How many Zimbabwean batsmen have scored a century on Test debut? (06 June 2001)

In Zimbabwe's inaugural Test against India at the Harare Sports Club in October 1992, the hosts piled up 456 in their first innings, the highest total by any debutant nation. That massive figure owed much to skipper David Houghton. Nine years earlier, Houghton had been dismissed for a first ball duck on his ODI debut against Australia in the 1983 World Cup, falling to the innocuous left arm seamers of Graham Yallop.

This time, the 35-year-old middle order batsman made considerably more. Batting at No.6, Houghton was in the middle for a shade under seven hours, cracking 15 boundaries en route to a splendid 121 before becoming the 100th Test victim of Indian stumper Kiran More off the persevering Javagal Srinath. Remarkably Houghton's is still a unique feat. No other Zimbabwe batsman has gone on to score a century in his first Test appearance. The closest to approach the landmark was Grant Flower, ironically in the same Test. Opening the batting after Zimbabwe had won the toss and elected to take first strike, Flower fell to the same combination that extinguished Houghton, albeit two days earlier. He made 82.

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