Agarkar zeroes in, sets dubious World record

Agarkar zeroes in, sets dubious World record
ENS AND PTI

Sydney, Jan 2: India's Ajit Agarkar today was dismissed for his fourth successive first-ball duck in Tests. Agarkar walked in after Vijay Bharadwaj fell to the 23-year-old Brett Lee and promptly edged the well pitched-up first delivery to Mark Waugh.

It was the first time in Test history that a batsman was falling for a first ball duck in four successive innings. Agarkar's third zero in the second innings at Melbourne itself was a record, according to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) statistician Mohandas Menon. Agarkar made 19 in India's first innings in the first Test at Adelaide to Damien Fleming, who had him caught by skipper Steve Waugh first ball in the second innings, the first in the four-part performance. The unenvious distinction of most number of Test ducks, 35, is held by Courtney Walsh.

At Melbourne, he fell leg before to Lee in the first innings. In the second innings, he was caught by Greg Blewett off Mark Waugh's occasional off-spinner.