Top Five Rear-Guard Innings of All-Time in Test Cricket

Mar 25, 2017 at 3:01 PM

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Top Five Rear-Guard Innings of All-Time in Test Cricket

Test Cricket is a funny game and lives up to its billing pretty well on most occasions. It throws unexpected twists and turns along the way and sometimes put competing teams in some really sticky problems. In the recently concluded Ranchi Test, we witnessed India and Australia bat it out neck to neck and eventually settle for a draw.

The game, for the first three days, appeared to be heading towards a draw. However, on the fourth and the final day, the scenario began to change and suddenly India was pressing for a victory and Australia despite putting over 450 runs in the first innings were left to save the Test in the final two sessions of the match with six wickets in hands.

The Indian spinners looked threatening and many felt that it was only a matter of time before the floodgates opened and Australia would collapse. However, one huge roadblock stood in the way for India – Peter Handscomb. The right-hander played a superb knock of 72 to avert an innings defeat and save the match. This valiant effort that lasted 200 balls reminds us of a few more similar knocks that were played in the past in match-saving efforts.

Let’s take a look at five rear-guard innings of all time in Test cricket:

Kamran Akmal – 109 v India (2005):

Kamran Akmal averaged only around 10 runs at the time when he walked out to bat against arch–rivals Indian to save his team from a certain loss in the first Test at Mohali during Pakistan’s tour of India in 2005. India posted a massive 516 in the second innings’ batting reply to the visitor’s first innings total of 312. Pakistan had 204 runs to overcome before setting a target and had lost top three with just 10 runs on the board.

Gutsy display from skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq, Yousuf Youhana and Asim Kamal stabilised the innings before Kumble and Balaji brought India back into the match. Pakistan had managed just a slender lead but was left with no frontline batsman. But, the biggest effort to save the match was yet to be witnessed. The Kamran forged partnership with Abdul Razzaq added 184 runs for the 7th wicket. The wicket keeper ended up top scoring with 109 off 154 balls. The bulk of runs contributed in the stand were also from Akmal as Razzaq only managed 46 in the partnership.

Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist

Adam Gilchrist – 149 v Pakistan (1999):

This perhaps is one of the greatest knocks played to set up team victory in the fourth innings. At the Bellerive Oval in Hobart, Australia was staring down the barrel after a couple of stunning performances from the Pakistanis. Saqlain Mushtaq turned the match in favour of the visitors with a six-wicket haul in the first innings, triggering a collapse that saw the hosts tumble to 246 all out from 206/2 in response to Pakistan’s 222. Inzamam Ul Haq solidified Pakistan’s chances of winning with a superb 118 as Australia were set a target of 369 runs.

Australia, unfortunately, were crumbling again and stood at 126/5 with the danger of losing match looming over. However, this turned out to be the perfect setting for Adam Gilchrist and set the stage on fire. With a cautious Justin Langer at one end, Gilly had the liberty to attack. The wicket keeper then scripted a highly entertaining knock of 149 off just 163 balls and hit the winning runs for his team in a dramatic finish. This arguably remains Gilchrist greatest Test knock of his career.

VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman – 73 v Australia (2010):

VVS Laxman seldom loses his cool. However, when the last man commits a foolish error at the height of all tension, then even a monk may get annoyed. Laxman overcame a sore back to seal a magical one wicket win for India at Mohali in the first Test of the 2010 Border-Gavaskar Series.

The greatest feature of his performance was that he achieved this feat batting with No. 10 Ishant Sharma and last man Pragyan Ojha. It is one of the most memorable finishes for India.

The visitors had the match firmly in their grasps before Laxman played an amazing 73 runs knock to save India from the loss. India after being set a target of 206 were shaken by Ben Hilfenhaus and Doug Bollinger who shared equal wickets between each other to reduce India to just 124/8. A loss looked inevitable but Laxman came to the rescue and batted 21.4 overs along with Ishant Sharma to put up 81 runs for the 10th wicket. Hilfenhaus made the Indians nervous again when Sharma fell. But, Pragyan Ojha occupied the crease with Laxman till the winning runs came, scoring 11 runs.

Andy Flower – 232 v India (2000):

 

18-22 Dec 1996: Andy Flower of Zimbabwe on his way to scoring a century during the first test match against England in Bulawayo. Mandatory Credit: Stu Forster/Allsport

 

Andy Flower’s undefeated 232 foiled India’s hope of winning the second Test hosted in the Orange city of Nagpur. It was a batting paradise on offer and witnessed 4 centuries and two double centuries over the course of five day’s play. But, what stood out was the second double century of the match coming from the bat of Flower, arguably the greatest player from Zimbabwe.

India declared at a mammoth 609/6 winning and the toss with the help of centuries from SS Das (110), Rahul Dravid (162) and Sachin Tendulkar (201). Zimbabwe fought well but fell short of 227 runs after managing 382 in reply. They were aptly made to follow on with India aiming an outright win by an innings margin.

But that couldn’t happen as Flower went on to script a knock which saw him remain unconquered for 544 minutes and 444 balls and hit a career-best 232 with the help of 30 fours and two sixes. Proper support from Alistair Campbell (102) saw Zimbabwe save the Test by forcing a draw.

Hanif Mohammad – 337 v West Indies (1958):

Hanif Mohammad’s 337 against West Indies at Kensington Oval will most likely stand forever as the greatest Test knock from the willow of a Pakistan batsman. Apart from the volume of runs he scored in that match, it was the circumstances under that makes Hanif Mohammad the first ever batting great of Pakistan. It was the first Test of the 5-match series and Pakistan was rocked by the centuries from Conrad Hunte and Everton Weekes. In the first innings, the hosts posted 579 and later bowled out the visitors for just 106 with fast bowler Roy Gilchrist and Collie Smith snapping 4/32 and 3/23 respectively.

Pakistan followed on 473 behind and now needed to bat out the remaining three days to save the Test which didn’t look like a possibility. However, Hanif Mohammad with just 17 in the first innings, walked in and piled on a record-breaking score to save the Test for his team. His marathon knock spanned 940 minutes in the middle and shared four century stands with Imtiaz Ahmed, Alim-ud-Din, Saeed Ahmed and his brother, Wazir. His penchant for occupying the crease session after session was very well known to most of the Test playing nations but West Indies were introduced to it in a back breaking style.

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