Stats: Twenty big collapses in little chases

People don’t like a low scoring total in a match, because it decides the match before it get finished. In most of the cases bowlers of one team wrecked havoc on opposition batsmen as a result job of another team become easier. But there are certain incidents where bowlers from both side brought twist after twist in the match. As a result one team bowling first think they have big advantage to win the match as their bowlers have made their job easier, but going to chase the target found it difficult and finally forced to quit the match as the opposition bolwers are rattled them on a lovely pitch which is heven for bowlers and hell for batsman.

There are 20 occasion where bowlers have command over a match in which one team suffered big collapses batting first an scored one of the lowest total in the history of cricket. Meanwhile, while chasing the little total the chasers suffered a big collapse and lost the match eventually.

England, the inventor of the game, suffered four of the six most violent collapses while chasing chasing a target in Test. Tow of them were in the 19^th century-England lost ten wickets for 33 runs at Lord’s in 1888 and 10 for 62 at the Oval in 1882, this the match which eggs the Ashes.

More recent one was England were chasing 137 in Wellington in 1978, but bowling great Richard Hadlee ripped through the England batting lineup. In 1994, at the Queen’s Parl Oval they crashed to 46 all out against West Inies-their lowest score ever in Tests score.

Biggest collapse in the 21^st century was in the match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at Galle in 2009. A crawling Sri Lanka managed to set target of 168 for Pakistan. Pakistan got off a good start from their opener as they added 36. Then Khurram Manzoor was dismissed, Younis Khan followed, and once Mohammad Yousuf fell with the score on 71 for 3, from there they were bundled out  inside 117 runs.

Here are stats of all 20 big collapses in little chases:

 

Team	From	To	Difference	Target	Result	Opposition	Ground	Start date	Test No.
England	29/0	62/10	33/10	124	Lost	Australia	Lord’s	July 16, 1888	28
Australia	0/0	44/10	44/10	111	Lost	England	The Oval	August 10, 1896	52
England	0/0	46/10	46/10	194	Lost	West Indies	Port of Spain	March 25, 1994	1257
Zimbabwe	4/0	63/10	59/10	99	Lost	West Indies	Port of Spain	Marc h 16, 2000	1490
England	15/0	77/10	62/10	85	Lost	Australia	The Oval	August 28, 1882	9
England	2/0	64/10	62/10	137	Lost	New Zealand	Wellington	Feb 10, 1978	817
New Zealand	35/0	100/10	65/10	233	Lost	South Africa	Johannesburg	Dec,24, 1953	378
South Africa	6/0	72/10	66/10	204	Lost	England	Johannesburg	Dec, 24, 1956	434
Pakistan	23/0	92/10	69/10	146	Lost	South Africa	Faisalabad	Oct 24, 1997	1382
Australia	11/0	83/10	72/10	153	Lost	England	Sydney	Jan 26, 1883	12
Australia	11/0	83/10	72/10	143	Lost	India	Melbourne	Feb 7, 1981	895
Australia	38/0	111/10	73/10	205	Lost	England	Sydney	Jan 6, 1979	840
New Zealand	19/0	93/10	74/10	127	Lost	Pakistan	Mamilton	Jan 2, 1993	1207
South Africa	0/0	75/10	75/10	129	Lost	England	Leeds	Jul 29,1907	94
England	44/0	120/10	76/10	124	Lost	Australia	Manchester	July 24, 1902	73
India	3/0	81/10	78/10	120	Lost	West Indies	Bridgetown	Mar 27, 1997	1363
South Africa	1/0	80/10	79/10	170	Lost	Australia	Melbourne	Dec 31,1910	112
Pakistan	36/0	117/10	81/10	168	Lost	Sri Lanka	Galle	Jul 4, 2009	1921
South Africa	13/0	99/10	86/10	132	Lost	England	Johannesburg	Feb 14, 1899	58
England	53/0	139/10	86/10	251	Lost	Australia	Melbourne	Dec 30, 1932	221