Standout stats from 2017
VAN NIEKERK BREAKS NEW GROUND
South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk took four wickets for no runs against West Indies in the ICC Women's World Cup match at Leicester – the most wickets in any international cricket match, men or women's, without conceding a run.
| Player | Figures | For | Against | Format | Year |
| Dane van Niekerk | 4-0 | SA | WI | ODI (W) | 2017 |
| Richie Benaud | 3-0 | Aus | Ind | Test (M) | 1959 |
| Olivia Magno | 3-0 | Aus | Pak | ODI (W) | 1997 |
| Sandamali Dolawatte | 3-0 | SL | Ban | T20I (W) | 2012 |
| Arran Brindle | 3-0 | Eng | WI | ODI (W) | 2013 |
MOEEN'S HISTORIC HAT-TRICK
England off-spinner Moeen Ali took a hat-trick to wrap up victory over South Africa in the Oval Test.
It was a particularly remarkable achievement because it was also:
- The first in Test cricket with three left-handed batsmen as victims
- The first in Test cricket at The Oval
- The first by a spinner in England since 1912
- The first by an England spinner since 1938
REMEMBER THE NAMESouth Africa opening batsman Aiden Markram, who made 97 on his Test debut against Bangladesh, has the longest palindromic surname in Test cricket. The previous record was held by Rangy Nanan, who played one Test for West Indies in 1980.
DOMINO EFFECTEngland lost their last eight wickets for eight runs in the final Twenty20 International against India at Bengaluru in February. From 119-2 the visitors collapsed to 127 all out in the space of 19 balls.
WINDIES BLOWN AWAY
West Indies lost 19 wickets on the third day of the Edgbaston Test against England – a new and unwanted record for the team.
MIRROR IMAGE
Australia's left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe took figures of 6-35 in both India's first and second innings of the Pune Test – the best identical bowling figures in Test history.
FAST OUT OF THE TRAPSAgainst Pakistan at Sydney, Australia opener David Warner became just the fifth player to score a century before lunch on the first day of a Test match.
| Runs by lunch | Batsman | Match | Venue | Season |
| 103* | VT Trumper | Aus v Eng | Manchester | 1902 |
| 112* | CG Macartney | Aus v Eng | Leeds | 1926 |
| 105* | DG Bradman | Aus v Eng | Leeds | 1930 |
| 108* | Majid Khan | Pak v NZ | Karachi | 1976 |
| 100* | DA Warner | Aus v Pak | Sydney | 2017 |
ELECTRIC EVINWest Indies opener Evin Lewis' innings of 176 in the Oval ODI against England was the highest individual score in international cricket history which has ended with the batsman retiring hurt. The previous record was set by Charles Bannerman in the very first Test of all – 165 runs in 1877.
CAPTAIN'S KNOCK
The 184 runs Joe Root scored on his first day as Test captain, against South Africa at Lord's, was the second-highest in history behind Australia's Clem Hill, who scored 191 in 1910.
AB'S GOLDEN RUN COMES TO AN END
AB de Villiers’ first ODI golden duck, made against Pakistan at Edgbaston in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, came in his 211th innings, setting a new record.
NO LUCK FOR THE IRISHThe opening partnership of 320 put on by India openers Deepti Sharma and Poonam Raut against Ireland in Potchefstroom was the biggest for any wicket in women's ODIs.
| Partners | Runs | Wkt | For | Against | Ground | Year |
| DB Sharma, PG Raut | 320 | 1st | Ind | Ire | Potchefstroom | 2017 |
| TT Beaumont, SJ Taylor | 275 | 2nd | Eng | SA | Bristol | 2017 |
| SJ Taylor, CMG Atkins | 268 | 1st | Eng | SA | Lord's | 2008 |
| HM Tiffen, SW Bates | 262 | 2nd | NZ | Pak | Sydney | 2009 |
| R Gandhi, M Raj | 258* | 1st | Ind | Ire | Milton Keynes | 1999 |
IT'S THE HOPE THAT KILLS YOUDuring the Headingley Test against England, West Indies' Shai Hope became the first player in 534 first-class matches at the venue to score a century in each innings.
A QUICK GAME'S A GOOD GAME
At 907 balls, the Port Elizabeth Boxing Day Test between South Africa and Zimbabwe, which was scheduled for four days, was the second-shortest completed Test in the last 71 years and only the fifth to end within two days in the last 50 years.