The results are in folks! The first ever cricketing quotient test was a resounding success by all counts with twelve entries and two winners(?)! But the remarkable thing is the average score which was much more than what I had expected which is a commendable 5.25! In all fairness, I do agree this quiz was rather hard but I hope it got those brain cells ticking over! Wow, the readers of this blog do indeed have a rather high CQ (Cricketing Quotient)!

I have received a couple of e-mails suggesting this quiz be held fortnightly and records of the scores be kept to calculate an actual realistic CQ over a period of time. I will consider that suggestion and there definitely will be more similar quizzes. Do you reckon I should make it harder - I was hoping for an average score of less than 3! Anyways, without much further ado lets get to the answers:-

Q1. In cricketing slang, what is a perfume ball?
Well, as the name suggests - a ball (a bouncer obviously!) whizzing past the batsmans nose such that he can almost smell the leather!! I have given credit to anyone who has mentioned the word ‘bouncer’.
PERCENTAGE ANSWERED CORRECTLY: 58.33%

Q2. Think laterally, if cricket was Roman - what institution would 1200 represent?
If cricket was “Roman” - thats where the clue was - Roman numerals! In Roman numerals, 1200 is written as MCC! And that’s the answer - MCC! Moideen insisted that this question was too easy while Ashton considered it a “beauty question”! - A personal favourite of mine too!
PERCENTAGE ANSWERED CORRECTLY: 66.66%

Q3. How do you get a batsman run out when he tries to take a run after both bails are off?
This turned out to be the easiest question of the quiz with nearly everyone answering it correctly. The correct answer is uprooting at least one stump while holding the ball - though just uprooting the stump was enough to get you the point. Moideen, the only one not to get this question - I was tempted to give it to him anyways, for the sheer practicality of his answer - “Hit it on the other stump you moron!” :) while Angshuman raised rather serious concerns over third-umpires being able to judge this decision :D
PERCENTAGE ANSWERED CORRECTLY: 91.66%

Q4. How is this situation possible - The batsman drives the ball to long-off, doesn’t even so much as leave his crease and is dismissed run-out?
There were two mentions of an Inzamam here - for two different incidents but neither was the correct answer!! In neither of those cases did he drive the ball to long-off and he did leave his crease - the correct answer is however if a batsman has a runner who is out of the crease! Easier than you thought isn’t it? Both Moideen and Ashton tended to think an “inebriated” or (pissed/sloshed/drunk/stoned/high) umpire would give such a decision - although its hard to disagree with that, that remains the wrong answer! :P
PERCENTAGE ANSWERED CORRECTLY: 41.66%

Q5. If every batsman in a cricket match is clean bowled first ball, which batsman is left not out?
A fair bit of controversy in the question - the original question posted was if every batsman in a cricket match is out first ball - which is technically an incorrect question and I apologise for that. Basically its simple math. Batsman #1 gets out, on the first ball of the first over. For the subsequent deliveries of the over nos.3,4,5,6 and 7 are dismissed. The next over No. 2 comes on strike and the batsmen are dismissed in the order nos.2,9,10,11 leaving batsman no. 8 - not out! Simple, isn’t it? :)
PERCENTAGE ANSWERED CORRECTLY: 66.67%

Q6. Whose autobiography is called “Anything but an autobiography”?
The beginning of the factual questions and this was a hard one! I chose an autobiography with a unique name and the author is none other than the Australian, Richie Benaud! Oh, and if anyone does know who writes books for Australians, do inform a rather grieved Ashton while Aaditya insists he didn’t write it!
PERCENTAGE ANSWERED CORRECTLY: 25%

Q7. Who holds the dubious honour of the most number of ducks in test cricket?
Courtney Walsh with a whooping 43 ducks! Good guess Matt! Though I do admire Ashton’s audacity to insist the answer was Agarkar, despite being warned. As for Aaditya and Angshu, you both were close - and thats what probably cost Angshu victory!
PERCENTAGE ANSWERED CORRECTLY: 41.67%

Q8. Who gave Geoff Lawson well gift-wrapped chewing gum after Curtley Ambrose broke his jaw?
Honestly, could it be anyone other than the great man - Merv Hughes! Angshu, you would be a 100 bucks richer if you had bet on this! It’s amazing the number of people that have guessed this answer correctly - I don’t think many people knew this answer! Aaditya came up with a rather practical answer - the chewing gum vendor but I don’t think Hughesy was in the gum business! :)
PERCENTAGE ANSWERED CORRECTLY: 41.67%

Q9. Complete this Ashes rhyme - Ashes to ashes, dust to dust - If Lillee don’t get ya then ________ must!
Thommo! Thomson is more than acceptable too - I thought this was the easiest question on the quiz - Who hasn’t heard of Lillee and Thomson working together while Angshu dreams of the day when the Bharat Army can proclaim “If VRV don’t get ya, Munaf must!”
PERCENTAGE ANSWERED CORRECTLY: 58.33%

Q10. If Shoaib Akhtar is the Rawalpindi Express, which bowler is nicknamed the Burewala Bomber?
Waqar You-nis! The hint was in the question itself, by mentioning another Pakistani bowler! It’s funny - three people actually mentioned spinners, with Murali being a common answer :) This was statistically the joint-hardest question of the quiz!
PERCENTAGE ANSWERED CORRECTLY: 25%

And now what you have all been waiting for - the high score table!

Congratulations to Prashant and Jagadish and a great performance by all you guys - so then until next time folks!