Test cricket remains the most coveted format in cricket despite the resurgence of T20 cricket. The charming flavour of being hunted in the white jersey still has romanticism and recent events have proved that red-ball cricket is still a matter of pride for all the teams.
Any player who approaches the crease with the bat obviously abhors the thought of being out without scoring a single run. The goal of the batter is to produce runs that could offer the team an advantage, especially at the highest level of international cricket.
Duck is that one figure that everyone hates to get on but for top bookmakers in India, this number is also on their odds list. The majority of the names on the list of Test cricketers with the most ducks are bowlers who have made a name for themselves in the sport other than batting.
Players with the most number of ducks in Test cricket
Courtney Walsh: Very few cricket lovers are not aware of Courtney Walsh’s existence. The former West Indies pacer used to wreak havoc in the opposition ranks with his fiery pace.
But batting was never his cup of tea as the lanky pace bowler had his fair share of struggles with the bat. In his 17-year decorated career, the Jamaican could only manage a total of 936 runs in 132 matches in his Test career.
He got out for zero runs on 43 occasions making him the highest player with the most number of ducks in red-ball cricket.
Stuart Broad: Stuart Broad is the lifeline of the English Test team currently. 13 fifties and a solitary hundred show his decent batting records but despite his bat making noise he remains one of the most vulnerable batters, especially to short deliveries.
Opponent bowlers are often seen using this trait to get him out and it has been a weakness in his batting. The 36-year-old has played 155 matches so far and has accumulated close to 3472 runs. He has been dismissed a whopping 38 times without adding any run to his account.
Chris Martin: The New Zealand fast bowler had very good outings with the ball but his luck with the bat was not very good. Chris Martin had a long 13-year career with the Kiwis in which he contributed 233 wickets in 71 Test matches.
He managed a total of 123 runs which also includes 36 ducks in his career. He also has the unique record of making a duck in both innings and he did this seven times while he was playing.
Glenn McGrath: Glenn McGrath’s brilliance with the ball was never in doubt but the pace bowler never looked comfortable with a bat in his hand.
The veteran bowler was part of the greatest Australian team ever but didn’t take interest in improving his batting it seems. He registered 35 ducks in his prolonged career and his only fifty-plus score was 61 which was also his highest score in the long format.
Shane Warne: Shane Warne was Glenn McGrath’s compatriot as the greatest ever leg spinner was born to dominate the game. Warne did have some great moments with the bat but 34 ducks showed his incompetency with the bat. The spinner has 708 wickets to his name alongside 3154 runs including 12 fifties.
