Cricket is full of peculiar stats and facts. Through the sport’s 147-year history, only a few peak one’s mind, like Dennis Smith and his unlikely record. Who is Dennis Smith, you ask? Well, the cricketer from New Zealand played just 1 Test match and a grand total of 11 first-class games.
The fascinating thing is that Dennis isn’t known for his cricketing prowess but rather for a record he has held for 91 years.
On this day in 1933, Dennis Smith picked his maiden Test wicket on the very first ball he bowled in Test cricket. It was a good record to have, but Dennis was the 10th man to do so at the time. However, what happened after that etched his name in cricket history.
Dennis Smith & his unique record
Dennis did so during the England Tour of New Zealand in 1932/33. In the first Test of the series, the all-rounder picked up a wicket on the first ball of his international career. However, this wicket had little to no impact on the match and, as it later proved to be, on his career as a whole.
England went on to score 560 runs, with Wally Hammond raking up a double century while Les Ames struck a ton. Dennis Smith ended the inning with 1 wickets in 20 overs while giving away 113 runs. He was subsequently dropped from the second Test and never played international cricket again.
But wait, what was the record we were earlier talking about? Well, Dennis claimed a wicket on his very first international ball, and that remained his one and only wicket, and so he remains the single bowler in cricket’s 147-year history to take their only Test wicket on the very first ball of his career.
A record you may never hear or read ever again unless you stumble upon this article once again.
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