Most under-rated test innings?

[Richard]

Really? First I've heard of that, if so obviously he wouldn't even have come close to winning the game but for Moin.

Was this actually realistically a stumping, or was this something that clipped the end of Moin's fingertips and which he actually didn't have any chance at all of taking cleanly?

 

[subshakerz]

Really? First I've heard of that, if so obviously he wouldn't even have come close to winning the game but for Moin.

Was this actually realistically a stumping, or was this something that clipped the end of Moin's fingertips and which he actually didn't have any chance at all of taking cleanly?

No, it was a bonafide stumping opportunity off Saqlain when Tendulkar was on 90. Moin was always known to fluff those chances.

 

[Richard]

Oh, on 90? You said "early in his innings".

Right - they are pretty much on an even footing then, yes. Although obviously victory was closer when Healy missed Lara than when Moin missed Tendulkar.

I wonder why on Earth that chance isn't mentioned in the Wisden report on the game.

I also wonder whether it'd be better or worse for Tendulkar had that chance been taken, actually. Maybe the extra 46 runs added to that "choker" crap that gets thrown his way so absurdly often more than would have been the case had he been out for 90.

 

[aussie]

It was an unbelievable innings, I've never seen anything remotely like it, though it's true the Sehwag 319 was closer than some things. Seriously, Vivian Richards never played an innings that good. Everything he hit, pretty much, came off the middle of the bat. He played and missed once or twice early on, but that's it. And this was no tea-party - most people remember best the end of the innings where he knew the game was gone and was just swinging, fairly randomly (still damn impressive the number that he connected with mind, he never so much as missed any of these fairly-random-swings). But for the first 120-130 runs he was playing almost all proper shots - not all along the carpet, but all of the middle of the bat and none anywhere near the fielders. Only time there was ever any remote likelihood of him being out was when he hit one into short-leg and it bounced up, but even that ended-up well out of Ramprakash's reach.

Beyond question the best innings I've seen and I'll be amazed if I ever see a better one.

I think Gilly's 204* @ Jo'Burg in 02 was just a fantastic as good as Astle's double. Actually i rate Gilly, Astle & Sehwag two triple tons on the same level.

 

[Richard]

Gilchrist's Wanderers double-century wasn't even remotely close IMO, for many reasons including the fact that he should've been caught at slip on 30-odd.

 

[Goughy]

Its got to be Dravid's century in the partnership with VVS's 281.

Ive not read this thread so I dont know how many people have said the same. However, that innings by Dravid would be a good guess IMO.

Its barely mentioned and was one of the better innings in the context of a game in recent years.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

Gilchrist's Wanderers double-century wasn't even remotely close IMO, for many reasons including the fact that he should've been caught at slip on 30-odd.

Let it go, just once.

 

[Richard]

Why? It's no less relevant here than anywhere else.

Gilchrist should have been out on 30-odd in that innings at The Wanderers in 2001/02. You can judge whatever you want by that, but that's the case.

 

[slugger]

I dont know of this ones been mentioned. 01-02 NZ vs Aust. but credits got to be given for Warnes 99 at the WACA in Aust 1st inn.

After NZ 1st inn. 534 containing 4 centuries. (104 vincent. 105 fleming. 156 Astle. 110 parore). we had aust at 192/6 and then warne came in and scored a 99.. pity he got caught off a no ball.. but his innings eally brought aust back into the game.

 

[Richard]

Warne was also dropped about 4 times in that innings, and cannot complain in the slightest about the catch-off-no-ball as his luck had more than run-out.

 

[aussie]

Gilchrist's Wanderers double-century wasn't even remotely close IMO, for many reasons including the fact that he should've been caught at slip on 30-odd.

Warne was also dropped about 4 times in that innings, and cannot complain in the slightest about the catch-off-no-ball as his luck had more than run-out.

, dawg you is problems son..

 

[slugger]

Warne was also dropped about 4 times in that innings, and cannot complain in the slightest about the catch-off-no-ball as his luck had more than run-out.

can you give us the scores he was dropped on. 1 maybe but 4 seriously....

 

[honestbharani]

Talking about this one, I think.

Dasa,
Yeah that's the one. Looking at the scorecard it's even more amazing than I remember. Azhar scored 163 not out in the second innings and the next highest score in the match was 61 by Tendulkar. The other three innings scores were 237,177 and 180.

And it says something that even someone as knowledable as Honestbharani doesn't remember the innings. Would love to see highlights of that knock again.

I didn't see that knock, but reading the scorecard it looks even more remarkable seeing the pace at which Azhar scored - barely anyone else was able to score at a strike rate over 50, let alone over 70 as he did.

Yep... somehow totally forgot that knock. Does indeed look awesome. I guess, compared to the other two knocks of Azhar I mentioned against RSA, this one is underrated maybe because of the spate of 40s around Azhar's innings.. I think in the other two most batsmen failed. And I seem to vaguely remember that the pitch was pretty bad towards the end and the umpiring seemed a little harsh on the Saffies.. I guess I just lost this innings in the midst of all that. Amazing knock now that I think of it and definitely under rated, esp. by me...

 

[Beleg]

saeed anwar's 188 in calcutta.

 

[subshakerz]

Azhar Mahmood's 128 against Donald, Pollock, etc. in 1998.

 

[SJS]

I dont know about under-rated but I came across one amazing innings. Amazing because of the context, the situation, the attack and most of all the complete inadequacy (it appears) of the individual concerned to play such an innings.

It was a hot May day in the Carribean (Kensington Oval) and West Indies were pitted against Johnston's Australians. Australia had batted first and amassed a mammoth 668 runs Everyone got runs but the century makers were the world's finest pair of fast bowlers of the times, Lindwall and Miller !

Almost every West Indian got a start but no one stayed long and finally they found themselves at 147 for 6. Still 521 runs behind and an inexperienced (near bunny of a batsman) in wicket keeper Clairmont Depieza to join the skipper Denis Atkinson.

It was Atkinson's 14th test match and his highest score till date was 74. The young wicket keeper was playing his second test match and his highest first class score, in four first class seasons, was 44 , the second highest being 26 !!

Not a great comfort for West Indian supporters.

The bowling attack had Miller, Lindwall, Benaud and left armer Ian Johnson. It was a no contest.

Depieza stayed with his skipper in what is still a West Indian record partnership for the 7th wicket of 347 runs !! When he got out they were just 6 short of 500. The young man had scored 122 runs. Atkinson scored 219 (his one and only test hundred) and the follow on was avoided and the match drawn.

I am sure there would have been more amazingly unexpected knocks in test cricket but I dont know of one that is so little known except to those following partnership records for it is still a record after more than half a century.

 

[honestbharani]

Really? First I've heard of that, if so obviously he wouldn't even have come close to winning the game but for Moin.

Was this actually realistically a stumping, or was this something that clipped the end of Moin's fingertips and which he actually didn't have any chance at all of taking cleanly?

even I had forgotten it, tbh.



Guess the chances one gets in a match that was won gets highlighted more too than the innings in other games....

 

[Richard]

Well it can do, obviously, but mostly if a chance is given it gets mentioned.

 

[Richard]

, dawg you is problems son..

Nah.

 

[Richard]

can you give us the scores he was dropped on. 1 maybe but 4 seriously....

Actually looking now I can only find 2... off Bond to Astle on 11 and Cairns a c&b on 51. Thought there were more, but maybe those were the only ones.