In a historic first, all 11 England batters scored double figures in their total of 282/9 during the World Cup opener. This unique achievement by Jos Buttler’s team is a first in the history of international cricket, spanning both men’s and women’s games.
Unusual Feat Sparks Interest Among Statisticians
While statisticians worldwide were intrigued by this unusual accomplishment, Buttler and the England coaching staff would have preferred a different course for their innings. Despite a robust batting line-up featuring all-rounders even at No.9, only Joe Root managed to score more than 50 runs.
Top Performances from the England Side
Root’s 77 off 86 balls stood out among England’s performances, with Buttler also showing good form with his 43 off 42 balls. However, the absence of the injured Ben Stokes was felt as the team would have aimed for a higher first-innings total than 282/9, especially given the favourable batting conditions in Ahmedabad.
Previous Near-Misses in Achieving the Record
Five teams in the past have come close to matching England’s feat, falling short by just one batter. The West Indies men’s team was the first to come close in 1991, with No.11 Courtney Walsh being the only player not to reach double figures in a match they lost to Australia by 37 runs.
More recently, Australia’s men’s team narrowly missed the record, with Steve Smith’s duck against India being the only score below 10 among the 11 Aussie contributors.