Top comebacks in Test Cricket

Test Cricket is a challenge. Talent and skill obviously open doors to success but the phenomenon pushes the competitor beyond his or her boundaries. At times grit and determination pave the way. Rahul Dravid, Curtley Ambrose, Steve Waugh and other greats of the game played a definitive role in this process. Here’s a look at some of the famous test match victories after conceding big first innings leads.

10.Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka, Kandy 2006.

Pakistan beat a formidable Lankan team at Kandy in the summer of 2006 after conceding a healthy first innings lead of a 109 runs. Sri lanka batted first on a dry pitch and put up a modest 279 on the board with fifties from Sangakkara and Samaraweera, Mohammed Asif picked 6 wickets,  the Pakistani reply got of to decent start as the top 3 got starts but failed to convert and then the Wizard Muralitharan weaved his magic to return with 5/39 as Pakistan were bowled out for 170 runs. In reply Sri Lanka put a horrendous show by being cleaned up for a paltry 73 as Asif picked 4, to complete a 10 wicket haul. Pakistan came out all guns blazing in reply gunning down the target of 183 runs in 43.3 overs to seal a memorable win. Sanath Jayasuriya bid farewell to test cricket after this test match.9. South Africa Vs Australia Johannesburg 1966.

The Boxing day of 1966 came right in between this thrilling test match the Wanderers between the hosts and Australia. South Africa went on beat Australia by a massive 233 run margin, but not before conceding a huge 126 run first innings lead.

The formidable Aussie team was led by Bob Simpson took on a South African outfit which was still finding its feet in test cricket. The South Africans batted first, only to end up with a 199 runs on the board, with a solitary fifty coming from the bat of  Wicket Keeper batsman Denis Lindsay with Aussie Graham Mckenzie being the successful bowler as he picked 5/46. In reply the Aussies were of to a great start, with the openers Simpson and Lawry putting on 118 runs and then a 86 run stand for the second wicket between Lawry and Ian Redpath when the Proteas all rounder Eddie Barlow struck removing the well set Redpath and sent both Bob Cowper and Keith Stackpole for ducks, as the Aussies  capitulated to only 325. The Proteas carried on their newly acquired momentum with the bat as well compiling a mammoth 620 with the Wicket Keeper Denis Lindsay doing a bulk of the run making, his 182 of 225 balls oozed class, skill and grit. Eddie Barlow , Ali Bacher,  Greame Pollock, Lance and skipper Peter Van Der Merve all got fifties.

Chasing 495 , the Aussies couldn’t do much as they were bowled out for 261 runs to hand South Africa a famous win at home.8. Australia Vs South Africa, MCC 1931-32

This Test match match came between the same opponents almost 35 years earlier, this time at the MCC. The Australians were a formidable side yet again and were the clear favourites. However the Proteas raised a few eyebrows by restricting the Aussies to a lowly 198, with quickie Sandy Bell picking up a five for and Neville Quinn picking 4 including that of Sir Donald Bradman for just 2 runs.

The South Africans replied really well, batting with alot of freedom and despite a middle order collapse, put up 358 runs on the board, largely due to exemplary display of stroke making from Kelly Viljoen(111), bagging a priceless 160 runs on the board. However the Australian side was a champion outfit and they hit back in spectacular fashion with centuries from Bill Woodfull and Sir Donald Bradman as they compiled 554 runs, setting the South Africans a target of 395 runs. The Proteas never really got going in the fourth innings chase and and were bundled out for 225 runs as Clairre Grimmet picked 6 wickets.7. Sri Lanka Vs Australia, Galle 2004

Australia has been a dominant test side over the years and they proved it yet again, this was the era after the great Steve Waugh, the team still was led by the mercurial Ricky Ponting fresh from his exploits in the World Cup in South Africa. It was the  opener of the series,as the Aussies batting first put up only 220 runs on the board, with a solitary fifty from Darren Lehmann. The slow Galle wicket meant that Muralitharan was at the thick of things again as he picked 6 wickets. In reply the Sri Lankan openers started well but lost their way, then a young Tillakaratne Dilshan batted wonderfully against quality leg spin in Shane Warne and Stuart Macgill to score a hundred, Sri Lanka made 381, a lead of 161 runs. The Australians already had a look in the first innings and this time it was no stopping them as Hayden, Martyn and Lehmann smashed hundreds as they piled on 512 runs. Sri Lanka was set a target of 353 runs and on a fifth day wicket crumbled to 154, with Shane Warne, the chief wrecker picking a five for including his 500th test wicket in Hasan Tillakaratne.6. Australia Vs Pakistan, SCG 2010

Australian side this time around was in a transition phase in test cricket with young batsmen like Philip Hughes and Marcus North coming through the ranks, and captain Ricky Ponting was at the twilight of his career. Australia batted first, but it was Pakistan who made most of the bouncy track as Mohammed Sami and Mohammed Asif ripped through the Aussie batting line picking 3 and 6 wickets respectively as Australia folded up for 127. In reply Pakistan made most of the inexperienced Aussie bowling line up of Peter Siddle, Doug Bollinger and Nathan Hauritz as they posted 333 runs on the board, a lead of 206 runs, with Salman Butt top scoring with 71. Australia fought back sensationally in the second innings with Shane Watson(98) and Michael Hussey(134) doing the bulk of the scoring, posting 381, setting Pakistan 176 runs to win the test match. The mercurial Pakistani team somehow didn’t turn up as they capitulated for a 139 runs gifting a five wicket haul to Nathan Hauritz, as Australia won the test match by 36 runs.5. England Vs Australia, The Ashes, Headingly 1981.

This is not only a memorable Ashes test match but a game to deeply rooted in the annals of cricketing history. The Game is an example of cricketing comebacks and is largely remembered due to the heroics of Ian Botham and Bob Willis who made history. Australia batted first under grey skies and did so wonderfully as John Dyson(102) and Kim Hughes(89) got them to 401 runs. Ian Botham returned with six wickets. In reply England lost wickets in clusters as they made a 174. a huge deficit of 227 runs, only Ian Botham got a fifty. In reply, England followed on but this time made 356 runs by ther sheer determination of ‘Beefy’ who scored a 149 runs of 148 balls. but Australia had to 130 runs to win the test match, but Bob willis had other ideas as he picked up 6 wickets, and Aussies folded up for 111 runs.4. Australia Vs England, The Ashes, SCG 1894

This Boxing day Ashes test was a timeless test test match played at the SCG in 1894. Cricket’s oldest rivalry had just began and it was about to announce itself to the world. Australia batted first in the timeless test match and put up a massive 586 runs on the board, batting almost over a 2 days. Syd Gregory made a scintillating 201, and George Giffen made 161. The English in reply made only 325 runs with Albert Ward (75) being the top scorer. England were made to follow on and once again opening batsman Albert Ward showed his class as he top scored with 117 runs as England made 437 runs, setting a target of 178 runs for the Aussies. However in the most thrilling test of its day Australia were bowled out for 167 runs handing England a priceless 10 run victory, on the sixth day of the test match, as  Bobby Peel picked Six wickets.3. South Africa Vs Australia, Durban 1950

Australia won yet another memorable test against the Proteas this time at Kingsmead, Durban in the 1949-50 season. The game also marked another breath taking come back as Australia conceded a first innings lead of 236 runs.The Proteas batted first as Eric Rowan(143) top scored to take them to 311. In reply Australia folded up to their then lowest test total of 75 as only three batsman got to double figures. South Africa batted again but this time the duo of Ian Johnson and Bill Johnston wrecked havoc as they shared 9 wicket saw the Proteas were bundled out for 99, but the Aussies still had to get 336 runs on a wearing 4th day track in Kingsmead, and they did it in spectacular fashion as Neil Harvey (151) to scored as they won by 5 wickets.2. Sri Lanka Vs Australia, SSC 1992.

Another Classic game involving the same sides, this time in August 1992, in Colombo. Again a formidable Aussie side with Shane Warne, Greg Matthews and Craig McDermont in their ranks. Australia batted first on a good pitch but could muster only 256, largely due to Ian Healy’s 66 of 141, as Chandika Hathurusingha picked four wickets. The Lankans, replied in phenomenal fashion as Gurusinha, skipper Ranatunga and wicket keeper batsman Kaluwitharana getting hundreds ending up with 547 runs, a lead of 291, seemingly burying the game. The Allan Border led Australian side did all they could on a wearing track to take a narrow lead of 180 runs, scoring 471 in their second innings, with Boon, Dean Jones, and Greg Matthews all getting fifties. Sri Lanka had a tricky fourth innings chase on dusty track and things seemed to go well as they were well placed at 127/2 when the collapse began, they agonizingly fell short by 16 runs as the Australia pulled of an unthinkable victory after conceding a mammoth first innings lead.1. India Vs Australia. Kolkata 2001.

Test matches, at times make history but  sometimes make legends. This was one such instance. Australia, a very dominant test match force were at their historical peak lead by Steve Waugh. Only a miracle was the way to stop such a force and it did in the form of two lean but gritty batsmen and a Sikh. Australia batted first in the famous test match and put up 445 on the board. Steve Waugh made 110 magnificent runs. India in reply fell like 9 pins, they were dismantled out for 171, even reached it because of VVS Laxman who made 59, Mcgrath incisive spell got him 4/18, India’s back was against the wall as they were already trailing the series and now 291 runs, they were forced to follow on by the haughty Australians and then the unthinkable happened. Shiv Sundar Das and S Ramesh did give India a good start but VVS Laxman came out to bat at NO 3 and he was shortly joined by Rahul Dravid. Then they batted, grinding out the best bowling attack in the world to stitch 376 run partnership, as Laxman made the then highest individual score by an Indian(281) and Dravid scored 180 as India made 657 runs before declaring an hour into the play on Day 5, setting Australia 384 runs to chase down on a fifth day of a test match. Australia looked to respond well but were pegged back time and again by the spin of Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar. But the turnaround came in the last session of the test match when a match headed towards draw was ‘spun’ into India’s favour when Harbhajan removed both Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting in one over. This triggered a collapse as India bowled the Aussies out for 212 winning a historic test match against the ‘Invincibles’ by a 171 runs.

Find out which test match finds a special mention!

Special Mention: South Africa v Australia, Newlands, Cape Town, 2011

Scoreboard after Australia were dismissed for 47. Courtesy: Getty Images

This one has to be the one of best comebacks in test matches in this decade. Australia, put into bat, put 284 on the board courtesy a brilliant Michael Clarke hundred who scored 151. When it looked that Australia didn’t have enough runs on the board, they shot back by dismissing South Africa for 96 in 24.3 overs (technically, under a session), led by Shane Watson who took 5-17, backed up by Ryan Harris who had figures of 4-33. After taking a lead of 188 runs in the first innings, it looked as if Australia would coast to an easy victory and South Africa will have at least a target of 400 runs. But debutant Vernon Philander had other ideas and with company of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, he wreaked havoc on Australian batsmen. Before anyone could blink and realise what had happened, Australia were 21-9 in their second innings with no batsman reaching double figures and four of them dismissed for ducks. Had it not been 26-run last wicket partnership between Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon, Australia could have made the record for the lowest ever team total in tests.

Australia not only outdid the Proteas in the first innings score, but they also outdid the proteas by getting themselves dismissed in 18 overs after they had them all out in 24.3 overs. South Africa, not set a target of 236 runs, chased it down comfortably with 8 wickets in hand and captain Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla scoring hundreds.

Jacques Rudolph, South African opener had completed his fielding and batting of both innings in under 2 days. Such was the uniqueness of this test match!