The Greatest Test Match

[Beleg]

What are your picks, folks?

My personal favorite is Pak Vs. WI, June 2000, St. John, Antigua but I feel hesitant about calling it the greatest, since the term really is subjective...
So I guess I am just asking you people to pick your own favorites, matches you think you can award the highly subjective title of greatest.

 

[Tim]

I only started watching cricket since 1991 so anything prior to that I have little knowledge of.

There have just been too many test matches for me to pinpoint one...I say leave it up to Wisden to make a mess of it & then for people to criticise it.

 

[Craig]

India v Australia at Kolkata at 2001.

Also a close second and a tie between the 2nd and 3rd Tests WI v Australia in 1999.

 

[BlackCap_Fan]

NZ vs England,2nd test,2001/02.

I'll never forget that test.Astles 222 off 150 (or 160)odd balls.200 off 153 balls,easily the fastest in test cricket history.

 

[iamdavid]

I'll say this particular match .

It just had everything , the Australians had really been looking unbeatable for the last year or so & they'd hammered India in the first test.
They then had India following on 171 runs behind & had Tendulkar out before tea on day 3 , India really looked dead in the water.

Laxman then came out & made an absolutely chanceless 281 putting India back on top & treating Warne like a rookie.

Then there was the sheer tension as India got close to a win.

So many memorable moments from the Harbhajan hat-trick to Steve Waugh's ton , it was just a wonderful match even if Australia didnt win.

One downside though , the umpiring was absolutely sh*tless.


In second place would be the match in the West Indies in 99 where Lara got his 153 & in third would be the third test of the India 2001 series at Chennai.

Note that my three favourite matches all featured losses to Australia

 

[Jimmy]

i think that one of the greatest tests that i have seen is IND vs AUS in Kolkata in 2001. for india to win this was quite amazing.

also when australia beat pakistan in hobart in 2000. chasing 369 in the 4th inning. Gilchrist and Langer were superb against a first rate bowling attack.

 

[Craig]

Laxman's 281 was as chanceless as you are going to get.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Yesterday's at Kingston

More seriously, Headingley 1981.

 

[SquidAU]

One of the most nailbiting tests I have ever watched was Australia V West Indies in Adelaide, 1992/93. Aussies lost by 2 runs and Craig McDermott was NOT OUT I tells ya!

That one for me, kept me on the edge of my seat.

 

[Swervy]

i am going to go for the 1981 Headingley match

 

[Jono]

1) India vs. Australia - 2nd Test at Kolkata 2001
2) India vs. Australia - 2nd Test at Adelaide 2003
3) India vs. Australia - 3rd Test at Chennai

Before anyone claims my choices are biased and subjective, well duh :P I just love watching India and Australia go head to head, I always rise to the occasion. It's great to watch and obviously its fun to watch India beat the best team in the world considering I live in Melbourne.

But I must say I found all 3 matches extremely exciting so there is a basis to why I chose those rather than just picking games where India beat Australia. Both Laxman's and Dravid's partnerships in those games were amazing.

 

[Langeveldt]

New Zealand v England at Christchurch in 2001.... (Astle's two hundred)

 

[The Argonaut]

The most memorable matches for me are:

1. India v Australia 2001 - Kolkata, enough said already.

2 South Africa v Australia (late 90s) - Port Elizabeth
Australia in trouble, Mark Waugh century and Ian Healy wins it with a six.

3. Australia v England 1983 - Sydney
The last wicket partnership between Border and Thommo - Botham gets the final wicket after Tavare knocks it up for Miller. The Aussie public missed it because they were watching a Sidchrome spanner ad. We came back from the ad break to watch Botham and co celebrating as they were running from the ground.

4. Pakistan v Australia (late 90s) - the one where Pakistan was down and out but won it with one wicket in hand. The winning run was a leg bye but I'm sure that it hit something on the pitch and missed everything. If Healy took it he would have stumped the batsman as he was well down the pitch. He dodn't so they won.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

West Indies vs. Australia 3rd Test 1999

I laughed, I cried, I celebrated.

 

[Neil Pickup]

West Indies v Australia, Sabina Park (?), 1968

The Original Tied Test

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

West Indies v Australia, Sabina Park (?), 1968

The Original Tied Test

Wasn't that Test played down under?

 

[Neil Pickup]

Wasn't that Test played down under?

Probably. You know my memory makes things up.

Brisbane?

 

[badgerhair]

I think the Greatest Test Match is probably Jessop's Match in 1902.

Of the Tests I've attended, I reckon Headingley 1991 shades it over the WI game at Lord's in 2000. Lord's 95 and The Oval 2003 might get in there too, but I only went to the last day of those, so they don't really count.

Of matches I saw on TV, Headingley 81 is an obvious candidate, but I think I'd award the palm to Barbados 1999.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[Beleg]

4. Pakistan v Australia (late 90s) - the one where Pakistan was down and out but won it with one wicket in hand. The winning run was a leg bye but I'm sure that it hit something on the pitch and missed everything. If Healy took it he would have stumped the batsman as he was well down the pitch. He dodn't so they won.

Karachi 1994/95.
Inzamam features in a partnership of 50 odd with Mushtaq Ahmad for the last wicket and succeeded in taking Pakistan home safely chasing 314.

 

[thehellraiser]

pakistan vs austrailia match in 94/05

or
1st test match : pakistan vs india in 1999 where pakistan won by 12 runs

3rd test match: paksian vs india at calcutta
pakistan won again.....the match where shoaib akhtar stormed noto the cricketing scene with those 2 wonder balls......dravid bowled and then tendulkar sent walikng after being cleaned up off the first delivery.

or the match between aus and windies where lara made a century chasing 308 to win