5 active players with the most ducks in international cricket

When a batsman in the game of cricket gets out for zero, his score is commonly referred to as a duck.

The term 'duck' originates from the 'duck’s egg'. The egg has the shape of the number '0' and hence naught is commonly called 'duck'. Scoring many ducks is considered to be a highly dubious record.

In this article, we take a look at the top five active cricket players who have scored the most number of ducks across all formats of the game.

Five active players with the most ducks in international cricket:

#T3: Ishant Sharma (37 ducks)

Ishant Sharma scored his first international 50 against West Indies last year.

As far as batting is concerned, Ishant Sharma has been India's go-to night-watchman in Test matches. The reason for the same is because he can stay at the crease and play defensive strokes better than the other bowlers in the team.

However, Ishant Sharma also holds the dubious record of recording the most number of ducks across all formats among active Indian cricketers. He has recorded as many as 37 ducks while playing in Indian colours.

Sharma's most famous batting performance came in the first Test of Australia's tour of India in 2010.

Chasing a target of 216 in the fourth innings of that Test, India were 124/8 when Ishant Sharma walked out to the crease. He played the perfect second fiddle to VVS Laxman and showed off his batting skills en route to a hard-fought innings of 31 off 92 balls.

When India were just 11 runs short of the target, Ishant Sharma was unfortunately trapped lbw by Ben Hilfenhaus. However, Laxman and the number 11 batsman Pragyan Ojha completed a tense 1-wicket victory for India.

#T3: James Anderson (37 ducks)

James Anderson has as many as 37 ducks across all formats of cricket.

James Anderson, England's most successful bowler, has batted at number 11 for almost his entire career. Hence, it is not a big surprise to find Anderson on this list. He has recorded as many as 37 ducks across all formats of cricket, the same tally as India's Ishant Sharma.

Since he made his debut, Anderson has always worked on his batting. In the first Test against India in Nottingham in 2014, Anderson and Joe Root shared a 198-run record stand. It is the world record for the highest tenth wicket partnership in Test cricket, with Anderson scoring a career best 81 in that game.

#T2: Lasith Malinga (43 ducks)

Lasith Malinga is third on this list, with 43 ducks against his name (Pic courtesy Getty Images)

With 43 ducks against his name in all formats of cricket, Lasith Malinga is yet another number 11 batsman to make an entry on this list.

One of Sri Lanka's most successful bowlers ever, not much is expected of Malinga with the bat. However, he has a 50 apiece in both Test and ODI cricket.

#T2: Chris Gayle (43 ducks)

Chris Gayle equals Malinga's record of 43 ducks across all formats in cricket.

The only top-order batsman to make it to this dubious list, 'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle has recorded as many as 43 ducks in 530 innings he has played across all three formats in cricket.

Gayle is considered to be one of the greatest T20 cricketers ever. He also has amassed over 10,000 runs in ODIs and 7,000 runs in Tests. He played his last ODI match against India in August 2019 last year but is yet to officially announce his retirement.

#1: Stuart Broad (45 ducks)

Stuart Broad has the most ducks in international cricket among active cricketers.

Stuart Broad is the latest player to join the 500-wicket club in Test cricket. During the third Test against West Indies in Manchester during the recently-concluded Wisden series, Broad became only the seventh bowler in the world to take 500 wickets in Tests.

Among active international players, Broad is the one with the most number of ducks across all formats in cricket; he has as many as 45 ducks against his name.

A highly handy batsman down the order in Tests, Broad has scored as many as 13 fifties and a century in Test cricket, which is a highly appreciable record for someone who has batted at number ten for most of his career.