3 Number of times Zaheer Khan dismissed
an opener for a duck in both innings of a Test - a world record. No one else
has done so more than once in Test history! The dismissed batsmen were:
Herschelle Gibbs, Javed Omar and Tim McIntosh. Omar had a golden pair
(dismissed off the very first ball in both innings!)
14 Number of times Zaheer Khan sent back
Graeme Smith in international cricket – seven times in Tests, six times in
One-Day Internationals and once in Twenty20 Internationals. Among the Indian
bowlers only Kapil Dev dismissed a particular batsman more often– Desmond
Haynes (16 times).
21 Number of wickets taken by Zaheer Khan
in 2011 World Cup – most by an Indian bowler in a single edition of World Cup.
His tally was also the highest by any bowler in 2011 edition (with Shahid
Afridi who also got 21).
29 Number of times Zaheer Khan got out on
duck in Tests – most for an Indian.
42.76 Percent of Zaheer’s wickets in Test cricket
were of left-handers, which is the highest percentage of left-handed victims
for any pacer taking 200 or more wickets in Test cricket.
44 Number of wickets taken by Zaheer Khan
in World Cup, which are the most by any Indian bowler, with Javagal Srinath.
Among leading wicket-takers in World Cup Zaheer is joint-fifth after Glenn
McGrath (71), Muttiah Muralitharan (68), Wasim Akram (55) and Chaminda Vaas
(49).
46 Number of ducks inflicted by Zaheer in
One-Day Internationals – most by any Indian bowler in this format.
55.43 Zaheer’s strike-rate (balls per wicket) in
overseas Tests – best for an Indian bowler with 100 or more wickets outside
India.
66 Number
of Tests Zaheer Khan missed between his Test debut and retirement. Most of
these Tests were missed because of injuries rather than on form.
83 Number of wickets taken by Zaheer Khan
in overseas Test wins – most by an Indian. Anil Kumble is second with 80
wickets.
311 Zaheer’s wicket-tally in Test cricket –
third highest for a left-arm pacer after Wasim Akram (414) and Chaminda Vaas
(355).
610 Number
of wickets Zaheer Khan ended with in international cricket (Tests, One-Day
Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals combined). Only Anil
Kumble (956), Harbhajan Singh (706) and Kapil Dev (687) have taken more wickets
among Indian bowlers.
4 Number
of sixes Zaheer Khan hit off Henry Olonga in one over in a one-day
international against Zimbabwe (at Jodhpur in 2000). He was the first Indian
batsman ever to hit four sixes in one over!
75 Zaheer Khan’s highest score in Test
cricket (v Bangladesh at Dhaka in December 2004). It was then the highest score
by a number 11 batsman in Test cricket and remained so for next seven years
until West
Indies’ Tino Best broke it in 2012
