posted November 24, 2009 at 10:54 EST in Cricket Articles
Top 5 Highest Scoring Cricket Matches of the Decade
by Juris Graney
With the advent of Twenty20 cricket, purists have bemoaned the forthcoming death of Test match cricket and if there are more matches like the first Test between India and Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad, then the executioner should start sharpening their blade.
In five days both teams accumulated 1598 runs for the loss of 21 wickets yet there was no victor.
Six centurions and a double centurion and yet no team could stamp their ultimate authority on the match.
With that in mind we take a look at the top five highest scoring matches of this decade, and we also take a special look at the longest Test match in history, a game that lasted 10 days and yet no team came away with the spoils.
5. 1609 – India v Pakistan, 3rd Test, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, (December 2007)
These two teams feature prominently in the history books when it comes to redundant drawn Test matches. At the end of the first day India had compiled 5/365 going on to score 626 at a healthy 4.16 runs an over. Sourav Ganguly smashed 239 while Yuvraj Singh (169) and Irfan Pathan (102) featured heavily. Pakistan replied with 537 with just one centurion, Misbah-ul-Haq’s 133. India declared their second innings setting Pakistan 373 to win. Sounds sporting right? Wrong. Dead wrong. If they were to manage that total on a deteriorating fifth-day wicket they would need time. What they were given was 36 overs.
4. 1628 – West Indies v England, 4th Test of the Wisden Trophy at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados, (March 2009)
England batted through almost two entire days to post 6/600 before declaring with two ton makers Andrew Strauss (142) and Ravi Bopara (104) happy with their own efforts.
The Windies took the old “whatever they can do we can do better” mentality and piled on 9/749 in 194.4 overs, Ramnaresh Sarwan missed a triple, dismissed on 291 while Denesh Ramdin chimed in at number seven with 166. England, tired and emotional from fielding in the temperate Caribbean, their pasty white English skin all blistered simply played out the remaining time not even playing for a result.
They trailed by 149 on the first innings and when they came into bat on day four for just two overs, they couldn’t be arsed even trying to mount anything challenging. Alastair Cook finished the day 139 not out. Whoopee.
3. 1648 – South Africa v West Indies, 3rd Test of the Sir Vivian Richards Trophy at Newlands, Cape Town (January 2004)
The West Indies were in the thick of it again in 2004 however this no-result was anything from their own doing, more so the Proteas fear of losing at home. South Africa’s first innings of 532 (Jacques Rudolph’s 101 and Mark Boucher’s 122no were the features) was too much for the Windies who fell 105 runs short (thanks to Chris Gayle’s almost a-run-a-ball 116 and Brian Lara’s 115) and by the end of day three, the Proteas had increased their margin to a lead of 143.
With two whole days to play, what do they do? They set the Windies 440 to win in a single day thanks to Herschelle Gibbs’ 142 and Jacques Kallis’ 130no. Credit to the West Indies they chased down that total to within 86 but they ran out of time. They did it all with just one centurion too, Dwayne Smith (105no).
2. 1702 – India v Pakistan, 2nd Test at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad (January 2006)
I told you that these two teams feature heavily in the list of redundant matches, India more so though thanks to an almost English-attitude towards draws being somewhat the same as a win. Anyhow, six centurions, a game high 194 from Younis Khan and yet nothing, no sporting declaration, from big Inzamam-ul-Haq.
1. 1747 – Australia v India, 4th Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Sydney Cricket Ground (January 2004)
Yep India are at it again in the number one highest scoring match of this decade that ended in a draw. India’s constant thorn, Sachin Tendulkar smashed Australia’s bowlers to every part of the SCG on his way to 241 not out, helping his team to a record 7(dec)/705.
He teamed up with VVS Laxman (178) in a 353 run fourth wicket stand, Australia’s bowlers punished. Brett Lee took four wickets but he also conceded 201 runs in 40 overs. Justin Langer (117) and Simon Katich (125) tried their best to chase down the massive total but reached 474 half way into day four. Leading by 231 India looked to be giving Australia a chance by scoring at almost five an over to post 2/211 in the second dig setting Australia 443 in a day, which they almost did, the hosts finishing on 357, yep, just like South Africa and the West Indies, 86 runs short. There were no centurions in the second innings of either team.
Now to the longest and most run-rich game in the history of cricket, the match known simply as the Timeless Test – 1981 runs, 35 wickets, 10 days.
Hell it only ended because of England’s desire to return home and could well have gone into an 11th day if not for their departure from Cape Town, some 1000 miles away from where the game was held in Durban.
Had rain not interrupted the final day’s play, England could well have been known as the winner of this epic fixture but as it stands, March 3, 1939, will go down as the day that a sporting legend was born. Tell me what other sport can go for 10 days with both teams walking away not as winners or losers but equal partners in nothing.
The basic gist is this: South Africa posted 530, England replied with 316, the Proteas then smashed 481 leaving England a 696 run chase which they almost reached, rain halting play with 42 runs still to get.
In total 680.5 overs were bowled (they were also eight ball overs back then instead of the six ball overs of modern cricket) for 1981 runs.
In conclusion the only people who hate these long drawn out affairs more than the fans are the bowlers.
