The news may well have slipped past many of our regular readers but a week ago England’s most senior first class cricketer Mark Ramprakash bagged a pair. Incredibly this was only the third pair he had bagged in a 25 year professional career.
Ramprakash who played in Western Australia for University started his professional career in 1987 and was capped by Middlesex in 1990. HIs feat has however also managed to gain him an entry into the record books.
There have been 694 instants of batsmen being dismissed for nought in both innings in English first class cricket, but Ramprakash is the first to suffer the ignominy of a pair on the same day’s play!
For those who are interested Mick Norman of Northamptonshire was out twice for nought to the first ball of the innings playing against Glamorgan in 1964; Another unwanted record.
And I bet he has no intention of retiring at the ripe old age of 43.
Seriously world sport needs some ageism to take hold. Schwarzer, Ponting and boxing all perfect examples of people, sports organisations and the media that just don’t have any understanding of when enough is enough.