TOP 10 Test Centuries - from Masterly batting by Patrick Ferriday and Dave Wilson

[grkrama]

Masterly Batting is an attempt to rate centuries and get the top 100, while there can never be comparisons across eras, teams and conditions etc. The list showcases soem of the best innings of cricket and worth a look.
Only changes imo would be move Lara up and probably get laxman 281,' back into the game 'knock in there somewhere.

Review: Masterly Batting | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo


1.Graham Gooch, 154* v WI, Headingley 1991

2.Brian Lara, 153* v Australia, Bridgetown 1999

3. Graeme Smith, 154* v England, Edgbaston 2008

Cant find the vid for this knock.
3rd Test: England v South Africa at Birmingham, Jul 30-Aug 2, 2008 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo


4.Kevin Pietersen, 186 v India, Mumbai 2012

Kevin Pietersen 186 vs India | 2nd Test 2012-13 | Tune.pk

5.Mark Butcher, 173* v Australia, Headingley 2001

6.Clem Hill, 188 v England, Melbourne 1898

The video of that match is certainly not available , but got a couple of clips with one of them having clem hill in a veteran charity match i think.

Clem hill comes in at 2.30

7. Marcus Trescothick, 180 v SA, Johannesburg 2005

8.Adam Gilchrist, 149* v Pakistan, Hobart 1999

9. Don Bradman, 212 v England, Adelaide 1937

4th Test: Australia v England at Adelaide, Jan 29-Feb 4, 1937 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo


10. Herbert Sutcliffe, 161 v Australia, The Oval 1926
I believe this is the vid.

5th Test: England v Australia at The Oval, Aug 14-18, 1926 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[PokerAce]

No VVS 281? Sham list then.

 

[grkrama]

ya they had ranked it somewhere in the 30s i think, the ranking method itslef was a bit flawed in a lot of ways understandable as they were trying to accommodate a lot of stuff, like for example if another batsman gets a hundred or your team doesn't win the value of hundred diminishes, from what i read in reviews there was one in which sachin's hundred in Capetown i think against Steyn Morne and co is left out but Kallis hundred in the same match against Ishy & co in his home conditions is listed, wrap that logic around, that must be one insane algorithm or method to value them.Still a good effort and the list is fun to check out if we dont care about the ranking.

 

[Satan666]

Okay this thread needs to be closed.

Madness!

Bradman's 270 at Melbourne in '36 or thereabouts doesn't even make the top 10?

Furthermore VVS 281 in 2001 not on the list either?

 

[Satan666]

ya they had ranked it somewhere in the 30s i think, the ranking method itslef was a bit flawed in a lot of ways understandable as they were trying to accommodate a lot of stuff, like for example if another batsman gets a hundred or your team doesn't win the value of hundred diminishes, from what i read in reviews there was one in which sachin's hundred in Capetown i think against Steyn Morne and co is left out but Kallis hundred in the same match against Ishy & co in his home conditions is listed, wrap that logic around, that must be one insane algorithm or method to value them.Still a good effort and the list is fun to check out if we dont care about the ranking.

Nah thats just plain crap man, no offence to them for formulating but to you for posting it!

 

[grkrama]

why not post your top 10 century list then will be good debate, im working on mine and still have to sort out a few.



This kind of stuff are always subjective. I posted this for a way for us to start posting our choices, i had a choice of going for widen top 100 or this, choose this cause the wisden list is of 2001, though one could argue its better than this in a few ways subjectively.

Bradman's 270 at Melbourne in '36

Exactly i guess because another team mate made a hundred this is rated down to say the 212 in the very next match. I do understand its difficult to play without solidity at the other end, but that shouldn't take way from centuries made with partnerships.



Don was a maniac though imagine scoring 270, 212 , 168 continuously in 3 matches, makes one wish there was better coverage in those days.

 

[PokerAce]

ya they had ranked it somewhere in the 30s i think, the ranking method itslef was a bit flawed in a lot of ways understandable as they were trying to accommodate a lot of stuff, like for example if another batsman gets a hundred or your team doesn't win the value of hundred diminishes, from what i read in reviews there was one in which sachin's hundred in Capetown i think against Steyn Morne and co is left out but Kallis hundred in the same match against Ishy & co in his home conditions is listed, wrap that logic around, that must be one insane algorithm or method to value them.Still a good effort and the list is fun to check out if we dont care about the ranking.

These lists usually make no sense and always leave out something that someone would object to. However I don't care what top 10 great 100s list it is, VVS 281 has got to be in there.

 

[PokerAce]

why not post your top 10 century list then will be good debate, im working on mine and still have to sort out a few.



This kind of stuff are always subjective. I posted this for a way for us to start posting our choices, i had a choice of going for widen top 100 or this, choose this cause the wisden list is of 2001, though one could argue its better than this in a few ways subjectively.



Exactly i guess because another team mate made a hundred this is rated down to say the 212 in the very next match. I do understand its difficult to play without solidity at the other end, but that shouldn't take way from centuries made with partnerships.



Don was a maniac though imagine scoring 270, 212 , 168 continuously in 3 matches, makes one wish there was better coverage in those days.

Top 10 100s would be a fun discussion.

 

[Satan666]

why not post your top 10 century list then will be good debate, im working on mine and still have to sort out a few.



This kind of stuff are always subjective. I posted this for a way for us to start posting our choices, i had a choice of going for widen top 100 or this, choose this cause the wisden list is of 2001, though one could argue its better than this in a few ways subjectively.



Exactly i guess because another team mate made a hundred this is rated down to say the 212 in the very next match. I do understand its difficult to play without solidity at the other end, but that shouldn't take way from centuries made with partnerships.



Don was a maniac though imagine scoring 270, 212 , 168 continuously in 3 matches, makes one wish there was better coverage in those days.

Yep if memory serves me right he had not socred a single run in the preceding two tests.

 

[T.J.Hooker]

Sadly ineligible :

 

[grkrama]

Yep if memory serves me right he had not socred a single run in the preceding two tests.

ya almost, 2 ducks a 38 and 83

Sadly ineligible :

That bat looks like a tooth pick in his hand and the way he is hitting is chanceless, if he had been in this era with the big bats and flat pitches would have been a nightmare for bowlers.

 

[cricket_icon]

Good list, Laxmans famous rear guard needs to be there, as does Misbahs record breaking century and Younis Khans against SL I believe it was in chasing over 300. How about more recently Stokes? That was exciting stuff.

But my favourite recent century in in there and I'm glad it is, KP against India. It kick started a famous away win.

 

[grkrama]

How about more recently Stokes? That was exciting stuff.

it certainly was exciting one but it would fall more in the category of a terrific innings than an alltime one, but the guy has stuff in him to be one.

Misbah certainly made mockery of everyone calling tuk tuk with that one, but itwas relatively easy to bat there.

YK's one was a tough one in a record chase that would certainly get up there.I believe with sanga gone he is the last guy of classic players hanging out, chanders doesn't seems to be getting a chance anytime soon, i wish bcci were asking WICB for chanders instead of pollard, the guy certainly deserves a farewell.

 

[blockerdave]

Basil D'Oliveira's 158 vs Australia in 1970, given the context, is the greatest test century ever. To have not made the top 10 is a joke.

 

[cricket_icon]

it certainly was exciting one but it would fall more in the category of a terrific innings than an alltime one, but the guy has stuff in him to be one.

Misbah certainly made mockery of everyone calling tuk tuk with that one, but itwas relatively easy to bat there.

YK's one was a tough one in a record chase that would certainly get up there.I believe with sanga gone he is the last guy of classic players hanging out, chanders doesn't seems to be getting a chance anytime soon, i wish bcci were asking WICB for chanders instead of pollard, the guy certainly deserves a farewell.

Yeah, Khan is the last of that generation, someone who can really dig in and draw out an innings, that's not saying he can't play fluently, he often did and still does.