Two matches into his Test career, Corbin Bosch’s batting average of 108.50 is better than Don Bradman’s 99.94, while his bowling average of 19.10 eclipses Jasprit Bumrah’s 19.60. Where does this rank among the best starts?
Bosch had neither a hundred nor a five-for on debut, against Pakistan in the 2024 Boxing Day Test match at Centurion, but he had two near-misses. He took 4-63 and 1-54 and, batting at nine, remained unbeaten on 81 as he ran out of partners.
He achieved both against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo. He remained unbeaten on 100 in the first innings and, after a triple-wicket burst in the fourth innings, returned to finish with 5-43. In the process, he became the first South African to score a hundred and take a five-wicket haul away from home.
The two performances helped him soar through the ICC Test rankings. He is now 18th on the all-rounders list – a phenomenal achievement for anyone this early in his career. While cricketers have scored hundreds and taken five-fors on Test debut (even in each innings), to do both within the first two Tests is rare.
At the same time, it is not unprecedented: cricketers have achieved the “double by two” in the past.
Jack Gregory: Hundred and 5WI in second Test
One-half of the famous Australian new-ball pair of the early 1920s, Gregory is often considered as the first great bowler of serious pace with a reasonably long Test career. Known for batting without gloves, he also held the record for the fastest Test century until the mid-1980s.
Gregory debuted in the 1920/21 Ashes, where he played his part in Australia inflicting the first 5-0 sweep in the history of Test cricket. He took three wickets in each innings on Test debut, at Sydney. In his second Test, also at Sydney, he smashed 100 in 115 balls from No.9. Suitably warmed up, he routed England with 7-69.
Bruce Taylor: Hundred and 5WI on debut
At the time of writing, there has been no parallel to Taylor’s debut when it comes to all-round performances, against India at Calcutta in 1964/65. Coming to bat at 233-6, Taylor smashed 14 fours and three sixes in his 105. He comfortably outscored Bert Sutcliffe – no mean hitter himself – in a 158-minute stand of 163. Then he made excellent use of his height to take 5-86 with his medium-pace.
No one else has scored a hundred and taken a five-wicket haul on Test debut There was no hundred in his second Test, at Bombay, but Taylor had 5-26 and 3-76.
Shahid Afridi: 5WI on debut, hundred in second Test
Amidst the controversies and the discussions around Afridi the limited-overs cricketer, it is often forgotten how good a Test cricketer he was, or could have been. On debut in Karachi in 1998/99, Afridi set a (then) world record for most ODI caps before Test debut (66). He then had 5-52 in 23.3 overs in the first innings of the Test, bowling in tandem with fellow debutant, left-arm spinner Shakeel Ahmed: his wickets included the Waugh twins and Darren Lehmann in the space of 13 balls.
He failed as an opening batter in the Test, but ensured he made his second appearance count. His 3-31 restricted India to a 16-run lead at Chennai, but his decisive contribution came after that. Opening batting, he hit 21 fours and three sixes (including some astonishing shots) to finish with a 195-ball 141. It turned out to be just about enough: Pakistan collapsed from 275-4 to 286, and India fell 12 runs short despite Sachin Tendulkar’s masterful 136.
