Track and Field & Cricket Quiz

In the 1956 Old Trafford Test, Jim Laker took 19 wickets for England. The only other wicket was taken by his spin partner Tony Lock. This remains the record for most wickets in a Test match.

Charles Bannerman's 165 out of Australia's 245 meant he scored 67.3% of his team's total - still the highest proportion in Test history. It also remains the highest score by an Australian on debut. Both records have stood since the first Test in 1877.

Wilfred Rhodes holds the record for most wickets in first-class cricket with over 4,200 wickets. He played for Yorkshire and England in a career spanning decades. Tony Lock was a great bowler but not the record holder.

Vijay Merchant had a first-class batting average of 71.24, second only to Bradman's 95.14. George Headley also had a high average but not second-highest. Merchant played for India and was known for his technical excellence.

Hanif Mohammad's epic 499 for Karachi against Bahawalpur ended when he was run out. He needed just one more run for the world record (then held by Bradman's 452*). The innings lasted over 9 hours.

Ricky Ponting captained Australia to 48 Test victories, the most by any captain. He succeeded Steve Waugh as captain and led Australia during their dominant period. Allan Border and Clive Lloyd were great captains but didn't win as many Tests.

Alfred Shaw bowled the first ever ball in Test cricket and took the first wicket in the 1877 Melbourne Test. He was an English bowler who opened the bowling in that historic match. Barnes came later.

Brian Lara scored 28 runs in an over off Robin Peterson (South Africa) in 2003-04. This was a record for most runs in a Test over for many years. Afridi had hits 32 runs but that was in ODIs, not Tests.

In the 1999 World Cup semi-final between Australia and South Africa, Allan Donald was run out off the last ball when a single was needed. Damien Fleming was the bowler who delivered that final ball, resulting in the dramatic tie that sent Australia to the final based on previous head-to-head results.

Bob Simpson is the only player to have participated in both of Test cricket's tied matches. He played for Australia in the first tied Test against the West Indies in 1960-61, and later as a coach and selector for Australia in the second tied Test against India in 1986-87 at Chennai (then Madras).

Don Bradman, primarily a batsman, did bowl occasionally in Test cricket and took 2 wickets in his career. While famous for his batting average of 99.94, he bowled 11 overs in his Test career, dismissing England's batsmen in two instances.

In Don Bradman's final Test innings at The Oval in 1948, he needed just 4 runs to finish with a career average of exactly 100. He was bowled for a duck (0) by English leg-spinner Eric Hollies, ending his career with the immortal average of 99.94.

In the infamous 1981 underarm bowling incident, Australian captain Greg Chappell instructed his brother Trevor Chappell to bowl the final ball underarm along the ground to prevent New Zealand from hitting the winning six. This controversial act led to a rule change banning underarm deliveries.

Jim Hines became the first person to officially break the 10-second barrier in the 100m sprint at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics with a time of 9.89 seconds. This was achieved with the aid of high altitude and modern timing technology.

In curved races (200m and 400m), runners experience centrifugal force which pushes them outward. Middle and outer lanes have less centrifugal force effect compared to inner lanes, making them preferred for maintaining better balance and speed through curves.

Valerie Brisco-Hooks achieved the first Olympic double in the 200m and 400m events at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. She won gold in both events, making her the first athlete to accomplish this particular double at the Olympics.

In track events, the winner is determined by the torso (trunk of the body) crossing the finish line first, excluding the head, neck, and limbs. This rule is why sprinters lean forward at the finish - to get their torso across before their competitors. Legs, head alone, or torso including limbs are not the determining factors.

The water jump in 3000m steeplechase is located on the back straight of the track, either in the inside or outside lane depending on the track configuration. Option B correctly identifies the general area (back of track), though 'back turn' is not precisely accurate. The water jump is always on the back straight area, never on the home straight.

The 110m hurdles event has exactly 10 hurdles placed on the track. The hurdles are spaced evenly, with the first hurdle 13.72m from the starting line and subsequent hurdles 9.14m apart. The final hurdle is 14.02m from the finish line. This standard configuration is used in men's track and field athletics.

Paavo Nurmi of Finland won 12 Olympic track and field medals (9 gold, 3 silver) between 1920 and 1928, making him the athlete with the most Olympic medals in track and field history. Carl Lewis also won 9 gold medals but had fewer total medals (10 total). Both are legendary, but Nurmi holds the record for total medal count.