Wasim Akram- Lance Cairns and Chris Cairns. (Photo Source: Twitter)
In international cricket, a bowler dismissing a father-son duo in his career is quite rare. However, in Test cricket, there are a few instances to recount when bowlers achieved this special record. In the past, some illustrious bowlers remained active in red-ball cricket for a long period and succeeded in scalping the wickets of both father and son.
This year, there are a couple of incidents to recount when bowlers grabbed the eyeballs for pulling off the record of claiming the scalps of a father-son duo. In the history of Test cricket, this uncommon record has been achieved by only five bowlers so far, and it corroborates the consistency of bowlers in cricket’s longest format.
Bowlers who have dismissed father and son duos in Test cricket
5. Ian Botham- Lance Cairns and Chris Cairns
Ian Botham- Lance Cairns and Chris Cairns. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Ian Botham served the England cricket team from 1976 to 1992. In cricket’s longest format, he played for his side for 15 years from 1977 to 1992. When the legend hung up his boots, he ended up as the leading Test wicket-taker for England, picking up 383 wickets in 168 innings of 102 matches.
Stuart Broad and James Anderson shattered his records and are now leading the wicket-taker charts for England. In his vast career, Botham dismissed the father-son pair of Lance Cairns and Chris Cairns. Lance played for New Zealand from 1974-85 while his son served the Kiwi team from 1989-2006.
Botham hunted Lance thrice in his Test career. In the Trent Bridge match of 1978, the England speedster outclassed the Lance for the first time. Lance’s son Chris became the victim of Botham’s disciplined bowling once during England’s tour of New Zealand.
4. Wasim Akram- Lance Cairns and Chris Cairns
Wasim Akram- Lance Cairns and Chris Cairns. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Like England’s Ian Botham, Pakistan’s Wasim Akram also owns the feat of dismissing the father-son pair of Lance and Chris. Wasim played Test cricket for Pakistan from 1985 to 2002 and became the most successful Test bowler for his country with 414 wickets in 181 innings of 104 matches.
During Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand in 1985, Akram scalped Lance’s wicket for the only time in the Dunedin Test. The match went in New Zealand’s favour by two wickets but Akram had become the Player of the Match for clinching 10 wickets in the game. Akram’s first encounter with Chris Cairns happened in 1995.
Playing the Test match against the Kiwi side in Christchurch, Pakistan emerged victorious by 161 runs, In this incredible triumph, Akram picked up a five-wicket haul in the first innings to consolidate his team’s position in the game. During his fine spell, he also dismissed Chris, who had scored 76 and became the leading run-scorer for the hosts in the first innings.
3. Simon Harmer- Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Tagenarine Chanderpaul
Simon Harmer- Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Tagenarine Chanderpaul. (Photo Source: Twitter)
South Africa’s right-arm off-spinner Simon Harmer is also one of the bowlers who has got the better of a father-son duo in Tests matches. He achieved this record by picking up the West Indies legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul and his son Tagenarine Chanderpaul in the longest format of cricket.
In his debut international match at the Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town, Harmer got Shivnarine stumped at the hands of AB de Villiers in the first innings. The Proteas won that game with eight wickets in hand. For Harmer, the debut game became memorable as he contributed seven wickets in his team’s victory.
Talking about Harmer’s record against Tagenarine, the off-spinner faced the legendary Caribbean player’s son during the West Indies tour of South Africa in 2023. In the second Test at The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, he got Tagenarine caught at second slip at the hands of Dean Elgar.
2. Mitchell Starc- Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Tagenarine Chanderpaul
Mitchell Starc- Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Tagenarine Chanderpaul. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Mitchell Starc is a crucial part of the Australian side due to disciplined pace bowling. He is the fifth-most successful bowler for Australia in Tests, claiming 323 wickets in 153 innings of 80 matches. Along with these numbers, he also holds the unique record of clinching the wickets of father-son pair Shivanarine and Tagenarine.
During Australia’s tour of the West Indies in 2012, Starc got Shivnarine’s wicket in the third Test at Windsor Park, getting the Caribbean batter lbw (leg-before-wicket). In that innings, the southpaw was in great touch as he had accumulated 68 runs before getting dismissed.
Starc got success against Tagenarine during the West Indies’ visit to Australia in 2022. In the opening Test at the West Australia Cricket Association (WACA) Stadium, the speedster got rid of the left-handed Windies stalwart in the second innings on 45.
1. Ravichandran Ashwin- Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Tagenarine Chanderpaul
Ravichandran Ashwin- Shivnarine and Tagenarine Chanderpaul. (Photo Source: Jio Cinema and Twitter)
Ravichandran Ashwin is active in India’s Test team since November 2011 and since then, he has scalped 479 wickets in 175 innings of 93 outings. With these exceptional bowling numbers, he is currently the second-highest wicket-taker for India in the longest format of the sport.
The spin wizard is also in the record books for trapping the father-son duo of Shivanarine and Tagenarine. In his debut Test match in Delhi, the 25-year-old Ashwin sent the veteran Shivanarine back to the pavilion on 47. After this game, Ashwin dismissed Shivnarine three more times in cricket’s longest format.
In July 2023, the spin veteran hit the headlines for picking up Tagenarine in the first innings of the inaugural Test at Windsor Park, Dominica. The 36-year-old removed Tagenarine on 12 and provided the first breakthrough to India in the match.