New Feature: The Greatest Test Innings

[Cruxdude]

63% of the team total vs 53% of the team total is an enormous difference.

I'd be interested in seeing where Clarke's knock ranks once this Test is done. Seems to tick a few of the boxes - 40/3 when he came in, scored his runs at a strike rate of over 90, has scored 50% of his team's runs so far.

Should be pretty high in the list this Clarke's knock. A lively pitch, Steyn on fire, mus be epic.

Regarding the Sachin and Laxman innings I personally believe that the Sachin knock was a better one. If I remember right Laxman's knock came in a game where we had no hope while the Sachin game was a total thriller going down to the wire.

 

[Satguru]

63% of the team total vs 53% of the team total is an enormous difference.

I'd be interested in seeing where Clarke's knock ranks once this Test is done. Seems to tick a few of the boxes - 40/3 when he came in, scored his runs at a strike rate of over 90, has scored 50% of his team's runs so far.

I said its not a big enough difference for VVS's innings to be at 11 and Sachin's to be a hundred places behind. Honestly the formula should include a X 1.5 modifier for playing with an injury, just to include Sachin's innings in the top 100
Anyway ive found the whole mathematical calculation of an inning's greatness to be the stupidest thing ever. How the hell can you "measure" greatness with a formula?


Agreed about the Clarke knock today, was truly special. Captain of the side, on a seaming pitch, against Steyn and Morkel bowling snorters and Philander bowling well too... great great innings. If Australia end up winning this game, Clarke's knock should get into the top 50 for sure

 

[Days of Grace]

Have you read the feature article where I wrote,

"Before presenting you with my top 100, I want to say that in no way do I think that stats-based ratings like this one or Wisden's are the only way with which to judge Test cricket innings. It is one way to promote discussion on forums and to introduce some readers to great innings long forgotten. People who have actually played the game and were there on the day should know a good innings from a bad one. Scorecards from 1902 also cannot record how fluent a batsman looked at the crease or how many chances he gave."

 

[Capt Blackadder]

I was surprised that this knock wasn't there since from what I heard it was one of the finest.

1st Test: India v Australia at Chennai, Sep 18-22, 1986 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

This one by Dean Jones how does it fair in this statistical effort since the real beauty of the innings was the condition in which he played.

 

[Spark]

63% of the team total vs 53% of the team total is an enormous difference.

I'd be interested in seeing where Clarke's knock ranks once this Test is done. Seems to tick a few of the boxes - 40/3 when he came in, scored his runs at a strike rate of over 90, has scored 50% of his team's runs so far.

I said its not a big enough difference for VVS's innings to be at 11 and Sachin's to be a hundred places behind. Honestly the formula should include a X 1.5 modifier for playing with an injury, just to include Sachin's innings in the top 100
Anyway ive found the whole mathematical calculation of an inning's greatness to be the stupidest thing ever. How the hell can you "measure" greatness with a formula?


Agreed about the Clarke knock today, was truly special. Captain of the side, on a seaming pitch, against Steyn and Morkel bowling snorters and Philander bowling well too... great great innings. If Australia end up winning this game, Clarke's knock should get into the top 50 for sure

Lock it in now, tbh, whatever the stats say.

 

[robelinda]

Clarke's innings looks a masterpiece for the ages now.

 

[Days of Grace]

If Australia wins tomorrow, Clarke's innings will go into 5th place.

If they lose comfortably, it will be in about 80th.

 

[robelinda]

WOW! Still, 80th aint bad for all time, but 5th- holy cow!

 

[Spark]

So 80th-odd it is then. Maybe a little harsh, amazingly.

5th would have been a massive wtf.

Even so, by this measure, the sixth "greatest" innings on a losing side (if it is about 80)

Sixth.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Do Amla and Smith's tons devalue it? Or does the formula not take that into account?

 

[Prince EWS]

First time I've ever seen this thread/feature; very interesting stuff.

DoG, two things:

1. If you get a chance, how would Sinclair's ton in this match rate?
2. There's a possibility, depending on how exactly your formula is set out, that I'd be able to have a program automatically apply it to every innings in history and produce a longer list for you, and even a list of "averages" for each player.

 

[Days of Grace]

Sorry for my late reply. Been working on the formula and making some slight adjustments. Here is the updated top 100, including the Clarke innings last week.


1 B.C. Lara 153* Australia Bridgetown 1999 Won 25.86
2 G.A. Gooch 154* West Indies Leeds 1991 Won 25.00
3 I.T. Botham 149* Australia Leeds 1981 Won 23.93
4 C. Bannerman 165* England Melbourne 1877 Won 23.85
5 D.G. Bradman 270 England Melbourne 1937 Won 23.26
6 V.V.S. Laxman 281 Australia Kolkata 2001 Won 22.71
7 C. Hill 188 England Melbourne 1898 Won 22.39
8 Azhar Mahmood 132 South Africa Durban 1998 Won 22.33
9 C.G. Greenidge 134 England Manchester 1976 Won 22.26
10 S.T. Jayasuriya 253 Pakistan Faisalabad 2004 Won 22.17
11 G.L. Jessop 104 Australia The Oval 1902 Won 21.81
12 S.J. McCabe 232 England Nottingham 1938 Draw 21.75
13 V. Sehwag 201* Sri Lanka Galle 2008 Won 21.16
14 V.V.S. Laxman 167 Australia Sydney 2000 Lost 21.10
15 D.L. Amiss 262* West Indies Kingston 1974 Draw 20.77
16 Saeed Anwar 188 India Kolkata 1999 Won 20.64
17 B.C. Lara 213 Australia Kingston 1999 Won 20.36
18 R. Dravid 233 Australia Adelaide 2003 Won 20.10
19 G.S. Chappell 176 New Zealand Christchurch 1982 Won 20.06
20 M.J. Slater 123 England Sydney 1999 Won 20.03
21 K.J. Hughes 100* West Indies Melbourne 1981 Won 19.97
22 H.P. Tillekaratne 115 Pakistan Faisalabad 1995 Won 19.92
23 C.L. Walcott 220 England Bridgetown 1954 Won 19.79
24 S.M. Gavaskar 221 England The Oval 1979 Draw 19.68
25 L. Klusener 118 Sri Lanka Kandy 2000 Won 19.66
26 V. Sehwag 319 South Africa Chennai 2008 Draw 19.64
27 Mohammad Wasim 192 Zimbabwe Harare 1998 Won 19.32
28 Inzamam-ul-Haq 329 New Zealand Lahore 2002 Won 19.27
29 N. Kapil Dev 129 South Africa Port Elizabeth 1992 Lost 19.21
30 K.C. Sangakkara 156* New Zealand Wellington 2006 Won 19.05
31 D.G. Bradman 334 England Leeds 1930 Draw 19.00
32 D.G. Bradman 299* South Africa Adelaide 1932 Won 18.97
33 R.E. Foster 287 Australia Sydney 1903 Won 18.95
34 G.C. Smith 154* England Birmingham 2008 Won 18.91
35 S.M. Gavaskar 236* West Indies Madras 1983 Draw 18.90
36 A.C. Gilchrist 149* Pakistan Hobart 1999 Won 18.87
37 G.M. Turner 223* West Indies Kingston 1972 Draw 18.77
38 P.F. Warner 132* South Africa Johannesburg 1899 Won 18.63
39 O.G. Smith 168 England Nottingham 1957 Draw 18.50
40 M.E. Trescothick 180 South Africa Johannesburg 2005 Won 18.48
41 D.G. Bradman 103* England Melbourne 1933 Won 18.33
42 C.L. Cairns 80 England The Oval 1999 Won 18.32
43 Kamran Akmal 113 India Karachi 2006 Won 18.19
44 N.J. Astle 222 England Christchurch 2002 Lost 18.16
45 G. Kirsten 100* Pakistan Faisalabad 1997 Won 18.14
46 Hanif Mohammad 337 West Indies Bridgetown 1958 Draw 17.97
47 M.A. Butcher 173* Australia Leeds 2001 Won 17.92
48 Hanif Mohammad 187 England Lord's 1967 Draw 17.91
49 G.R. Viswanath 97* West Indies Madras 1975 Won 17.82
50 V.T. Trumper 159 South Africa Melbourne 1911 Won 17.82
51 W.R. Hammond 336* New Zealand Auckland 1933 Draw 17.79
52 I.J.L. Trott 184 Pakistan Lord's 2010 Won 17.76
53 B. Mitchell 164* England Lord's 1935 Won 17.73
54 D.G. Bradman 304 England Leeds 1934 Draw 17.55
55 B.C. Lara 226 Australia Adelaide 2005 Lost 17.55
56 Asif Iqbal 146 England The Oval 1967 Lost 17.50
57 G.J. Bonnor 128 England Sydney 1885 Won 17.46
58 R.G. Pollock 125 England Nottingham 1965 Won 17.44
59 J. Ryder 201* England Adelaide 1925 Won 17.39
60 G.P. Thorpe 200* New Zealand Christchurch 2002 Won 17.38
61 Inzamam-ul-Haq 138* Bangladesh Multan 2003 Won 17.38
62 L. Hutton 205 West Indies Kingston 1954 Won 17.34
63 G.S. Sobers 168 Australia Sydney 1961 Won 17.33
64 W.R. Hammond 231 Australia Sydney 1936 Won 17.31
65 D.I. Gower 154* West Indies Kingston 1981 Draw 17.27
66 B.F. Butcher 133 England Lord's 1963 Draw 17.21
67 D.G. Bradman 212 England Adelaide 1937 Won 17.18
68 G.R. Viswanath 114 Australia Melbourne 1981 Won 17.12
69 A.R. Border 163 India Melbourne 1985 Draw 17.08
70 C.G. Greenidge 213 New Zealand Auckland 1987 Won 17.08
71 D.L. Amiss 179 India Delhi 1976 Won 17.07
72 M.C. Cowdrey 102 Australia Melbourne 1954 Won 17.06
73 M.A. Atherton 185* South Africa Johannesburg 1995 Draw 16.95
74 J.V. Coney 111* Pakistan Dunedin 1985 Won 16.93
75 C.G. Greenidge 214* England Lord's 1984 Won 16.90
76 M.E. Waugh 116 South Africa Port Elizabeth 1997 Won 16.88
77 A. Flintoff 73 Australia Birmingham 2005 Won 16.87
78 D.N. Sardesai 212 West Indies Kingston 1971 Draw 16.82
79 G.A. Headley 270* England Kingston 1935 Won 16.79
80 P.S. McDonnell 147 England Sydney 1882 Won 16.77
81 M.A. Taylor 144 West Indies St. John's 1991 Won 16.76
82 K.D. Walters 104* New Zealand Auckland 1974 Won 16.74
83 Aamer Sohail 133 Australia Karachi 1998 Draw 16.72
84 C.H. Lloyd 161* India Calcutta 1983 Won 16.71
85 W.W. Armstrong 159* South Africa Johannesburg 1902 Won 16.66
86 A.M.J. Hilditch 113 West Indies Melbourne 1984 Draw 16.56
87 Moin Khan 117* Sri Lanka Sialkot 1995 Lost 16.48
88 J.B. Hobbs 93* South Africa Johannesburg 1910 Won 16.44
89 G.R. Viswanath 124 West Indies Chennai 1979 Won 16.42
90 M.G. Burgess 119* Pakistan Dacca 1969 Draw 16.42
91 G.S. Chappell 182* West Indies Sydney 1976 Won 16.40
92 C.H. Gayle 333 Sri Lanka Galle 2010 Draw 16.35
93 K.P. Pietersen 142 Sri Lanka Birmingham 2006 Won 16.32
94 M.J. Clarke 151 South Africa Cape Town 2011 Lost 16.32
95 D.J. McGlew 255* New Zealand Wellington 1953 Won 16.29
96 R.G. Pollock 274 Australia Durban 1970 Won 16.23
97 H.W. Taylor 109 England Durban 1913 Lost 16.23
98 R.G. Pollock 209 Australia Cape Town 1967 Lost 16.16
99 V.V.S. Laxman 96 South Africa Durban 2010 Won 16.15
100 D.C.S. Compton 278 Pakistan Nottingham 1954 Won 16.14


Prince EWS, I am very interested in your suggestion. How do we start? Should I send you the formula?

By the way, what is the name of the software you use?


Finally, the Skippy innings against South Africa in 2000 fetched a solid 14.00

 

[bagapath]

DoG! I, like most cricket fans around the globe, can recognize most of these great innings on your list played in the last 30 years. And I have read a lot about most of the earlier ones. Based on that, I can tell you that it is a very solid list. I cant really disagree with any of those choices in the top 100; of course, there will be suggestions and questions about other great knocks that didnt make the cut. Funnily, i may agree with some of those as well. but still, at the end of the day, it doesnt change the fact that this is a very very good list and for a new cricket fan it is a very reliable way to get introduced to the game. whatever your formula is, good job mate.

 

[Days of Grace]

Cheers, mate.

I hope PEWS replies so we can get to work on perhaps computerising the whole damn thing.


Klusener's innings at 25 was completely skipped in the first round of innings research that I did. Luckily I went back and did some more study.

 

[benchmark00]

"Oh look at me, I like making lists."

 

[miscer]

good list just hate having giant scores on roads in draws be there. love sehwag but feel like 309 at multan in a win>> 319 vs saf.

solid nonetheless

 

[The Sean]

Yeah, the one on there that surprises me most I think is Hammond's 336* against NZ - huge score obviously and he scored a significant proportion of England's runs, but they were scored in a draw against a team not even considered Test class at the time (the match wasn't actually given Test status until some 15 years after it was played).

 

[Prince EWS]

(the match wasn't actually given Test status until some 15 years after it was played).

Wow, it was that long? I knew Hammond didn't think it was a Test when he played it but I assumed it was something that decided later on the tour or just after it; not fifteen years down the track. That's insane.

 

[Prince EWS]

Prince EWS, I am very interested in your suggestion. How do we start? Should I send you the formula?

By the way, what is the name of the software you use?

Yeah, email me the formula. r dot g dot cribb at gmail dot com. There are probably a couple of things I won't be able to implement exactly but we'll figure it out.

I actually created my own software, using Visual Basic. At the moment it calculates my standardised averages but it could easily be re-coded slightly to do all sorts of weird and wonderful things.

 

[The Sean]

Wow, it was that long? I knew Hammond didn't think it was a Test when he played it but I assumed it was something that decided later on the tour or just after it; not fifteen years down the track. That's insane.

Yeah, it wasn't until 1948 that it was given Test status, the same time as when Australia's match against NZ in 1946 was given it too. When Hutton scored his 364 at the oval, the record everyone acknowledged he was breaking was Bradman's 334. Poor old Wally never got to enjoy being the holder of the record as by the time that match was counted as a Test it had been broken! Seems somehow fitting given Hammond's career of being both utterly magnificent and yet (largely due to The Don) somehow overshadowed.