Ten players who played their first and last Test against the same team

Srikant
Polly UmrigarIndia Cricket
Polly Umrigar was the first Indian to hit a double hundred in Test cricket

Test Cricket is the ultimate format of the Gentleman's Game and sometimes, even the best of players have failed to make the transition from the shorter formats of the game to the five-day format.

It can be unforgiving at times and it takes a lot of grit and determination to truly excel in Test cricket and emerge as a champion when you finally bring down curtains on your international career.

There are quite a few players who have stood the test of time to emerge as legends of the game, especially in the Test format, after a full-fledged career.

England's Alastair Cook became the latest addition to that illustrious list after the former skipper announced that he would be retiring from international cricket after the ongoing home series against India.

Having made his Test debut against the same nation way back in 2006, Cook walks away from the game as England's leading run-scorer in Test cricket with more than 12000 runs and 32 hundreds to his name, far ahead than any of his countrymen and those impressive numbers will certainly take some catching up to do.

Let's take a look at ten other famous cricketers who had an illustrious career in the Test format and like Cook, played their first and last match against the same country.

#10 Polly Umrigar (India)

An all-time great in Indian cricketer, Polly Umrigar was the first Indian to score a double hundred in Test cricket and also played a major role in the country's first ever Test win, scoring a knock of 130 after coming into bat at No 7 against England at Chennai in 1952.

He made his India debut against West Indies in the 2nd Test on December 9, 1948, at Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium and by the time he retired in 1962, playing his 59th and final Test against the same opposition at Kingston, he held the record for the most runs, most Tests and most hundreds by an Indian cricketer - a record that stood until 1978.

He was also an occasional bowler, taking 35 Test wickets, most famously taking four wickets in a famous win over Australia at Kanpur in 1959. Umrigar also led India in 8 Tests, winning two of them.

#9 Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka)

Chaminda Vaas Sri Lanka Cricket
Vaas took 355 wickets from 111 Test matches at an average of 29.58

Arguably Sri Lanka's greatest ever fast bowler, Chaminda Vaas played the ideal foil to spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan and reaped success despite minimal help offered to the fast bowlers on sub-continent pitches.

Vaas took 355 wickets in 111 Test matches with his finest moment coming against West Indies when he took 26 wickets in a 3-Test series win at home.

What Vaas lacked in pace, he made up for it with his accurate bowling and was even more prolific in the 50-over format where he holds the record for the best ever figure in an ODI which came against Zimbabwe, picking up 8 wickets while conceding just 19 runs.

Vaas' Test debut came against Pakistan in 1994 and his final match was also against the same team in 2009.

#8 Graeme Smith (South Africa)

Graeme Smith South Africa Cricket
Smith is ranked as one of the best skippers in the history of the game

Earmarked for captaincy from a very young age, Graeme Smith repaid the faith shown in him by the South African selectors with an illustrious career that saw him emerge as not just one of the greatest skippers in the history of the game but also as a highly successful opening batsman for the Proteas.

He was prolific in the slip cordon as well and led his side with distinction through his long tenure as captain that saw South Africa enjoy plenty of success, especially away from home making themselves a hard side to beat.

Smith made his Test debut against Australia at Newlands in 2002 and went on to score 9265 runs from 117 Tests - 109 of which were as skipper of the side - at an average of 48.25 with 27 hundreds to his name before bidding farewell to the game nearly 12 years later against the same opposition and at the same venue.

Smith never let the burden of captaincy affect his performances, In fact, South Africa never lost a Test match in which Smith scored a hundred or more thus proving how well he led the side from the front.

#7 Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies)

New Zealand v West Indies - Third Test: Day 1
Chanderpaul ranks eighth in the highest run-getters chart in Test cricket

A man who often failed to get his due, Shivnarine Chanderpaul's international career span well over two decades but more often than not, he was fighting a lone battle with very little support from his fellow teammates in a below-par West Indian side.

With 11867 runs from 164 matches at an average of above 51, Chanderpaul ranks eighth in the list of leading run-scorers in Test cricket and was an outstanding servant of the West Indian cricket who had a rather unceremonious exit from the game.

Chanderpaul made his Test debut against England at Georgetown in 1994 and had to wait three years before scoring his first Test century but by the time he played his final Test match against the same opposition at Bridgetown in 2015, the West Indies legend had scored 30 Test tons to cement his place as one of the game's all-time greats.

#6 Kevin Pietersen (England)

Kevin Pietersen England Cricket
Pietersen made a big impact with his heroics in the 2005 Ashes which marked his foray into Test cricket

Widely regarded as England's greatest modern batsman, Kevin Pietersen's constant run-ins with the ECB hampered his career to a great extent before it was made to clear to him after the 2013-14 Ashes series that he would no longer be considered for selection for the national side.

It was with another Ashes series in 2005 that Pietersen made his grand entry into Test cricket playing a key role in England's famous series win over their arch-rivals Australia emerging as the highest run-getter with 473 runs from 5 Tests.

In between, Pietersen remained a breath of fresh air for international cricket with his performances for England and though he courted controversy at times, he earned plaudits for the way he entertained the cricket-loving public world over.

Pietersen finished with 8181 runs from 104 Tests at an average of 47.28 and with 23 centuries to his name.

#5 Steve Waugh (Australia)

Steve Waugh Australia Cricket
Steve Waugh played a match-saving knock for Australia in his final Test match at Sydney

One of the most respected players in the history of the game, Steve Waugh was a true embodiment of grit and determination, whose ruthless captaincy took Australia to the height of their glory in the early 2000s.

Debuting against India at Melbourne in 1985, Waugh made a slow start to his Test career and was even dropped from the squad at one point in favour of his twin brother Mark, before making a strong comeback and emerge as one the nation's greatest ever player.

Waugh played 168 Tests, scoring 10927 runs including 32 centuries and is only of three Australian cricketers along with Allan Border and Ricky Ponting with more than 10000 runs in the five-day format.

Waugh also skipper Australia to victory in the 1999 ODI World Cup and led his side to 15 consecutive Test wins before being stopped by the Sourav Ganguly-led Indian side in 2001.

Ganguly was the opposition skipper the last time Waugh played for Australia as well in the Sydney Test of the 2003/04 season when the latter led from the front with a match-saving knock of 80 in his final inning to help Australia avoid a series defeat.

#4 Matthew Hayden (Australia)

Matthew Hayden Test Cricket Australia
Hayden is one of Test cricket's most prolific openers of all time

One of the most aggressive openers in the history of the game, Matthew Hayden had an illustrious career as a Test opener with the Australian national team and holds the record for the highest individual Test score by an Australian - a feat he achieved when he scored 380 off just 437 balls against Zimbabwe in 2003.

His knock is still the second highest individual score in Test cricket and the highest by an opener and the destructive manner in which he smashed the opposition bowlers was something that set Hayden apart from his peers.

Having made his debut against South Africa at Johannesburg in 1994, Hayden had to wait nearly three years before playing his second match. He was out of favour with the national selectors for another three-year period between 1997 and 2000 before he truly made his mark in international cricket with his exploits during Australia's tour of India in 2001.

Hayden scored 549 runs from 3 Tests and went from strength to strength in both the Test and ODI formats for Australia, scoring 8625 runs from 103 Tests at an average of above 50 with 30 hundreds to his name.

Hayden played his final Test at Sydney against South Africa in 2009.

#3 Brian Lara (West Indies)

Brian Lara West Indies
Lara holds the record for the highest individual score in Test cricket history

The world-record holder for the highest individual score in Test cricket as well as first-class cricket, Brian Charles Lara made his Test debut against Pakistan at Lahore in 1990 but had to wait for more than a year before playing his next match against South Africa.

Lara made his first big impact in his fifth Test match, with a splendid knock of 277 against Australia at Sydney which made the world take notice of the immensely talented West Indian who would go on to be regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

With very little support from his teammates, Lara often ended up on the losing side despite his best efforts but there were times when Lara battled the odds to single-handedly lead his side to victory, like his unbeaten knock of 153 against Australia in Bridgetown, Barbados in 1999 which was rated by Wisden as the second best batting performance in the history of Test cricket.

Lara ended his Test career on a high, scoring a century and a double century in his final three Tests against Pakistan, finishing just 47 runs short of the 12000-run mark in Test cricket with 34 hundreds.

#2 Sir Garfield Sobers (West Indies)

Gary Sobers West Indies Cricket
Gary Sobers is arguably the greatest all-rounder in the history of the game

Arguably the greatest all-rounder in the history of the game, Sir Garfield Sobers made his debut for the West Indies national team in 1954 as a 17-year-old and scripted an illustrious career with a team that was at the height of its prowess during his time.

Sobers did take some time to adjust to the highest level of the game but there was no stopping once he got going with his first century in Test cricket emerging as the highest individual score at the time when he scored an unbeaten 365 against Pakistan.

Sobers played 93 Tests for the West Indies, scoring 8032 runs at an average of 57.78, and taking 235 wickets at an average of 34.03. His final Test came against England in 1974 - the same nation he made his debut against 20 years back.

#1 Sir Donald Bradman (Australia)

Bradman Walks Out
Sir Donald Bradman's numbers are unlikely to be matched by any player

The greatest batsman in the history of the game, Sir Donald Bradman had an illustrious Test career that can literally be described as the stuff of dreams.

29 Test centuries from just 52 matches which saw him score 6996 runs at an astounding average of 99.94 are numbers which are etched in the history of cricket and unlikely to be matched by any player in the game.

He also captained the Australian national side on many occasions, most famously after the Second World War when he managed to guide the side, which would later be called as "The Invincibles" through an unbeaten tour of England.

Like the major part of his Test career, Bradman played his first and final Test against England, spaced 19 years apart during which time he amazed the world with his prowess that has been unmatched before or since his retirement in 1947.

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Edited by Kishan Prasad