Test Cricket, which is considered to be the purest form of the game by the pundits,has seen many heroes who have fought back against the odds,snatching victory from jaws of defeat.They have been rock solid, putting the opposition bowling to shame.Like Phoenixes,who rise from the ashes,these players have risen,taking their game up by several notches and turning an almost lost match on its head,giving the opposition a slap for being callous,stinging them hard for not tightening up the screws when needed.These batsmen are the pillars of test cricket,showing the worth of genuine test cricket to the world,announcing that it does not have to be bang - bang cricket for people to sit up and notice.It can be the sheer defiance,the will power to stand up against the force of opposition, the brilliance to take the match away from the team on top.These are the biggest attributes that one can associate with a class player.
There are many such players around in world cricket who have played and are playing even now.I am listing few of those mind blowing fight backs that I have had the pleasure to witness over the years :
The defiance "On your face!" :
It was the first Ashes test in the year 2009.England having made 435 batting first,let Australia muscle them for 674 runs,thanks to centuries from Ponting,Katich,North and Haddin. England were in dire straits,needing to draw the match at any cost.But things seemed to go downhill when they lost half the side for just 70 runs on the board.The fightback then, came in the form of the dynamic fielder,the man who was at the helm when England won their only T20 trophy in the West Indies -"Paul Collingwood".
Collingwood led the English fightback.Joining hands with the lower middle order batsmen and the tail-enders,he fought for almost 6 hours to salvage a draw for the team.He batted for 245 balls before getting out for 74.It might not be significant in terms of the runs scored.But he defied the fiery Australian bowling and kept them at bay for more than 6 hours,determined even more whenever a wicket fell at the other end.
It might not be a performance worthy enough to go down in the history books,but it is this innings that helped England save the Ashes.Had they lost the first match,the series would have ended in a draw and the Oz would have walked back home with the cup.
Oz "Dum"b Struck :
The test series between South Africa and Australia in 2008 gathered lots of attention due to the epic run chase by the Proteas in the 1st test.Expectations were high from this series which was turned on by the sheer brilliance of the South African batsmen in the first test.The second test commenced at Melbourne on the 26th of December.Australia batted first and made 394 runs and put the South African batsmen to test.They were ruthless and picked up 6 wickets for less than 150 runs on board.The Proteas were down and out and seemed like they won't be able to take the lead when Duminy,who was a rookie back then walked in and played a fearless brand of cricket which was hailed as one of the best in the cricket circles back then.He set himself up quite nicely,negotiating the fast bowlers with caution.He played some extravagant shots and was not afraid off the bouncers on a fast and pacy wicket which is a tradition in Perth.
Steyn joined him at the fall of the 8th wicket and together, they steered South Africa out of trouble.Steyn was on song and he thrashed the bowlers all around the park.Though he was fearless and aggressive, Duminy was the man who stole the show.He made a mammoth 166 runs and helped the Proteas to seal the series.His efficient batting saw the Aussies losing a series at home after many years, thereby ending the Aussie domination at home.It was an alarm to the other countries,a wake up call to show that the Aussies are not completely invincible.On that regard,this innings deserves a mention on this list.
The Iron Man :
The first test between India and New Zealand at Hamilton in 2009 was bagged by India comfortably.The second test saw a valiant fightback from the Kiwis who amassed 619 runs in the first innings.India in reply were bundled out for just 305 runs and were asked to follow-on.The match was almost over for Team India when a young man with the nerves of steel, fought tooth and nail in alien conditions to defy New Zealand for more than 10 hours. Gautam Gambhir,the lad from Delhi batted amazingly well to pull the match back in their favour.He played for 436 balls and made 137 priceless runs which helped India clinch the series 1-0 at the end.Without his brilliance, India would have one less trophy in its cabinet.It does not end there.India has not won a test series in New Zealand for more than 30 years and it was very special to the players and fans alike to have yet another feather in our cap.
The raging "Flower" :
It was the second test between India and Zimbabwe at Nagpur in 2000.The Indian team,batting first,made 609 runs.Zimbabwe in reply were bowled out for 382 runs and were made to follow-on.Zimbabwe looked lost when 3 wickets for just 61 runs.That was when Andy Flower came in to bat.Flower,along with Campbell put on a huge partnership of 209 runs.Flower was solid in technique batting against the likes of Srinath,Joshi and Agarkar.He played extremely well,waiting for the loose balls to score runs.It was impossible for the bowlers to get to him since he was moving his feet very well,getting behind the ball and playing it to perfection.He made 232 runs in that innings ,also one of the proudest moments in the history of Zimbabwe Cricket.
The dangerous duo part 1 :
Pakistan were fighting,with their backs on the wall,trailing 1-2 in the 4 match test series against England.It was the final test at Lord's and Pakistan needed to win the match in order to square the series.Pakistan were riding on the confidence from the previous match in which they won comfortably.It was a worse start for the English side losing 7 wickets for just 102 runs on board.Mohammad Amir was at his fiery best bagging 6 wickets,devouring the best English batsmen in their own backyard. Trott was waging a lone battle trying to resist the pace trio of Amir,Asif and Riaz when Broad joined hands with him.They both staged an incredible fight back.Trott was his usual calm and composed self, building his innings block by block by playing some orthodox cricket.
Broad on the other hand,helped Trott in rebuilding the innings.He played safe till the conditions got better and then started playing some flamboyant strokes to take England to safety.They put on a partnership of 334 runs,which was one of the best partnerships seen in the history of test cricket.England went on to win the match and the series 3-1.Though this match was tainted by the match fixing allegations on Asif,Amir and Butt,this innings has got its significance and will remain a part of the history in the years to come.The dangerous duo Part 2 :
The epic test match,the mother of all fight backs,the day when history was rewritten,the records smashed by two extraordinary batsmen from the Indian Cricket team.The second test match between India and Australia at Kolkata in 2001 is remembered as the best of encounters by all the cricket fans even after all these years.Sourav Ganguly was leading a young team who were eager and raring to go against the mighty Australians who were the world beaters back then.They were riding on the 17 consecutive test victories and were eyeing for the 18th when Laxman and co decided to spoil their party.
Batting first,the Aussies put up a total of 445 thanks to a brilliant century from the then Aussie skipper Steve Waugh (110).In return,India were bundled out for a paltry 171 and were asked to follow on.India lost 4 wickets for just 232 runs and were looking down the barrel when Dravid and Laxman joined together.The most scintillating piece of cricket,the sheer brilliance of the duo,and the dominance they had over the Aussie bowling, simply took the game away from the Australians. Laxman was caressing the ball using his rubber-like flexible fists,kissing the ball gently to the boundary.He was in full flow,making the Australian bowlers work hard.His defense was solid and he punished the Aussie bowlers even if they bowled a few inches away from the good length.He dealt the arrogant Aussies with his arrogant batting which did all the talking on the ground.The Aussies never seemed like picking Laxman's wicket,while Laxman was busy ploughing away for runs.
Dravid,on the other hand gave excellent support to Laxman,Dravid was his usual orthodox self.He played a trademark Dravid knock easing the pressure off Laxman.Both had the natural flair and technique which made the task even more difficult for the Aussies.Rest as they say is history.India won the match comfortably and bagged the series 2-1 to end the Aussie supremacy in World Cricket.
These are the innings that I've seen,innings which took the cricketing world by storm,innings that defined the career of some of these players,which defined the fate of an entire series and rivalries.There are many note worthy innings that I might have left out.But according to me,these were the best,which will stand the test of time and be an example for other aspiring cricketers.
No comments:
Post a Comment