Last Chance Taken?

[GIMH]

Watching Strauss here, hits a second 50, and yet if he hadn't tonned up in last game in NZ I don't think we'd ever see him in a Test again. It's got me thinking, what other examples are there of players who have been supposedly very much on their last legs, pulled something out of the bag and then gone on to do some great things?

An example that springs to mind immediately for me is Hayden; seem to remember there was talk of him being dropped around the time of the 5th Ashes Test in 05, he scored a much slower than usual ton and hasn't really looked back since (though I think he may have been dropped from the OD side for a short while).

Thoughts?

[ret]

Sehwag .... gets recalled at Perth, gives a useful performance, saves the game at Adelaide with a tremendous innings under pressure, hits a triple at Chennai

Ponting .... after a terrible perfo against India, takes the opportunity against Eng

[wpdavid]

Steve Waugh against England in 1989

[Richard]

Originally Posted by ret

Ponting .... after a terrible perfo against India, takes the opportunity against Eng

No way would he have never played again had he failed at Headingley in 2001. He might've been dropped, but he'd have been back sometime.

Seem to remember there was talk of Dilip Sardesi taking his last chance somewhere. Wonder if SJS remembers that.

Ironically Martyn mentions Hayden at The Oval in 2005; the same thing was true of Langer at the same ground in the same game in 2001. Had he been knocked-over cheaply, we could easily have never seen him again.

Alec Stewart at Old Trafford in 2002 is my favourite though. Never been more pleased about something in a game of cricket than I was after that innings.

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

1999. Australia touring the West Indies.

WIndies had just lost 5-0, 6-1 in South Africa and were at the lowest of points. Brian Lara was told before the series that he was on a 2-Test probation, where his captaincy and place in the side would be under scrutiny. There was a lot of thought that Chanderpaul would take over the captaincy if he failed.

In the first Test West Indies crashed to a, then, record low of 51 all out to lose embarrassingly at the Queen's Park Oval. West Indies crawled to Sabina Park where Lara's future was on the line. Australia scored 256 in the first innings and then Suruj Ragoonath and Lincoln Roberts (both dire batsmen) were out for ducks and West Indies were reeling at 5-2. That soon became 17-3 when Sherwin Campbell was bowled by McGrath for 12. Lara went on to score 213 off 344 balls, with 29 fours and 3 sixes. West Indies won by 10 wickets. In the next game Lara scored his famous 153 not out and then 100 off 84 balls in a losing cause in the final game of the series. On Lara's back West Indies drew 2-2. Since, West Indies have only won one Test against Australia in 3 series since.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Mr Mxyzptlk

Lara went on to score 213 off 344 balls, with 29 fours and 3 sixes. West Indies won by 10 wickets. In the next game Lara scored his famous 153 not out and then 100 off 84 balls in a losing cause in the final game of the series.

Often wondered what might've happened had Mark Waugh caught that catch on 44 in said 213. And obviously the possibilities had Healy caught the chance on 146 have been discussed endlessly.

On Lara's back West Indies drew 2-2. Since, West Indies have only won one Test against Australia in 3 series since.

That being in a dead match, indeed.

[Craig]

Well that could change tonight though. I really do hope the West Indies are able to make the biggest upset since Ireland beat Pakistan in last year's WC and I think that will be a good thing (not having the 150 Australia is doomed threads that will pop up).

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Originally Posted by Craig

Well that could change tonight though. I really do hope the West Indies are able to make the biggest upset since Ireland beat Pakistan in last year's WC and I think that will be a good thing (not having the 150 Australia is doomed threads that will pop up).

Disagree. Would be the biggest upset since West Indies beat South Africa in South Africa. West Indies hadn't won a Test overseas (against someone other than Zimbabwe/Bangladesh) since 2000. South Africa were playing some pretty sharp cricket. I'd say beating South Africa in 4 days in South Africa was an epic achievement in that context.

[vic_orthdox]

An obvious one is Mark Taylor in the 2nd innings of the 1st Test of the 1997 Ashes. He put on some runs after we were way behind and still lost the Test, but he was very likely gone if he didn't make runs in that innings.

[Richard]

How often has a captain been dropped in the middle of an away series?

I can only ever think of Mike Denness.

[stumpski]

He dropped himself in fact. Cricinfo feature. Re: Taylor, I remember that innings very well and the pressure he was under - the state of the game as well as his own form. I think he would have played the rest of the series even if he hadn't made that ton, but that might well have been his lot.

[Richard]

But he scored runs later that series. Whether he'd have done that had he not got that knock at Edgbaston, well, who knows, but I don't think that knock was quite the "last game before you're dropped" material some others have been.

Says a lot, though, that Michael Atherton, his opposite-number, actually felt glad to have seen Taylor get that score, and said he enjoyed the victory more because of it - said he went into the Aussie dressing-room for the usual post-match beer and saw the relief on his face.

Taylor truly was someone held in the highest esteem by his opponents.

[NUFAN]

Yeah Taylor was the first person I thought of too.

Any bowlers?

[social]

Symonds 72 vs SA at MCG - career was over if he failed

Sidebottom should probably never have been recalled but took his supposed one-off chance brilliantly

[GIMH]

Yeah, good call on Sidebottom. With hindsight it was clearly the right decision but there was an element of at the time