The sparsest and the busiest careers

Sachin Tendulkar, amid much fanfare, completed his 20th year in international cricket on November 15. Sanath Jayasuriya will get there next month. Tendulkar is closing in on the record number of Test appearances and has played 436 ODIs; Jayasuriya already has played the most ODIs and 110 Tests. There are numerous players, though, who've made only fleeting appearances, and others with careers longer than those of Tendulkar and Jayasuriya but had few opportunities to play. In today's List, we've looked at the entire spectrum: at those who've played few Tests over a long career, and those who've played a sizeable number in a short span of time.

The list of Test cricketers with the shortest careers consists of 21 players whose only international appearance lasted a mere two days. The first was Surrey's John Shuter, whose only Test match was an innings-and-137-run victory against Australia at The Oval in 1888. The last, and only player after 1946, is Neil Ferreria who made his debut during Zimbabwe's massive defeat by an innings and 294 runs against New Zealand in August 2005. Ferreria lost his place for the next three matches and never had a chance to win it back because Zimbabwe lost their Test status.

Eight players who made debuts during South Africa's maiden Test series, against England in 1888-89, never played again. Both the three-day Tests ended with England drubbing South Africa inside two. The jinx continued in 1896 when four players, three South African and one English, were picked for the Port Elizabeth Test in 1896 and dropped for good after England won by 288 runs. It probably had something to do with the hosts being dismissed for 30, the lowest Test total at the time.

Lowest ratio of career span to Tests played

Player	Start	End	Mat	Runs	Bat Av	Wkts	Bowl Av		Career	Days/Mat
J Shuter (Eng)	Aug 13, 1888	Aug 14, 1888	1	28	28.00	0	-		0y 2d	2.00
CE Finlason (SA)	Mar 12, 1889	Mar 13, 1889	1	6	3.00	0	-		0y 2d	2.00
GA Kempis (SA)	Mar 12, 1889	Mar 13, 1889	1	0	0.00	4	19.00		0y 2d	2.00
CA Smith (Eng)	Mar 12, 1889	Mar 13, 1889	1	3	3.00	7	8.71		0y 2d	2.00
RB Stewart (SA)	Mar 12, 1889	Mar 13, 1889	1	13	6.50	0	-		0y 2d	2.00
WH Ashley (SA)	Mar 25, 1889	Mar 26, 1889	1	1	0.50	7	13.57		0y 2d	2.00
JEP McMaster (Eng)	Mar 25, 1889	Mar 26, 1889	1	0	0.00	0	-		0y 2d	2.00
WHM Richards (SA)	Mar 25, 1889	Mar 26, 1889	1	4	2.00	0	-		0y 2d	2.00
NHCD Theunissen (SA)	Mar 25, 1889	Mar 26, 1889	1	2	2.00	0	-		0y 2d	2.00
J Cranston (Eng)	Aug 11, 1890	Aug 12, 1890	1	31	15.50	0	-		0y 2d	2.00
FJ Cook (SA)	Feb 13, 1896	Feb 14, 1896	1	7	3.50	0	-		0y 2d	2.00
RA Gleeson (SA)	Feb 13, 1896	Feb 14, 1896	1	4	4.00	0	-		0y 2d	2.00
CFW Hime (SA)	Feb 13, 1896	Feb 14, 1896	1	8	4.00	1	31.00		0y 2d	2.00
AM Miller (Eng)	Feb 13, 1896	Feb 14, 1896	1	24	-	0	-		0y 2d	2.00
WM Anderson (NZ)	Mar 29, 1946	Mar 30, 1946	1	5	2.50	0	-		0y 2d	2.00
C Burke (NZ)	Mar 29, 1946	Mar 30, 1946	1	4	2.00	2	15.00		0y 2d	2.00
LA Butterfield (NZ)	Mar 29, 1946	Mar 30, 1946	1	0	0.00	0	-		0y 2d	2.00
DAN McRae (NZ)	Mar 29, 1946	Mar 30, 1946	1	8	4.00	0	-		0y 2d	2.00
KD Meuleman (Aus)	Mar 29, 1946	Mar 30, 1946	1	0	0.00	0	-		0y 2d	2.00
CG Rowe (NZ)	Mar 29, 1946	Mar 30, 1946	1	0	0.00	0	-		0y 2d	2.00
NR Ferreira (Zim)	Aug 7, 2005	Aug 8, 2005	1	21	10.50	0	-		0y 2d	2.00

Six players who debuted in the 1946 Wellington Test between New Zealand and Australia - the first post-war Test and also the first ever meeting between the trans-Tasman rivals - never played again. Australia won that match by an innings and 103 runs in two days. Don Cleverley, a New Zealand fast bowler, was making his second Test appearance in that match, having debuted 14 years ago against South Africa in 1932. He went wicketless in both games and never played again. He averaged a Test every 2573 days. He was better known for being the oldest living Test cricketer - 94 years and 55 days - at the time of his death.

John Traicos' seven Tests were spread over 23 years (a match every 1206 days). His first match was for South Africa against Australia in Durban in 1970, their last series before their isolation. He returned to international action in Zimbabwe's first four Tests in 1992 and the gap between his international appearances - 22 years and 222 days - is a record.

Highest ratio of career span to Tests played

Player	Start	End	Mat	Runs	Bat Av	Wkts	Bowl Av		Career	Days/Mat
DC Cleverley (NZ)	Feb 27, 1932	Mar 30, 1946	2	19	19.00	0	-		14y 32d	2573.00
HL Jackson (Eng)	Jul 23, 1949	Jul 8, 1961	2	15	15.00	7	22.14		11y 351d	2184.50
Younis Ahmed (Pak)	Oct 24, 1969	Mar 9, 1987	4	177	29.50	0	-		17y 137d	1586.50
KV Andrew (Eng)	Nov 26, 1954	Jun 10, 1963	2	29	9.66	0	-		8y 197d	1559.50
HW Chapman (SA)	Feb 14, 1914	Nov 9, 1921	2	39	13.00	1	104.00		7y 269d	1413.00
M Bisset (SA)	Feb 14, 1899	Mar 14, 1910	3	103	25.75	0	-		11y 29d	1348.67
GM Carew (WI)	Jan 8, 1935	Jan 4, 1949	4	170	28.33	0	-		13y 363d	1277.75
C Hallows (Eng)	Jul 23, 1921	Jun 26, 1928	2	42	42.00	0	-		6y 340d	1265.50
EA van der Merwe (SA)	Jul 13, 1929	Mar 3, 1936	2	27	9.00	0	-		6y 235d	1213.00
AJ Traicos (SA/Zim)	Feb 5, 1970	Mar 17, 1993	7	19	3.16	18	42.72		23y 41d	1206.00
EG Wynyard (Eng)	Aug 10, 1896	Mar 8, 1906	3	72	12.00	0	-		9y 211d	1165.67
DD Taylor (NZ)	Mar 21, 1947	Mar 13, 1956	3	159	31.80	0	-		8y 359d	1093.67
LA King (WI)	Apr 13, 1962	Apr 3, 1968	2	41	10.25	9	17.11		5y 357d	1091.50
ESM Kentish (WI)	Mar 27, 1948	Jan 21, 1954	2	1	1.00	8	22.25		5y 301d	1063.50
Nadeem Khan (Pak)	May 1, 1993	Jan 31, 1999	2	34	17.00	2	115.00		5y 276d	1051.00
CJ Eady (Aus)	Jun 22, 1896	Mar 4, 1902	2	20	6.66	7	16.00		5y 256d	1040.50
ES Newson (SA)	Dec 24, 1930	Mar 14, 1939	3	30	7.50	4	66.25		8y 81d	1001.00

Nobody had missed more Tests, at the time, between appearances than Pakistan's Younis Ahmed, who watched 104 matches go by while he was serving a ban for touring South Africa during the apartheid years. In 1987, 17 years after his last appearance, Younis was recalled for a tour of India at the age of 39. During the Ahmedabad Test, he complained of back pain and never played again.

Looking at players who've played at least 20 Tests, England's Brian Close has the highest ratio of career days to matches played - averaging a Test every 448 days. Close's Test career began in 1949 at the age of 18, the youngest player to represent England, but he was continually in and out of the side during the next two decades. His career was seemingly over after 1967 but Close was recalled in 1976, at the age of 45, to front up against the West Indian pace attack of Michael Holding, Wayne Daniel and Andy Roberts. He ended up playing 22 Tests over 27 years, the second longest Test career ever.

The record for the longest career, and one that is unlikely to be broken, is held by England's Wilfred Rhodes who played 58 Tests over a span of 30 years and 316 days from June 1 1899 to April 12, 1930. He was 52 years and 165 days, the oldest player ever, when he played his last match at Kingston.

Highest ratio of career span to Tests played (qualification: 50 matches)

Player	Start	End	Mat	Runs	Bat Av	Wkts	Bowl Av		Career	Days/Mat
W Rhodes (Eng)	Jun 1, 1899	Apr 12, 1930	58	2325	30.19	127	26.96		30y 316d	194.36
WW Armstrong (Aus)	Jan 1, 1902	Aug 16, 1921	50	2863	38.68	87	33.59		19y 228d	143.36
FE Woolley (Eng)	Aug 9, 1909	Aug 22, 1934	64	3283	36.07	83	33.91		25y 14d	142.89
SE Gregory (Aus)	Jul 21, 1890	Aug 22, 1912	58	2282	24.53	0	-		22y 33d	139.10
DG Bradman (Aus)	Nov 30, 1928	Aug 18, 1948	52	6996	99.94	2	36.00		19y 263d	138.50
JB Hobbs (Eng)	Jan 1, 1908	Aug 22, 1930	61	5410	56.94	1	165.00		22y 234d	135.57
FJ Titmus (Eng)	Jun 23, 1955	Jan 30, 1975	53	1449	22.29	153	32.22		19y 222d	135.13
Mushtaq Mohammad (Pak)	Mar 26, 1959	Mar 29, 1979	57	3643	39.17	79	29.22		20y 4d	128.23
RB Simpson (Aus)	Dec 23, 1957	May 3, 1978	62	4869	46.81	71	42.26		20y 132d	119.95
S Venkataraghavan (India)	Feb 27, 1965	Sep 29, 1983	57	748	11.68	156	36.11		18y 215d	119.11
Hanif Mohammad (Pak)	Oct 16, 1952	Oct 27, 1969	55	3915	43.98	1	95.00		17y 12d	113.11
FMM Worrell (WI)	Feb 11, 1948	Aug 26, 1963	51	3860	49.48	69	38.72		15y 197d	111.29
WAS Oldfield (Aus)	Dec 17, 1920	Mar 3, 1937	54	1427	22.65	0	-		16y 77d	109.65
NS Sidhu (India)	Nov 12, 1983	Jan 6, 1999	51	3202	42.13	0	-		15y 56d	108.53
Majid Khan (Pak)	Oct 24, 1964	Jan 28, 1983	63	3931	38.92	27	53.92		18y 97d	105.89
MJK Smith (Eng)	Jun 5, 1958	Jul 18, 1972	50	2278	31.63	1	128.00		14y 44d	103.16
EH Hendren (Eng)	Dec 17, 1920	Mar 18, 1935	51	3525	47.63	1	31.00		14y 92d	102.06
DL Murray (WI)	Jun 6, 1963	Aug 12, 1980	62	1993	22.90	0	-		17y 68d	101.26
JR Reid (NZ)	Jul 23, 1949	Jul 13, 1965	58	3428	33.28	85	33.35		15y 356d	100.60
JHB Waite (SA)	Jun 7, 1951	Feb 17, 1965	50	2405	30.44	0	-		13y 256d	100.10

Among players who've played a minimum of 20 Tests, Indian opener SS Das had one of the busiest careers, averaging a Test every 24 days. He made his debut in November 2000 and his 23rd and final Test match was in May 2002. Australia's Mitchell Johnson is a close second, playing a Test every 25 days on average since he made his debut a year and 289 days before his last appearance during the Ashes this year.

If we raise the bar to a minimum of 50 Tests, the top three players with the lowest days to matches ratio are from England. Kevin Pietersen's played 54 matches between 2005 and 2009, an average of a Test every 27 days, while former opening partners Andrew Strauss and Marcus Trescothick played 67 and 76 matches in just over five and six years respectively. It's an indication of how careers have speeded up: Pietersen's already made 4647 runs and scored 16 centuries in four years, Tendulkar took nine. Pietersen's already 29, so he won't play for 20 years, but imagine the records that would tumble if he did.

Lowest ratio of career span to Tests played (qualification: 50 matches)

Player	Start	End	Mat	Runs	Bat Av	Wkts	Bowl Av		Career	Days/Mat
KP Pietersen (Eng)	Jul 21, 2005	Jul 20, 2009	54	4647	49.96	4	129.50		3y 365d	27.06
AJ Strauss (Eng)	May 20, 2004	Aug 23, 2009	67	5266	44.62	0	-		5y 96d	28.69
ME Trescothick (Eng)	Aug 3, 2000	Aug 21, 2006	76	5825	43.79	1	155.00		6y 19d	29.08
AB de Villiers (SA)	Dec 17, 2004	Mar 22, 2009	52	3558	43.92	2	49.50		4y 96d	29.94
AC Gilchrist (Aus)	Nov 5, 1999	Jan 28, 2008	96	5570	47.60	0	-		8y 85d	31.32
RD Jacobs (WI)	Nov 26, 1998	Aug 1, 2004	65	2577	28.31	0	-		5y 250d	31.94
AW Greig (Eng)	Jun 8, 1972	Aug 30, 1977	58	3599	40.43	141	32.20		5y 84d	32.93
MV Boucher (ICC/SA)	Oct 17, 1997	Mar 22, 2009	126	4688	29.85	1	6.00		11y 157d	33.13
GC Smith (ICC/SA)	Mar 8, 2002	Mar 10, 2009	77	6342	50.33	8	100.12		7y 3d	33.25
ME Waugh (Aus)	Jan 25, 1991	Oct 22, 2002	128	8029	41.81	59	41.16		11y 271d	33.51
IA Healy (Aus)	Sep 15, 1988	Oct 17, 1999	119	4356	27.39	0	-		11y 33d	34.03
MJ Clarke (Aus)	Oct 6, 2004	Aug 23, 2009	52	3652	49.35	19	39.73		4y 322d	34.29
R Dravid (ICC/India)	Jun 20, 1996	Apr 7, 2009	134	10823	52.53	1	39.00		12y 292d	34.89
MA Taylor (Aus)	Jan 26, 1989	Jan 5, 1999	104	7525	43.49	1	26.00		9y 345d	34.92
AR Border (Aus)	Dec 29, 1978	Mar 29, 1994	156	11174	50.56	39	39.10		15y 91d	35.71
RT Ponting (Aus)	Dec 8, 1995	Aug 23, 2009	136	11345	55.88	5	48.40		13y 259d	36.82
JH Kallis (ICC/SA)	Dec 14, 1995	Mar 22, 2009	131	10277	54.66	258	31.08		13y 99d	37.01
G Kirsten (SA)	Dec 26, 1993	Mar 30, 2004	101	7289	45.27	2	71.00		10y 96d	37.11
AJ Stewart (Eng)	Feb 24, 1990	Sep 8, 2003	133	8463	39.54	0	-		13y 197d	37.18
SK Warne (Aus)	Jan 2, 1992	Jan 5, 2007	145	3154	17.32	708	25.41		15y 4d	37.81