Cricket History and Facts

Andy Sandham scored the first triple century (325 runs) in Test cricket history in 1930 against the West Indies. This happened in the first Test match ever played at Sabina Park, Kingston. Len Hutton, Donald Bradman, Garfield Sobers, and Wally Hammond all scored triple centuries but not the first one.

Australia won their first ICC Cricket World Cup in 1987 under the captaincy of Allan Border. This victory marked the beginning of Australia's dominance in world cricket, setting the foundation for their future World Cup successes.

MS Dhoni became the first Indian wicket-keeper to captain the Test cricket team, taking over the reins in 2008. While Rahul Dravid did captain India, he was a specialist batsman, not a wicket-keeper. Kiran More and Nayan Mongia were wicket-keepers but never Test captains.

Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid established the world record partnership of 331 runs for the second wicket against New Zealand in 1999 at Hyderabad. This stood as the highest partnership for any wicket in Test cricket at that time. Both batsmen scored centuries in this record-breaking stand.

Phil Tufnell, an English bowler, was dismissed for a duck after facing 50 balls against New Zealand in a Test match. This is an unusual record for a bowler known for his batting limitations rather than prowess. Darren Gough was also a bowler, while Ian Bell was a specialist batsman unlikely to have such a record.

Hanif Mohammad (spelled Mohd. Haneef in the question) holds the record for the longest individual innings in Test cricket by time (970 minutes, 337 minutes per day over three days). This legendary innings was played against the West Indies in 1957-58. Roshan Mahanama, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar had long innings but not the longest by duration.

Don Bradman, Brian Lara, and Virender Sehwag are the only batsmen to score multiple triple centuries (300+ runs) in Test cricket. Bradman scored 2, Lara scored 2, and Sehwag scored 2 triple centuries in their careers. Sanath Jayasuriya never scored a triple century in Test matches.

Sourav Ganguly (239 vs Pakistan in what was then his highest) and MS Dhoni both scored their personal highest Test scores against Sri Lanka. Ganguly's 239 at Bangalore in 2007 was his career best. Dhoni's highest Test score (224) came against Australia, not Sri Lanka, but the question claims both scored highest against Sri Lanka - Ganguly is correct, Dhoni's claim needs verification.

Anil Kumble was the first Indian spinner to take more than 300 wickets in Test cricket, finishing with 619 wickets. He achieved this milestone in 2000 and went on to become India's highest wicket-taker in Tests. The other spinners listed (Venkataraghavan, Bedi, Sharma) did not reach 300 Test wickets.

Harbhajan Singh's famous hat-trick against Australia in 2001 (Kolkata Test) dismissed Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, and Shane Warne in three consecutive balls. Steve Waugh was not part of this hat-trick. This was a pivotal moment in the historic 2001 series where India won after following on.

Jim Laker (England) was the first bowler to take all 10 wickets in a Test match, achieving this feat against Australia at Old Trafford in 1956 (10 for 53). Anil Kumble later achieved this for India (10 for 74 vs Pakistan in 1999), but Laker was the first. Frederick Spofforth did not take all 10 wickets in a single innings.

Mark Ealham (England) holds the unusual record of taking 5 LBW wickets in a match, with figures of 5/15 (all LBW). This occurred against India in a One Day International. The other bowlers listed (Prasad, McGrath, Younis) were known for various bowling achievements but not specifically for this LBW record.

Saeed Anwar scored 194 runs against India in 1997, setting the then-record for highest individual ODI score. Charles Coventry equaled this record with 194 not out against Bangladesh in 2009. Both batsmen held this record at different times before it was broken by others.