What is the significance of Nelson in cricket ? Find out here :- You must have heard that the Numbers 111, 222, 333 etc are dangerous for batsmen. Whenever Danny Morrison is on the mic and score is 111 for 2 he screams, “It”s Nelson for 2” After all what is it that makes this score dangerous for a batsman.It is a common saying in cricket that when score is 111, a wicket is most likely to fall. And this saying has actually created fear in minds of some batsmen over the world that they actually succumb to the pressure gifting their wicket. After all what is the story behind this 111??
Umpire David Shepherd made popular the longstanding practice of raising a leg or legs from the ground on Nelson in an effort to avoid ill fate. When crowds noticed this, they would cheer his leg-raising. Also, the number 111 represents three stumps without bails on it. A First-Class team in New Zealand named “Nelson” which played cricket from 1874 to 1891 were dismissed for 111 in their first and last innings in first class cricket!
On 11 November 2011 during the Cape Town test between South Africa and Australia, at 11:11 in the morning South Africa required 111 runs to win! Whatta coincidence!
There are many stories like this but the above few mentioned are usually accepted ones. It is to be noted that all this stuff is a part of cricketing folklore and has nothing to do with on-field performances of cricketers. Yet cricket fans cherish telling such stories that helps to preserve the cricketing folklore!
– by Atharva Apte
