Upset

[Burgey]

No, not a continuation of the Harbhajan issue.

There have been great tests played which have been close results, but they often aren't really upsets.

As an example, the West Indies in 1993 beat Australia in Adelaide by 1 run, but it wasn't an upset - the Windies were still regarded then as world champions and they were well and truly in a position to win (it was really an extrardinary performance by the last wicket or two that got Australia so close).

So, what are the great upsets in test cricket? Matches where either:

1. a team were such rank outsiders that their winning against opponents thought much better than them was considered out of the blue; or

2. a team was so down and out in an individual match that their comeback to win was amazing.

 

[chaminda_00]

Sri Lanka v Australia 1996 WC Final. Yeah its ODIs, but still the greatest upset ever.

 

[Spikey]

The two that spring to my mind are:

Australia vs India 77-78, Australia had just lost all their players to WSC and India were full strength, Australia won 3-2 and of Lara vs Australia in '99.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

No, not a continuation of the Harbhajan issue.

There have been great tests played which have been close results, but they often aren't really upsets.

As an example, the West Indies in 1993 beat Australia in Adelaide by 1 run, but it wasn't an upset - the Windies were still regarded then as world champions and they were well and truly in a position to win (it was really an extrardinary performance by the last wicket or two that got Australia so close).

So, what are the great upsets in test cricket? Matches where either:

1. a team were such rank outsiders that their winning against opponents thought much better than them was considered out of the blue; or

2. a team was so down and out in an individual match that their comeback to win was amazing.

Salient in the mind are England v Australia, Headingley, 1981 (England were 135 for 7 in the follow-on and still 92 behind) and Australia v Pakistan with Sarfraz's 9-52 (from memory Australia needed 70 with 7 in the shed).

Also good ones (though not quite so precarious for the eventual victors) were England v West Indies at Lord's in 2000 and England v Zimbabwe at Harare in 1996 (in fairness it was a draw, but still not the expected outcome).

 

[Burgey]

India v Aus in 2001 at Kolkata was another one as well.

 

[Barney Rubble]

I remember a Test a few years back between Bangladesh and Pakistan that Pakistan won by 1 wicket. If Bangladesh had pulled that off it would probably have been the biggest Test upset I can rememer, 'cause back then Bangladesh were just plain awful.

 

[Migara]

That famous match, India came back from behind to beat Aussies.

 

[archie mac]

The Aussies knocking over the Windies at the MCG circa 1981/82

 

[The Sean]

Sri Lanka v Australia 1996 WC Final. Yeah its ODIs, but still the greatest upset ever.

Stretching it a bit, I would have thought. Australia were obviously the favourites but Sri Lanka by then were a quality side - the result was something of an upset for sure, but to call it the greatest upset ever is a fairly big exaggeration mate.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

I remember a Test a few years back between Bangladesh and Pakistan that Pakistan won by 1 wicket. If Bangladesh had pulled that off it would probably have been the biggest Test upset I can rememer, 'cause back then Bangladesh were just plain awful.

Inzy made an ass-saving hundred IIRC.

 

[Burgey]

The Aussies knocking over the Windies at the MCG circa 1981/82

Ahh, the Kim & Dennis first day:

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1981-82/WI_IN_AUS/WI_AUS_T1_26-30DEC1981.html

 

[Prince EWS]

Stretching it a bit, I would have thought. Australia were obviously the favourites but Sri Lanka by then were a quality side - the result was something of an upset for sure, but to call it the greatest upset ever is a fairly big exaggeration mate.

Haha, AWTA. Ireland beating Pakistan in the World Cup ranks up there, as does Bangladesh beating Australia. The thread specifies Tests anyway so it's all irrelevant.

 

[archie mac]

Ahh, the Kim & Dennis first day:

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1981-82/WI_IN_AUS/WI_AUS_T1_26-30DEC1981.html

Just about my favourite day of Test cricket, Lilleeee, Lileeee

 

[Burgey]

Sri Lanka's first test win was pretty special too in terms of an upset.

 

[Burgey]

Just about my favourite day of Test cricket, Lilleeee, Lileeee

Yeah, even Tony Greig was excited. Probably the only time there was a bit less swagger in Viv than usual. Even he seemed a little up tight, which is saying something.

Another - second Ashes Test 2005. After the bollocking at Lord's that was a pretty big upset.

 

[Jono]

Not as epic as some others mentioned here, but the WI recent test win against South Africa. I wonder what the WI were paying to win the test before the match. Would have been huge.

 

[archie mac]

Yeah, even Tony Greig was excited. Probably the only time there was a bit less swagger in Viv than usual. Even he seemed a little up tight, which is saying something..

A great Test for Lillee, I am sure the anti DKL can tell us how lucky he was and how his persona conned us in to thinking him a great bowler

Another - second Ashes Test 2005. After the bollocking at Lord's that was a pretty big upset.

Yes, I must admit I thought it was business has usual after Lords, but England were the better team in every match from that point on

 

[Glacier]

Surprised no ones mentioned Pakistan vs India, last test in 2006. To come back from 39-6 and go on to win the match by 300 odd runs must rank as one of the best performances of this decade.

Also in 1999 in another Pak-India series, Pakistan came back from 29-6 IIRC to win the Kolkata test.

 

[Richard]

A great Test for Lillee, I am sure the anti DKL can tell us how lucky he was and how his persona conned us in to thinking him a great bowler

FFS Sean, as Dasa once said to you it gets utterly tiresome how you keep going-on like this. No-one has ever said Lillee's performance in that match was not a sensational one. But I'll assure you, I could find 50 performances from other seam-bowlers, many of whom weren't even on the same plane as Lillee, as good.

 

[Richard]

Salient in the mind are England v Australia, Headingley, 1981 (England were 135 for 7 in the follow-on and still 92 behind) and Australia v Pakistan with Sarfraz's 9-52 (from memory Australia needed 70 with 7 in the shed).

Also good ones (though not quite so precarious for the eventual victors) were England v West Indies at Lord's in 2000 and England v Zimbabwe at Harare in 1996 (in fairness it was a draw, but still not the expected outcome).

Disagree with all of those TBH, the first two are brilliant come-from-an-almost-certainly-defeated-position-to-victory games but would hardly have been considered OOTQ before the game.

The England-in-Zimbabwe one would have been different if England had scored 1 more run, which they would have done but for bending-of-the-rules by Zimbabwean bowlers, and the Lord's 2000 game (greatest Test in history for mine) was again hardly an upset, just a sensational match that swung one way then the next, often two or three times in a day.