Captains who never got out on zero

Test cricket is the most respectable form of cricket. If a cricketer represents his/her country for Test cricket, they can easily be termed as the top few players in the fraternity. Sometimes these top players hit a rough patch in their career. The scoring rate goes down and they feel nervous at the center. They might even feel itchy to get runs against their name and pray not to get out on zero (duck).

There are records for people getting out on duck for several times in their Test careers, or getting ducks in both innings of a Test match. However, there were players who not only scored several centuries and fifties in their careers but managed to never get out on a duck.

Yes, you have read this right. So let's have a look at the people who have accomplished this feat in their careers.

---

1. Herbert Collins (Australia)

Herbert Collins played 19 Test matches between 1920-1926. He made his debut against the arch-rivals England and scored a century (104) in the second innings. He was the fifth Australian player to score a century on debut.

In his 31 innings, he amassed 1,352 runs at an average of 45.06 with the highest score of 203 against South Africa. On that tour, he scored 548 runs at an average of 60.88, including two centuries. In his career, Collins scored a total of four centuries and six half-centuries and remained not out once.

During his playing days, he was never regarded as an exceptional stroke maker but a player who avoids risk and was happy to score runs through nudges, dabs and prods.

Collin's career ended amid controversies of match-fixing and some extraordinary tactics deployed against England in the last Test match of the 1926 Ashes series. Australia lost the Test by 289 runs and Collins was stripped off his captaincy and place in the national side.

2. David Laud Houghton (Zimbabwe)

Dave Hughton

Dave Houghton was arguably Zimbabwe's second best Test batsmen after Andy Flower. In the inaugural Test for his country against India in 1992, he scored 121 runs at the Harare sports club. He was Zimbabwe's first Test captain and holds the record of highest Test score for his country so far. He made 266 against Sri Lanka at Bulawayo in 1994-95.

In his career, he played 22 matches and made 1,464 runs at an average of 43.05 including four centuries and four half-centuries. Dave also holds the record for most Test runs without scoring a duck.

Before becoming a professional cricketer, Dave was a part of national hockey team of Zimbabwe. He played as a goalkeeper and was so good in his department that, Kallimullah, the former Pakistan hockey captain, went on record to describe Dave as the best goal-keeper in the world.

The skills he acquired during goal-keeping, helped him in becoming one of the greatest slip fielders of all time.

3. Waqar Hasan (Pakistan)

Waqar Hasan

Born in Amritsar in undivided India, Waqar Hassan was a man of crisis situations.

Waqar made his debut when he was just 17, against India in 1952. He was the highest scorer in that series for either side and made 357 runs at an average of 44.62. He rescued Pakistan from several terrible situations during that tour and saved the team from defeat in the Calcutta Test with a defiant innings of 97 runs that lasted for more than 5 hours.

During his career, he played 12 Tests and scored 1,071 runs at an average of 31.5 with a century (189) to his name that came at Lahore against New Zealand in a winning cause.

4. Geoff Rabone (New Zealand)

A wartime hero and jack of many trades when it comes to cricket. He was a solid batsman, an occasional medium pace bowler, an off-break bowler who could bowl leg-breaks too and a brilliant slip fielder (76 in first class). He played for New Zealand cricket team just for 5 years but had few noteworthy performances.

Rabone played 12 matches and scored a century in his first Test match against South Africa. In another test, where New Zealand enforced the follow-on for the first time, Rabone scored 56 and took 6 wickets for 68 runs.

After the end of his career with the national team, he played for Auckland for some time. Rabone retired to assume the responsibilities of a selector for the national cricket team.

5. Brijesh Patel (India)

Brijesh was a prolific run-getter at the domestic level, though his journey at the international level was not so long. He played for the Indian cricket team for 5 years and made 972 runs at an average of 29.45 in 21 Test matches.

He scored a century (115) against the mighty West Indies in Port of Spain, where he was involved in a 200+ run partnership with Sunil Gavaskar for the fifth wicket.

In his first-class career, he played with Karnataka and made 11,911 runs at an average of 45.63, including 37 centuries and 55 half-centuries.

Brijesh served as the head of selection committee of the national cricket team before resigning citing personal health issues. He also served as the president of National cricket academy for few years, before he was replaced by Shivlal Yadav (the current director).

A Bonus: James (Jim) Burke (Australia)

Jim Burke Prepares

A man with the highest number of Test innings (44) without scoring a duck.

Jim scored 1,280 international runs at an average of 34.59, including 3 centuries and 5 half centuries in 24 Test matches he played. He scored 189 (his personal best) against South Africa in Cape Town, which resulted in an innings defeat for the hosts as they were asked to follow-on.

Jim's first-class career was astonishing, as he scored more than 7,000 runs in 130 games at an average of more than 45. He scored 21 centuries and 35 half centuries in 204 innings.

Jim was a handy bowler too. He took 8 wickets with 4/37 as his best against India in Calcutta Test (Nov 1956). In his first-class career, he took 101 wickets, with his off-breaks at an average under 30.