Best Performance From Each Venue

[Rebecca]

What do you think was the best performance from each venue.
Help me fill in this list . . . (hope I've got them all)

MCG
SCG
Adelaide Oval
Gabba - Richard Hadlee in 1985 v Aus
WACA
Bellerive
The Oval
Old Trafford - Jim Laker's 19-90 in 1956 v Aus
Lord’s
Trent Bridge
Headingley - Botham 149* and Willis 8-43 in 1981 v Aus
St Georges
Newlands
Kingsmead
Wanderers - Adam Gilchrist's 204* 2001-02
Centurion
Auckland - Hammond's 336 in 1933 v Aus
Christchurch - Astle's 222 in 2002 v Eng
Bridgetown - Lara's 153 vs Australia in 1999
Port of Spain - Border 98* + 100* in 1984 v WI
Georgetown
Kingston
St John’s
Mumbai
Eden Gardens - Laxman's 281 in 2001 v Aus 2001
Chennai - Sehwag's319 v SA
Delhi - Kumble's ten wickets in an innings
Hyderabad - Tendulka's 186 v NZ
Bangalore
Lahore
Peshawar
Karachi
Rawalpindi
Faisalabad
Colombo
Galle
Kandy
Harare
Bulawayo
Dhaka
Sharjah

 

[Uppercut]

I'd take Kumble's ten wickets in an innings for Delhi. Can't get much better than that.

 

[krkode]

Laxman's 281 at Eden Gardens in 2001 v Aus is surely one of the best there, although usually even though I remember a lot of performances in general, I forget where they happened most of the time.

Maybe Sehwag's 319 at Chennai vs. SA - the fastest triple hundred in test cricket? Although in the grand scheme of things, that innings meant fairly little and the match was a dull draw. Tendulkar's 155 vs. Australia and 136 vs. Pakistan were probably more awesome.

Sharjah - I'd say probably Tendulkar's 134 against Australia in the final
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/65774.html
Probably the innings that first got me hooked on cricket.
Jayasuriya also cracked his 189 against India at Sharjah, but I think Tendulkar's vs. Australia was better.

And Hyderabad - my home city - unfortunately doesn't see a lot of international cricket, but Tendulkar's 186 there vs. New Zealand must rank as one of the most destructive innings of all time.

I've included ODI knocks for Sharjah and Hyderabad since neither has seen much test cricket. But Sharjah, for example, is probably one of the most played on ODI grounds...

 

[99*]

Astle's 222 was at Christchurch iirc.

Hammond's 336* in Auckland.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Laxman's 281 at Eden Gardens.

EDIT: Beaten

 

[krkode]

Speaking of venues, I'm not sure how good this knock actually was in the grand scheme of things - obviously 277 is big stuff - but I read somewhere that Lara named his daughter "Sydney" after this particular knock, which is pretty awesome.

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63592.html

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Haha, I believe it was Shane Warne (correct me if I'm wrong) who said that if they didn't run Lara out in that innings he'd still be batting today.

Would be right up there for the SCG, can't think of many better at the moment.

 

[krkode]

Turns out in that very same series, match 5, the tie-breaker was the game Ambrose took his deadly 7/1 spell at Perth.

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/australia/engine/match/63594.html

Makes for great YouTube viewing.

 

[fredfertang]

Jim Laker's 19-90 at Old Trafford

 

[Goughy]

150 odd not out by Gooch on a green 'un at Headingley

 

[pskov]

150 odd not out by Gooch on a green 'un at Headingley

154* in the second innings vs West Indies in 1991. Truly a excellent innings, but surely the Botham performance in 1981 is superior? Against a lower standard of opposition sure, but you have one or two innings of Gooch's caliber every year whilst I'm not sure we've seen an all round performance equal to Botham at Headingly since.

And that's before you even mention Bradman's world record score in 1930 where he scored a hundred before lunch and was 309* at the end of the first day.

 

[Goughy]

154* in the second innings vs West Indies in 1991. Truly a excellent innings, but surely the Botham performance in 1981 is superior? Against a lower standard of opposition sure, but you have one or two innings of Gooch's caliber every year whilst I'm not sure we've seen an all round performance equal to Botham at Headingly since.

Fair point. I guess it could be debated.

Bothams effort is unlikely to be replicated anytime soon and was an innings for the ages. Though it was relatively pressure free and Willis made a contribution. I dont want to sound like Im down playing it as it was story book stuff but there was an element of nothing to lose.

Gooch stood and took on the might of the West Indian attack on a track that seamed all over. Noone else (on either team) was capable of looking settled.

It was not a risky innings or a gamble but a dominant professional innings by someone at the peak of their game.

Ive never sen an innings better than the one by Gooch. Certainly there is not 1 every year.

 

[NZTailender]

Hadlee @ Gabba?

 

[Richard]

To try to update the list as we go... and to presume we're talking about Test matches only as domestic cricket could see many better ones...

(I've also added in all ground names and cities if not named after the city, and countries in West Indies, plus full names, exact figures, opposition if for a home player, and season. I've also added Edgbaston and Basin Reserve)


MCG, Melbourne - for me I'd go for Bob Cowper, 307, vs Eng, 1965/66
SCG, Sydney - Brian Lara, 277, 1992/93
Adelaide Oval - hard to look past Don Bradman, 299*, vs SA, 1931/32
The 'Gabba, Brisbane - Richard Hadlee, 15-123, 1985/86
The WACA, Perth - EITHER Ian Chappell, 156 OR Roy Fredericks, 169, Aus vs WI, 1975/76
Bellerive Oval, Hobart - just has to be Kumar Sangakkara, 192, 2007/08 (and this counts as a * on first-chance too, as it was only ended by an appalling decision)
The (Kennington) Oval, London - tough one between Len Hutton, 364, vs Aus, 1938 and Muttiah Muralitharan, 16-220, 1998
Edgbaston, Birmingham - I'd go for Graeme Smith, 277 + 85, 2003
Old Trafford, Manchester - Jim Laker, 19-90, vs Aus, 1956
Lord’s, London - cannot be anything other than Don Bradman, 254, 1930 (just a reminder - every shot in this innings went exactly where he aimed it); though this is tough on Bob Massie, 16-137, 1972
Trent Bridge, Nottingham - just has to be Alec Bedser, 14-99, vs Aus, 1953
Headingley, Leeds - Graham Gooch, 154*, vs WI, 1991; OR Ian Botham, 149* & 6-49, 1981
St Georges Park, Port Elizabeth - I'd go for either Andrew Strauss, 126 + 94*, 2004/05 or Mathew Sinclair, 150, 2000/01. On balance I'd lean toward the latter, though I watched close to every ball of the former and the assurance was staggering.
Newlands, Cape Town - I'd have to go here for Herschelle Gibbs, 228 (off 240 balls), vs Pak, 2002/03, though I'd also mention Johnny Wardle, 12-89, 1956/57
Kingsmead, Durban - I'd place my vote on Gary Kirsten, 275, vs Eng, 1999/2000
The Wanderers, Johannesburg - don't agree at all with the Gilchrist 204* in 2001/02 myself, I'd say Michael Atherton, 185*, 1995/96 was a far better innings. Not only was it chanceless (no, Kirsten was NEVER going to catch that one at short-leg on 99, whereas the one to Kallis at slip on 20-odd was straightforward) but it saved the game against a fresh and highly potent attack rather than battered a woebegone one which had already suffered from a flat deck and their fielders' ineptitude.
Centurion Park - in this ground's brief history I'd say the best (even though it was a dead game) came from Allan Donald, 8-96, vs Aus, 1996/97
Eden Park, Auckland - the Hammond knock was dubious in many ways to me, so personally I'd go for Daneil Vettori, 12-149, vs Aus, 1999/2000
Jade Stadium, Christchurch - Nathan Astle, 222, vs Eng, 2001/02
Basin Reserve, Wellington - absolutely no question, Courtney Walsh, 13-55, 1995/96. Weak NZ batting this undoubtedly was, but I can't believe there've been many cheaper 10-fors this side of 1900.
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown - Brian Lara, 153, vs Aus, 1999
Queen's Park Oval, Port-of-Spain - Allan Border, 98* + 100*, 1984; well, maybe. However I'd also give a mention at least to Hanif Mohammed, 337, 1958 and Lawrence Rowe, 302, vs Eng, 1974
Bourda, Georgetown - I'd give this to Imran Khan, 11-121, 1988
Sabina Park, Kingston - this obviously has to be Alec Stewart, 9*, 1998. Seriously, though, that was easily the best single-figure innings in Test history, and those who remember the game will know why. But the best surely has to be Garfield Sobers, 365*, 1958
The ARG, St.John's - has to be Wasim Akram, 11-110, 2000
Eden Gardens, Kolkata - VVS Laxman, 281, vs Aus, 2000/01
The Chepauk Stadium, Chennai - Virender Sehwag, 319, 2007/08, vs SA
The FSK, Delhi - Anil Kumble, 10-
Hyderabad - Sachin Tendulkar, 186, vs NZ, 1999/2000 ODI
Mumbai (Wankhede or Brabourne) -
The Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore -
The Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore -
Peshawar Cricket Ground -
National Stadium, Karachi -
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium -
Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad -
Colombo (SSC) -
Colombo (PSS) -
Colombo (RPS) -
Colombo (CCC) -
Galle International Stadium -
Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy -
Harare Cricket Ground -
Queen's Sports Club, Bulawayo -
Dhaka
Sharjah Cricket Stadium -


Will let some other people try their hand at the remaining.

 

[Rebecca]

Okay Richard, I've been updating as people have been suggesting performances but now I'll pass it over to you!
BTW, I was formally known as Demelza (it's a long story)

 

[Richard]

Aye, I spotted that - by both the fact you had the same av and sig and the fact that threads formerly started by "Demelza" were now started by "Rebecca".

I mentioned the reasons for my belief that Atherton-185* > Gilchrist-210* in the above post though TBH.

 

[Rebecca]

Yes I re read it and saw your reasons, which is why I edited it.
Thanks.

 

[Manee]

To try to update the list as we go... and to presume we're talking about Test matches only as domestic cricket could see many better ones...

(I've also added in all ground names and cities if not named after the city, and countries in West Indies, plus full names, exact figures, opposition if for a home player, and season. I've also added Edgbaston and Basin Reserve)


Sabina Park, Kingston - this obviously has to be Alec Stewart, 9*, 1998. Seriously, though, that was easily the best single-figure innings in Test history, and those who remember the game will know why.

The absolute death trap? Indeed, a nine on that track must have been a fine effort, not that I remember the innings itself specifically. I was only seven at the time, but remember vividly one that leapt at Mark Butcher and which was quipped by Nicolas as a "rip snorter".

This + Walsh and Ambrose surely does tell the story in itself.

 

[Richard]

It's a chilling, sinister sight.

 

[Rebecca]

Sabina Park, Kingston - this obviously has to be Alec Stewart, 9*, 1998. Seriously, though, that was easily the best single-figure innings in Test history, and those who remember the game will know why.

Do you mean the match that was abandoned?