What is the best innings you have ever seen

[pup11]

Laxman' 281 v Australia
Ponting' 158 v England at Manchester (3rd test Ashes 05)

 

[Top_Cat]

A few great knocks from my lifetime that don't seem to have been mentioned yet:

Deano's 210 in the Tied Test at Madras (now Chennai) in '86 - ranks up there with any I've ever seen.

AB's twin knocks of of 98* and 100* in the same Test in the Carribbean in '84 against the Windies pace attack at their peak were absolute gems.

Despite being shot to pieces by the Windies at the end of his career, anyone who saw Kim Hughes' 100* in the Boxing Day Test of 1981 will know just what a magnificent player of fast bowling he could be.

Inzi's 148 at Lord's in 1996 - I've only ever seen it in replays or highlights, but what a brilliant innings that was.

Mark Waugh's 116 to win the series in South Africa in '97, in a match where only one other player from either side passed 50 in either innings - and in classic Junior fashion, he managed to lazily get himself out before he could stroke the winning runs.

Steve's twin tons at Old Trafford in '97 - bestrode an otherwise low scoring match like a colossus.

Mark Butcher's superb 173* at Headingley (I think?) in 2001. Against the world's finest team on a final day pitch, that was a hell of an innings.

Viv's 189* in 1984 - still the finest ODI innings of all time, IMO.

So you've seen all of those? Wow, you've travelled widely!

 

[steve132]

Viv's 189* in 1984 - still the finest ODI innings of all time, IMO.

This would probably be my choice as well. No one else on either side could score runs on that pitch.

 

[SJS]

I wanted to be unique

That you certainly are

 

[anoop4real]

Sachin's 143 against Australia

 

[Marius]

The best innings I've seen, when at the ground:

Adam Gilchrist's 200 at the Wanderers in 2002
Atherton's 185* at the Wanderers in '95
Hansie Cronje 80-odd off about 60 balls at Centurion, against SL in '98.

 

[The Sean]

So you've seen all of those? Wow, you've travelled widely!

Ha ha no mate, I wish! I meant I'd watched almost all of them live on tv, but I sadly wasn't at the ground to see them in the flesh.

 

[Top_Cat]

Ha ha no mate, I wish! I meant I'd watched almost all of them live on tv, but I sadly wasn't at the ground to see them in the flesh.

You saw Deano's 210 live? Jealous. Jealous of most of those, in fact. The only one I saw live was Mark Butcher's knock and that was a cracker.

 

[GGG]

Mark Greatbatch's 146 v Australia in Perth 99, batted close to 11 hours to save the match, then it would be Nathan Astles 222 for share brutality.

* opps just realised "watched live", I wasn't at the Perth match.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Perth 1999?

 

[iamdavid]

Laxman's 281 wins hands-down for me.

Honourable mentions to -
Adam Gilchrist's hundred at Mumbai in 2001 (coming in at 5-90 odd he completely changed the game in very tough and foreign conditions, his best test knock for me)
Lara's 153
Butcher's 170odd at Headingley (01)
Trescothicks 90 at Edgbaston in 05 (I know it was streaky and he got dropped but this innings changed the series and it was the knock of the summer for me)
A couple of Tendulkars hundreds in 1998 and the on at the MCG in 99.
Steve Waugh's last ball hundred at SCG in 02/03.

 

[nightprowler10]

Kamran Akmal. Karachi 2006. Underrated knock, and probably my favorite of all time. Inzi's 92* against Saffies the next year comes close.

 

[vic_orthdox]

In terms of seeing live, probably Ricky Ponting, 2nd day of Australia vs India @ MCG, 03/04. In fact, a pretty exciting day's cricket, where Australia wrested ascendency away from India, who started the day in a very powerful position.

Justin Langer vs England the year before was pretty good too.

 

[GGG]

Perth 1999?

errr 1989

 

[deeps]

Steve Waugh in Old Trafford..97 i think, he made two centuries in the test, where everyone else struggled badly.

His 200 against the windies, but i think one of the best innings is a 63 he made against the West Indies, on a crazy pitch with a very very angry bowling attack.

It's not a very well known innings, due to it being a low score, but i can't think of one single batsman in the world atm, who could have made that score on that pitch against that attack. It has to be seen to be understood.

 

[Top_Cat]

Steve Waugh in Old Trafford..97 i think, he made two centuries in the test, where everyone else struggled badly.

His 200 against the windies, but i think one of the best innings is a 63 he made against the West Indies, on a crazy pitch with a very very angry bowling attack.

It's not a very well known innings, due to it being a low score, but i can't think of one single batsman in the world atm, who could have made that score on that pitch against that attack. It has to be seen to be understood.

Saw it, was a great knock, Curtly was fired-up that day, the pitch was pinging, tough knock. Waugh was in prime form, though, and did what it took to survive. Was red-inks at the end, wasn't he? Would have got a ton if anyone stuck around!

 

[Burgey]

Yeah, that was the innings of the famous confrontation between Ambrose and Waugh. Julien ran himself out in the rain-marred innings and Waugh was filthy, coz he just didn't look like getting out.

I swear, he was almost superhuman in the period about 93-99.

 

[Zinzan]

Stephen Flemings 274* against Murali and co in SL would have to rate up there