Nominations please for the most thrilling, unexpected or both, final day of a Test. EDIT : Final day as in 5th day as well as last, not conclusion regardless of day.
I'll put up two nominations, I won't pick Cardiff as that was more tense than great cricket even if it was gripping. Sadly any rearguard will now be labelled after Cardiff even though it wasn't exactly the first nor last rearguard. I seem to recall Croft batting us to a draw once, can't remember the Test but shouldn't be hard to find. And not forgetting Atherton's marathon stay at the crease (185no?)
3rd Test Pakistan vs England (Karachi 2000/01) - Day Five
Pakistan 1st Inns : 405
England 1st Inns : 388
Pakistan 2nd Inns : 71/3 (close of play, day four)
Pakistan started the day 71/3, the game seemingly drifting towards a draw. Darren Gough took out nightwatchman Saqlain Mushtaq early to make it 78/4, but at 128/4 Pakistan seemed to be edging into a comfortable lead of 145 runs with six wickets in hand.
Then Craig White took out Yousuf Youhana (as he was then) and Ashley Giles removed Salim Elahi to leave Pakistan 128/6 and reeling at lunch. Abdur Razzaq played a very subdued innings, 13 runs were added before Ashley Giles got him out for a 41 ball score of ONE. Moin Khan and Shahid Afridi both added some useful runs, but Pakistan collapsed from 128/4 to 158 all out in just 19 overs. England needed to score 176 runs to win off 44 overs at exactly four an over with the Karachi light always likely to close in.
Mike Atherton uncharacteristically started off quickly, first out at 38/1 for 26 off 33 balls. Pakistan needed wickets to slow the rate down and had England 51/2 when Saqlain Mushtaq snared his second wicket. Pretty sure Alec Stewart walked when he edged the ball to the keeper to make it 65/3 and in comes Graeme Hick. The required run-rate was being maintained, the light was declining rapidly and Pakistan were using every method known to those that don't play fair to try and slow the play down and get the match drawn to a dark conclusion.
Graeme Hick played a wonderful innings under the circumstances, 40 off 64 balls when Waqar Younis bowled him off the bat. Pakistan were now complaining about the light as they couldn't see the ball, Steve Bucknor the umpire warned them several times for delaying tactics which ultimately backfired although I'm not sure many teams would have been happy staying out in light twice as good as the light in Karachi.
Graeme Thorpe got the winning runs, Pakistan's first ever defeat in Karachi and it gave England a barely deserved 1-0 series win. 259 runs and 17 wickets in the day, a result in the Test and series, so for me one of the all-time thrillers that couldn't have been predicted at the start of play.
Zimbabwe in summary was a run chase, 1st Test of the 1996/97 tour of Zimbabwe at Bulawayo. The final innings meant England required 205 runs off 37 overs to win what had been a pretty even contest. Nick Knight smashed 96 off 117 balls before being run out, he and Alec Stewart who scored 73 off 76 balls, adding 137 for the 2nd wicket. Noone else managed double figures, six wickets lost in the chase as Zimbabwe resorted to some questionable bowling policies, the question of legside wides as I recall, although batsmen should be able to hit anything legside. 13 wanted off the final over, 12 scored. Both sides agreed that negative tactics had saved Zimbabwe, there wasn't quite the same agreement on whether it was right or not. David Lloyd, then England coach, did not think it was right having nine men on the boundary, under the circumstances I think England would have done the same. David Lloyd was convinced England "murdered 'em", perhaps with more convincing cricket through the Test instead of a last gasp effort to win, England would have!
re Croft. I'm guessing it might have been England vs South Africa at Old Trafford in 1998. Croft came in at 296/6 and scored 37no off 125 balls and 190 minutes as England hung on with Gus Fraser facing 13 balls and Darren Gough 75 balls and 76 minutes for his 12 runs. Scores finished level with South Africa having batted only once, seems a likely guess as the Croft rearguard I'm trying to think off.
I can think of a few not involving England might get mentions, I'm sure Brian Lara will get a mention. Both of my nominations are run chases, doesn't have to be a run chase
I'll put up two nominations, I won't pick Cardiff as that was more tense than great cricket even if it was gripping. Sadly any rearguard will now be labelled after Cardiff even though it wasn't exactly the first nor last rearguard. I seem to recall Croft batting us to a draw once, can't remember the Test but shouldn't be hard to find. And not forgetting Atherton's marathon stay at the crease (185no?)
3rd Test Pakistan vs England (Karachi 2000/01) - Day Five
Pakistan 1st Inns : 405
England 1st Inns : 388
Pakistan 2nd Inns : 71/3 (close of play, day four)
Pakistan started the day 71/3, the game seemingly drifting towards a draw. Darren Gough took out nightwatchman Saqlain Mushtaq early to make it 78/4, but at 128/4 Pakistan seemed to be edging into a comfortable lead of 145 runs with six wickets in hand.
Then Craig White took out Yousuf Youhana (as he was then) and Ashley Giles removed Salim Elahi to leave Pakistan 128/6 and reeling at lunch. Abdur Razzaq played a very subdued innings, 13 runs were added before Ashley Giles got him out for a 41 ball score of ONE. Moin Khan and Shahid Afridi both added some useful runs, but Pakistan collapsed from 128/4 to 158 all out in just 19 overs. England needed to score 176 runs to win off 44 overs at exactly four an over with the Karachi light always likely to close in.
Mike Atherton uncharacteristically started off quickly, first out at 38/1 for 26 off 33 balls. Pakistan needed wickets to slow the rate down and had England 51/2 when Saqlain Mushtaq snared his second wicket. Pretty sure Alec Stewart walked when he edged the ball to the keeper to make it 65/3 and in comes Graeme Hick. The required run-rate was being maintained, the light was declining rapidly and Pakistan were using every method known to those that don't play fair to try and slow the play down and get the match drawn to a dark conclusion.
Graeme Hick played a wonderful innings under the circumstances, 40 off 64 balls when Waqar Younis bowled him off the bat. Pakistan were now complaining about the light as they couldn't see the ball, Steve Bucknor the umpire warned them several times for delaying tactics which ultimately backfired although I'm not sure many teams would have been happy staying out in light twice as good as the light in Karachi.
Graeme Thorpe got the winning runs, Pakistan's first ever defeat in Karachi and it gave England a barely deserved 1-0 series win. 259 runs and 17 wickets in the day, a result in the Test and series, so for me one of the all-time thrillers that couldn't have been predicted at the start of play.
Zimbabwe in summary was a run chase, 1st Test of the 1996/97 tour of Zimbabwe at Bulawayo. The final innings meant England required 205 runs off 37 overs to win what had been a pretty even contest. Nick Knight smashed 96 off 117 balls before being run out, he and Alec Stewart who scored 73 off 76 balls, adding 137 for the 2nd wicket. Noone else managed double figures, six wickets lost in the chase as Zimbabwe resorted to some questionable bowling policies, the question of legside wides as I recall, although batsmen should be able to hit anything legside. 13 wanted off the final over, 12 scored. Both sides agreed that negative tactics had saved Zimbabwe, there wasn't quite the same agreement on whether it was right or not. David Lloyd, then England coach, did not think it was right having nine men on the boundary, under the circumstances I think England would have done the same. David Lloyd was convinced England "murdered 'em", perhaps with more convincing cricket through the Test instead of a last gasp effort to win, England would have!
re Croft. I'm guessing it might have been England vs South Africa at Old Trafford in 1998. Croft came in at 296/6 and scored 37no off 125 balls and 190 minutes as England hung on with Gus Fraser facing 13 balls and Darren Gough 75 balls and 76 minutes for his 12 runs. Scores finished level with South Africa having batted only once, seems a likely guess as the Croft rearguard I'm trying to think off.
I can think of a few not involving England might get mentions, I'm sure Brian Lara will get a mention. Both of my nominations are run chases, doesn't have to be a run chase
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