of occasions on which visiting captains have taken hauls of six or more wickets in England. Jason Holder of the West Indies became the only third after Pakistan’s Imran Khan (thrice) and Aussie Richie Benaud to do so. Holder’s figures at Southampton are now the third best by a visiting captain in England.Six-wicket hauls by visiting captains in EnglandBowling figuresCaptainCountryVenueMonth/yearResult7/40Imran KhanPakistanLeedsJuly 1987Won7/52Imran KhanPakistanBirminghamJuly 1982Lost6/42Jason HolderWest IndiesSouthamptonJuly 2020Won6/70Richie BenaudAustraliaManchesterJuly 1961Won6/129Imran KhanPakistanBirminghamJuly 1987DrawnNote: For the record, no Indian captain has claimed even a five-wicket haul in England. The best is 4/52 by Kapil Dev at Lord’s in 1986 – the only four-wicket haul by an Indian captain in England!16The number of England players who have achieved the all-rounder’s double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in Test cricket. England’s Chris Woakes became the latest to do so when he claimed his 100th wicket against the West Indies in the second Test at Manchester. Having done so in his 34th Test, Woakes took the third fewest number of matches among England players, behind Ian Botham and Maurice Tate.Fewest Test matches to achieve the all-rounder’s double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets for EnglandTestsPlayerRunsWicketsAchieved againstVenueMonth/year21Ian Botham1,035107IndiaThe OvalAugust 197933Maurice Tate1,016139South AfricaCape TownJanuary 193134Chris Woakes1,177100West IndiesManchesterJuly 202035Stuart Broad1,096103Sri LankaCardiffMay 201137Tony Greig2,445107New ZealandAucklandFebruary 1975Note: The runs and wickets tallies are updated until the end of the Test match.7The number of Test bowlers in the 500-wicket club. Stuart Broad joined teammate Jimmy Anderson during the final Test of the series against the West Indies in Manchester.The 500-wicket club in Test cricketBowlerCountryAchieved onTestsDaysWicketsAverageStrike rate500th victimCourtney WalshWest IndiesMarch 19, 20011295,97550424.5657.26Jacques Kallis (South Africa)Shane WarneAustraliaMarch 12, 20041084,45450125.5160.32Hashan Tillakaratne (Sri Lanka)M. MuralitharanSri LankaMarch 16, 2004874,21950022.7859.04Michael Kasprowicz (Australia)Glenn McGrathAustraliaJuly 21, 20051104,27050421.1250.83Marcus Trescothick (England)Anil KumbleIndiaMarch 11, 20061055,69450128.8865.79Steve Harmison (England)James AndersonEnglandSeptember 8, 20171295,22450627.3955.85Kraigg Brathwaite (West Indies)Stuart BroadEnglandJuly 28, 20201404,61650127.9556.77Kraigg Brathwaite (West Indies)Notes:- The players are listed in chronological order.- Muralitharan (87 Tests) is quickest to reach this landmark, while Broad (140) took the longest.- Muralitharan took the fewest days (4,219) from debut to do so and Walsh (5,975 days) the longest.- The wickets tally is updated until the end of Test innings when the 500th wicket was claimed.79The number wickets claimed by Stuart Broad in the fourth innings of Test matches, reaching the mark at the end of the England-West Indies series. This is now the maximum wickets in the fourth innings of Test cricket by any England bowler. Broad went past his teammate Jimmy Anderson’s tally of 78 wickets.Most wickets for England in the fourth innings of Test matchesWicketsBowlerInningsAverageStrike rateBest bowling figures79Stuart Broad5324.9453.927/4478Jimmy Anderson5626.2357.276/1759Moeen Ali2422.4939.176/5357Bob Willis3721.2847.238/4345Derek Underwood2523.4068.097/3240Andy Caddick1617.5530.387/9440Graeme Swann1621.5535.886/32 All records are updated until August 25, 2020, at the end of the third Test between England and the West Indies. Only Subscribed users can read this article Subscribe to Sportstar Digital and Support Quality Journalism Subscribe Now Already have an account ? Sign in What you get? Star Columnists Full access to what our Star columnists have to say. Access To Seasonal Posters Be eligible for special seasonal posters. Faster Pages Faster browsing. 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