Chain of cricketers from 1877 to 2007

[Dissector]

This may have been done before but it would be interesting to construct a chain of test cricketers from the first test ever played in 1877 to 2007. The rule is that the first player must have played the first test ever played. The next player should have played in at least one test with or against the previous player. The last player should have played a test in 2007.

The goal is to construct the shortest chain. I have got one which is just 8 players long. Can you beat that or equal it with other players?

An interesting variation might look at a similar chain of players from a single country going back to the first test of that country.

Jack Blackham - Archie MacLaren
http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/62437.html

Archie MacLaren- Jack Hobbs
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/62496.html

Jack Hobbs - Don Bradman
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/62584.html

Don Bradman- Neil Harvey
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/62689.html

Neil Harvey- Colin Cowdrey
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/62925.html

Colin Cowdrey- Imran Khan
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63073.html

Imran Khan- Sachin Tendulkar
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63513.html

 

[Neil Pickup]

I think you mean Colin Cowdrey. Chris was the crap one.

 

[Dissector]

Thanks. I edited it.

 

[Richard]

I think you mean Colin Cowdrey. Chris was the crap one.

Nah, that was Graham.

 

[Dissector]

I wouldn't have thought that a chain with less than 8 players is possible but I can almost get one thanks to the absurdly long of careers of Rhodes and Headley. Headley's last test was in 1954 but unfortunately I don't think that anyone in that test played till the 70's for a possible overlap with Imran. Sobers almost coincided with Headley but not quite.

 

[Richard]

Here's a new challenge for you:

Find the longest chain, featuring as many players as possible. To make it easier, only people from the same team.

 

[Goughy]

We have done similar before http://www.cricketweb.net/forum/showthread.php?t=18657

But for this one they had to play with or against each other in a Test

The shortest I got was 6 players from 2007 to 1890

Lara played with Greenidge
http://rsa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1...11DEC1990.html

Greeindge played against Close
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1...13JUL1976.html

Close played with Brown
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1...27DEC1950.html

Brown played with Woolley
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1...28JUN1932.html

Woolley played against Gregory
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1...11AUG1909.html

Gregory debuted in 1890
http://content-rsa.cricinfo.com/aust...tch/62428.html

 

[Dissector]

Unfortunately Lara didn't play in 2007 but there may be another way of getting from Close to 2007 with two players. If you add Blackham you can get from 1877 to Close in five. It would be pretty remarkable to get from 1877 to 2007 with just 7 players; like I said I wouldn't have thought it possible.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Here's a new challenge for you:

Find the longest chain, featuring as many players as possible. To make it easier, only people from the same team.

864.

 

[Dissector]

I am finding it impossible to get from Close to 2007 in two players. I thought Warne would do the trick but he never played against Greenidge and Haynes never played against Close. Greenidge played against India in 1989 but Tendulkar only made his debut later that year. And Close never played against Imran. It's another one of those close misses.

Speaking of Close here is some footage of him facing Holding in 1976. Scary stuff especially if you are 45 years old and playing without a helmet.

 

[wpdavid]

I don't have time to check this myself, but an alternative route back starts with Murali, who played against Border circa 1993/94, who played against Boycott in 1978/79. Boycott debuted in 1964 IIRC, so can anyone take that further?

 

[NUFAN]

John Traicos played against Sachin Tendulkar in 1992.

Traicos played a few tests in 1969/70 against Australia. This could be another route to go down.

 

[Dissector]

That's an interesting line. Tendulkar-Traicos-Goddard-Compton will get you to 1937 but beyond that I can't see anything that will get to 1877 in three players.

 

[wpdavid]

Another 4-player route to 1937 is Tendulkar or Jayasuria, Imran, Cowdrey & Hutton or Washbrook

After that I'm struggling. It's a shame that Cowdrey didn't play a year earlier, or he'd have played against Headley in 1954, who played against Rhodes in 1930. That would have taken us back to 1899 in five players.

 

[wpdavid]

That's an interesting line. Tendulkar-Traicos-Goddard-Compton will get you to 1937 but beyond that I can't see anything that will get to 1877 in three players.

The best I could find from 1937 was back to 1880 in three players Ames (or other Englishmen who played in 1937 & with Rhodes in 1929 or 1930), Rhodes & Grace. Since Grace would have played in a proper England side from 1877, I'll blame the selectors for messing up that particular line.

The second closest link was an Aus opener from 1877 (Blackham??) who played his last test 5 years before Rhodes' first.

 

[Richard]

Since Grace would have played in a proper England side from 1877, I'll blame the selectors for messing up that particular line.

TBH, I think that comment tells a lot, about many things including the downright silliness of anything being considered a Test in the days before teams were chosen by "selectors" (can't remember when the first time that was, something's saying 1903 but something else is saying it was before that - maybe 1890).

I'd be happiest to just leave it back then. There was no conformation in what was an "England" side before then, it was all private tours and invitations from the host club. Little about actually picking the best players.

 

[silentstriker]

What is the smallest line from 1877 to 2007, except the players didn't have to play against each other (as long as they played Test cricket in the same year)?

 

[wpdavid]

What is the smallest line from 1877 to 2007, except the players didn't have to play against each other (as long as they played Test cricket in the same year)?

That might, IIRC, allow a link from Cowdrey to Headley. If I'm right, Headley played against England in March/April 1954 & Cowdrey played in Aus in Nov of the same year.

If so, we have Tendulkar, Imran, Cowdrey, Headley & Rhodes which takes us back to 1899. Thereafter, you'd have thought we could find a 2 man link back to 1877. Possibly the Aus opener from 1877 who played his last test in 1894 & one guy from 1894 who played with or against Rhodes in 1899. That's a chain of seven, and I'd be surprised if we beat that.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

That might, IIRC, allow a link from Cowdrey to Headley. If I'm right, Headley played against England in March/April 1954 & Cowdrey played in Aus in Nov of the same year.

Yup.

I have one that is likely to last for longer, though...

Blackham 1877-1894
MacLaren 1894-1909
Hobbs 1908-1930 (played in several games in 1909)
Headley 1930-1954
Cowdrey 1954-1975
Gooch 1975-1995
Ponting 1995-2007

(In fact, there are 11 current players you could replace Ponting with, but I figured he was the one most likely to stay on.)

 

[Dissector]

After a quick look I can get the following chain with 6 players for Indian cricket.

Tendulkar-Kapil-Venkatraghavan-Manjrekar-Amarnath-Nayadu. The first five get you to 1933 but I don't think any player who played in our first test in 1932 played after the war.