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Greatest innings?

I

iamdavid

International Debutant
Astle's 222 still ranks very highly for me , because despite the fact he was basically just having a swing the conditions were very difficult & all the bowlers seemed pretty much on their game.

Laxman's 281 was brilliant , he came in in front of 100,000 people , his side was 1-0 down & following on 171 runs behind.
He was up against 4 bowlers who at that stage were at the top of their games on a wicket likely to deteriorate & with his own position in the side anything but certain.
He then took the game away from the best side in the world with flawlessly executed strokeplay , not offereing a single chance.
To bat for that long , scoring 281 runs & 44 boundaries without offering a chance is remarkable , he just didnt hit the ball in the air , it was all along the carpet & all so classy.

Lara's 153 was brilliant especially in the situation.
However IMO not as good as his 277 at Sydney in 93 , the most amazing thing here was that , as with Laxman , he never seemed to hit the ball in the air , he never offered a chance , except a plumb lbw to Greg Matthews on 199 :saint:.
 
Neil Pickup

Neil Pickup

Cricket Web Moderator
Quite an incredible display of hitting undoubtedly, but I can't rate it on a par with the innings that have seen sides through to victory :)
 
Mister Wright

Mister Wright

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
iamdavid said:
However IMO not as good as his 277 at Sydney in 93 , the most amazing thing here was that , as with Laxman , he never seemed to hit the ball in the air , he never offered a chance , except a plumb lbw to Greg Matthews on 199 :saint:.
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He was dropped, I think at point. I remember clearly because channel 9 showed his spider and it had lines going all over the oval and one big red dot from when he was dropped. Not that it should be rated any less just because he was dropped.

For me the 281 by Laxman is the best innings I have seen.

The best innings I have seen live is Chanderpaul's 60-odd not out against Australia at the 'Gabba in 2000.

Also Simon Katich's 100 against Queensland in a Sheffield Shield final.

Martin Love's 250* against England at Allan Border Field was also a classic knock.
 
V Reddy

V Reddy

International Debutant
FRAZ said:
Innings played by Sadgoppan Ramesh and Dravid in a sharjah cup match 1999 played against Pakistan. They took so many blows from Shoaib and Zahid and Waqar too , on their bodies .They were 3 down . They were chasing only a modest total of 198 . That was a big achievment by Indian cricket by not losing any other wicket and completing the score .That was really unbelieveable that they faced such a pace but still won.
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Yup those were top innings but pity they were both out in the same over in the final.

Laxman's innings against Aus in Kolkata and Adelaide and Dravid's innings too.

Dravid's innings in Headingley on that pitch is worth a mention too.

AA's innings at Lords was pleasure to watch too:saint:
 
A

Arrow

U19 Vice-Captain
iamdavid said:

However IMO not as good as his 277 at Sydney in 93 , the most amazing thing here was that , as with Laxman , he never seemed to hit the ball in the air , he never offered a chance , except a plumb lbw to Greg Matthews on 199 :saint:.
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Thats my pick as well.
Utter domination at the peak of his powers.
The main thing i remember about that innings is four,four,four,four...
Just non stop fours and the aussie bowlers standing there shaking their heads.
I think if good old carl hooper didnt run him out he would of broken the world record there that day.
 
marc71178

marc71178

Eyes not spreadsheets
Re: Re: Re: Greatest innings?

nibblet said:
The fact that he did it ball after ball in the later part of the innings, unlike Thrope means his innings was greater.
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The fact that it was a hopeless cause and NZ were never going to come close to winning meaning the pressure on him was minimal makes the Thorpe knock much better.
 
Richard

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Re: Re: Greatest innings?

marc71178 said:
No, Thorpe's was made under pressure and won his side the game, Astle's was just swing swing swing!

So Thorpe's wasn't in the same class, it was in a higher class!
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And need I remind you that but for Astle Thorpe's wouldn't have happened?
222, whether swing, swing, swing or not, is better than 4 anyday!
And whether we or NZ won the match is totally irrelevant to which was the better innings.
 
Richard

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Adamc said:
Surely this innings by Hanif Mohammad beats Atherton's 185* hands down. Following on 473 runs behind, with nearly 4 days still to play, bats for over 16 hours in making 337 to save the match.
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Atherton's was good (yet to see that "chance" off Donald on 99, if it was as simple as Neil says how did he deserve credit for staying there?) but surely that Hanif one beats it.
AFAIAA it was chanceless. An incredible knock.
 
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Richard

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
For me Astle's 222 is tricky to be bettered, though Richards' innings at Antigua must have been pretty good.
Lara's 375 obviously rates highly.
Atherton's 45 (Lord's, 2000, second-innings) is a strange case, incredibly important, but not really high enough to rate with them.
Lara's innings in the 1998\99 Third Test would not rate nearly as highly if Healey had not allowed it to mean victory.
If Gooch's century at Headingley in 1991 was chanceless, it must have been a phenominal knock, I have seen highlights, the wicket was not great, and an attack of brilliant bowlers didn't by any streatch of the imagination underperform.
 
marc71178

marc71178

Eyes not spreadsheets
Re: Re: Re: Greatest innings?

Richard said:
And need I remind you that but for Astle Thorpe's wouldn't have happened?
222, whether swing, swing, swing or not, is better than 4 anyday!
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You what?

Astle's came in the 4th Innings, and Thorpe scored a double hundred.
 
Richard

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Re: Re: Re: Re: Greatest innings?

marc71178 said:
You what?

Astle's came in the 4th Innings, and Thorpe scored a double hundred.
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You really know how to be contrary, don't you?:saint:
Astle dropped Thorpe, 2nd ball - simple slip chance off Drum. Thorpe had hit the 1st for four.
If Astle had taken the catch, and Thorpe deserved no credit for him dropping it, then Thorpe would have made 4 and no more.
Yes, Thorpe played well for 196* afterwards, but he wouldn't have had the chance to do so but for Astle.
 
PY

PY

International Coach
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Greatest innings?

Richard said:
You really know how to be contrary, don't you?:saint:
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You were asking for that one. Made no sense at all. Now it does, if you subscribe to your logic.

Which I don't. :)
 
Y

YoMomaSaidYes'

Cricket Spectator
Yo - It was Sachin's innings(100+) in Sharjah against the Aussies. India was down and low and had to cross 250 something(chasing 270+) to get into the finals against the Aussies. After a weird sandstorm break, Sachin came out and blasted Warnie & Co. to all parts of the ground. Unbelievable knock.
India made into the finals and beat the Aussies(again courtesy Mr.Tendulkar who gets an Audi for his knock).
 
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