5 batsmen who made ducks on Test debut but went on to become greats

It’s a batsman’s worst nightmare: a duck on Test debut! Nobody wants to feel the embarrassment of the long walk back to the dressing room without troubling the scorers, especially not on the biggest stage in world cricket.For these 5 players, though, that’s exactly what happened. However, they turned it around to be remembered in cricket folklore for all the right reasons. Read on to find out who they are.

#1 Marvan Atapattu

The textbook Sri Lankan opener had possibly the worst start to a Test career imaginable, recording scores of 0, 0, 0, 1, 0 and 0 in his first 6 innings, and didn’t pass 30 until his tenth Test match when he finally broke the shackles with his maiden century.

From that point onwards there was no looking back, with Atapattu recording 16 centuries from 90 Test matches, including 6 double tons, at an average of 39.02. The elegant right-hander scored a century against every Test playing nation and also went on to captain Sri Lanka.

#2 Andrew Symonds

Andrew Symonds made his Test debut for Australia against Sri Lanka in 2004 and fell for a duck in his first innings. He struggled for the rest of that tour, failing to pass 25 in any of his first four digs and was dropped afterwards. He was recalled in 2005 due to an injury to Shane Watson and again struggled.

On the verge of being dropped again after another failure in the first innings of the 2005 Boxing Day Test, Symonds belted 72 off 54 balls to kickstart his career. His most famous innings in the Test arena was the brutal 156 he scored in the 2006 Boxing Day Test against England, putting on a 279-run partnership with good friend Matthew Hayden when they were in deep trouble.

After a number of off-field incidents, Symonds played his final Test in 2009, finishing up with 1,462 runs at an average of 40.61 including two hundreds, as well as a first-class average of 42.20 with 40 centuries.

Symonds is hailed as a trailblazer for Australian cricket as he set the standard for modern players with his breathtaking fielding, astonishing big-hitting and ability to bowl both medium pace and off-spin.

#3 Saeed Anwar

The aggressive Pakistan opening batsman was dealt a cruel blow when he was dismissed for a pair in his first Test match against the West Indies in 1990. However, he quickly proved his worth in the Test arena, scoring a mammoth 169 against New Zealand in just his third Test.

He went on to score 4,052 Test runs at an average of 45.52 with 11 centuries and 25 half-centuries. This places him seventh in the list of the highest run-scorers for Pakistan in Tests.

Another notable achievement of his was the 188 not out he made against India in a Test match at the Eden Gardens in 1999; he carried his bat through the innings, becoming just the third Pakistan player to do so in the process.

#4 Sir Len Hutton

One of the greatest cricketers England has ever produced, Sir Len Hutton started his illustrious Test career in 1937 with a duck in the first innings and just one run in the second. He bounced back, however, to score a century in his second Test, going on to etch his name into the history books.

Hutton scored 6,971 Test runs, including 19 centuries, at a whopping average of 56.67 from 79 matches. He also held the record for the highest Test score ever for close to two decades, having made 364 against Australia at The Oval in 1938.

Hutton also notched up a colossal 129 first-class centuries in 513 matches, a superb achievement in the era of uncovered pitches.

#5 Graham Gooch

Another of England’s greatest cricketers, Graham Gooch bagged a pair in his first Test in 1975 against the touring Australians. He then made 6 and 31 in his second Test and was subsequently dropped.

After being banned for three years courtesy of a rebel tour to South Africa he was afflicted by a severe loss of form, but Gooch regained his place in the England Test XI and blossomed at the highest level.

He ended his career with 8,900 Test runs and 20 centuries, apart from earning the distinction of being one of England’s finest captains. He is best remembered for his brilliant innings of 154 against a fearsome West Indian attack at Headingley in 1991, which is regarded as one of the greatest Test centuries of all time by critics, opponents and teammates alike.

Gooch’s other notable achievements include a highest Test score of 333 and being one of just 25 players to have scored 100 first-class centuries.