The Greatest Test Match

[Richard]

Headingley '81 is surely unbeatable.
Eden Gardens 2000\01 comes close, though not as close IMO as Lord's 2000.
Can't believe only one person's mentioned it so far.
Certainly the best Test I've ever seen. The Christchurch game was good, but not in these classes.
Headingley '81 quite simply defied belief. And my Dad could have been there if he'd not turned-down the chance due to the hopeless situation and the fact he wanted to knock down a porch!
Lord's 2000 had everything; Campbell playing quite well (dropped once in 71); he and Hinds played some scintillating strokes. Cork dragged England back into the game; Ambrose and Walsh demolished England; Caddick went beserk and Cork cleaned-up the tail; Atherton and Vaughan edged it down in one of the best sessions of batting you're ever likely to see, all the batsmen made a contribution (bar the unfortunate White - given caught behind off the chest) and Cork finished it off. After about 6 twists during the last day.

 

[badgerhair]

Headingley '81 is surely unbeatable.
Eden Gardens 2000\01 comes close, though not as close IMO as Lord's 2000.
Can't believe no-one's mentioned it yet.

I suppose this means I'm already on Richard's "ignore" list, since I did mention it. I just didn't rate it as highly as Headingley 91. (Yes, 91, because I'm not one of the 254,763 people who claim to have been amongst the 2000 or so who actually saw the whole of the 81 game)

Cheers,

Mike

 

[aussiefan]

1. India vs Australia at Kolkatta 2001
2. Australia vs Pakistan at Hobart some where around 1998-1999 adam gilchrist made 140+ and lead australia.
3. India vs Australia at Sydney Jan 2004

 

[Richard]

I suppose this means I'm already on Richard's "ignore" list, since I did mention it. I just didn't rate it as highly as Headingley 91. (Yes, 91, because I'm not one of the 254,763 people who claim to have been amongst the 2000 or so who actually saw the whole of the 81 game)

Cheers,

Mike

Not entirely sure how I managed to neglect that, but I'll change it anyway. I just skimmed through the thread, didn't read all as I should have.
I've never seen a single ball of Headingley 1991, and I would love to so much. But from what I've read of it, I don't think it would have been - quite - as exciting as Lord's 2000.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

as exciting as Lord's 2000.

It all began with a Campbell cut shot... :!(

 

[raju]

Not entirely sure how I managed to neglect that, but I'll change it anyway. I just skimmed through the thread, didn't read all as I should have.
I've never seen a single ball of Headingley 1991, and I would love to so much. But from what I've read of it, I don't think it would have been - quite - as exciting as Lord's 2000.

A fantastic test match but not near some of the others mentioned in this thread. Gooch's 154 no is one of the best innings I ever saw, made against a top rate attack in bowler friendly conditions.
IIRR Ramps' made the winning catch on his debut and Pringle got cheered by the Headingly crowd during the aftermatch celebrations after a career of being heckled in the north because he was seen as a southern nonce...to which he retorted by raising his champagne glass to the home supporters. Pure class.

 

[marc71178]

one of the 254,763 people who claim to have been amongst the 2000 or so who actually saw the whole of the 81 game

It's 254,764 now, my Gran's next door neighbour just claimed to have been there this evening.

 

[badgerhair]

Not entirely sure how I managed to neglect that, but I'll change it anyway. I just skimmed through the thread, didn't read all as I should have.
I've never seen a single ball of Headingley 1991, and I would love to so much. But from what I've read of it, I don't think it would have been - quite - as exciting as Lord's 2000.

It wasn't the roller-coaster that Lord's 2000 was, but one of *my* criteria for a good match is that it is good cricket.

It cannot be said that the lacklustre bowling and mediocre batting of WI's first innings or England's dreadful batting in theirs at Lord's were good cricket. At Headingley in 1991, there was a sense of two teams at it hammer and tongs and displaying great skills and character throughout the match. Not least because the conditions were terrible for cricket. It was freezing cold, and there was often a bitter wind whipping across the field - that the two teams could produce such tremendous cricket in the face of it was astounding.

And as Gooch's innings unfolded and developed, you got the feeling that you were watching history in the making - a huge, towering innings of power and strength amidst weakness, asserting a dominance over West Indian pace not seen on these shores in 20 years.

This was a titanic struggle, while it was obvious at Lord's in 2000 that we were watching pale shadows of the greatness that had gone before. They were producing enthralling cricket in the second half, but the memory of that dismal first half tarnishes the whole as a match, as it reminds you how poor the teams were.

I'm just glad I was there on both occasions.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[Richard]

It cannot be said that the lacklustre bowling and mediocre batting of WI's first innings or England's dreadful batting in theirs at Lord's were good cricket...
while it was obvious at Lord's in 2000 that we were watching pale shadows of the greatness that had gone before. They were producing enthralling cricket in the second half, but the memory of that dismal first half tarnishes the whole as a match, as it reminds you how poor the teams were.

That England side was most certainly not a poor side - it's one of the best we've put out in the last 15 years. Only the teams of The Oval and Headingley in the same series bettered it.
And I find it wholly misleading to describe the first-innings of that game as lacklustre or dismal:
OK, Campbell was dropped by Hick when he should have left it for Atherton but the bowling and ground-fielding was fantastic:
Griffith run-out by a perfect Caddick pick-up-and-throw from fine-leg.
Campbell caught on the long-leg boundary (by the debutant) off a Cork Bouncer - OK, not the most attractive piece of cricket.
Lara nicking a beautifully bowled straight-onner from Gough.
Hinds getting a faint feather (however unconvincing the appeal was) on a beautifully bowled Cork in-swinger.
Adams being trapped lbw by Cork and not given and then given lbw to Gough when it was slipping down leg. Poetic justice for the batsman; unfortunate and fortunate respectively for the bowlers.
Jacobs again caught (Stewart) off a Cork Bouncer - read Campbell dismissal.
Ambrose caught short-leg; a good Cork in-swinger again.
Rose lbw to Gough's in-swing, in the classic Rose manner. Despite a decent typical-Rose knock, everything through the leg-side.
Chanderpaul drags-on Goughie's in-swinger.
And next morning Courteney is lbw to Caddick in the typical Courteney manner. And as I said, Campbell and Griffith batted OK and Hinds pretty well.
Next innings:
Ramprakash caught Lara off a beatiful Ambrose away-seamer.
Atherton caught Lara off a horrible "wafting push" to quote Richie on commentary.
Vaughan dropped by Campbell off another incredible Ambrose away-seamer, then bowled by a fantastic in-seamer on a perfect length.
Hick, after a brief counter against Rose (16 off his 1st over), is bowled by an even better Ambrose in-dipper that pitches way outside off and hits the top of middle-and-off.
Stewart is dropped by Lara again, off a nice Rose out-seamer.
Knight is caught Campbell off King off another excellent away-seamer (this time to the leftie).
After Lunch White counter-attacks nicely, but then Walsh returns to produce a magical away-seamer to Stewart.
White is then run-out by a brilliant direct-hit by Adams at cover.
Cork is caught behind off another fantastic Walsh away-seamer.
Caddick caught Campbell trying to turn Walsh to leg, yet another away-seamer perfectly pitched.
Gough caught Lara bowled Ambrose - guess what, another beautiful away-seamer that draws the drive.
So if you ask me, the bowling, especially from West Indies, was every bit as good as the rest of the game.
I wouldn't have enjoyed the game nearly as much as I do if the first half had been as lacklustre as you suggest.

 

[Swervy]

i think maybe what badgerhair is trying to get at here is that in 1991 the WI were a strong side (there have been stronger but still they were strong) and yet England matched them...they were truely titanic matches, so the quality was there

In 2000, the WI's were a really poor side,and yet England still only just pipped them and when you think about it, it is amazing that England actually got beat by an innings in the first test.

So whether that was a strong England side is up for debate...a strong side should have won that series 5-0,or at least 4-0. So yes the Lords game was great to watch, but was the quality of play there.

 

[Richard]

England's side at Edgbaston:
Atherton (one of the best batsmen of the last decade for England)
Ramprakash (palpably not an opening batsman)
Hussain (in the middle of a horror trot at that time, but like Atherton one of England's best of recent years)
Hick (not a Test-class batsman)
Stewart (proven class for as long as you want it)
Knight (not Test class, especially if you're going to insist on batting him at six instead of his best position)
Flintoff (we all know how absolutely rubbish he was then)
Croft (never been close to Test standard when playing in England)
Caddick (superb bowler in that spell [1999-First Test of 2001 season], one of England's best of the last 40 years)
Gough (another fantastic bowler)
Giddins (decent bowler in seaming conditions, useless in those like at Edgbaston in this game)
Not great. From Lord's onwards, the side got better and better. And not surprisingly, won 3 of 4 Tests, while drawing one that they might, possibly, have won given less rain.

 

[badgerhair]

i think maybe what badgerhair is trying to get at here is that in 1991 the WI were a strong side (there have been stronger but still they were strong) and yet England matched them...they were truely titanic matches, so the quality was there

In 2000, the WI's were a really poor side,and yet England still only just pipped them and when you think about it, it is amazing that England actually got beat by an innings in the first test.

So whether that was a strong England side is up for debate...a strong side should have won that series 5-0,or at least 4-0. So yes the Lords game was great to watch, but was the quality of play there.

The WI bowling at Headingley 91, a bowler-friendly pitch, was Marshall, Patterson, Ambrose and Walsh. Their batting featured Haynes, Richardson, Richards, and Hooper, and Lara coudn't get in the side.

For England to beat a side of such quality was a major achievement, and demanded one of the best innings of all time and some never-say-die battling from some weaker vessels, as well as tight bowling and sharp fielding and catching.

England's side at Headingley was in transition, too: Gooch was established, along with Allan Lamb and Robin Smith, Atherton was just making it, and this was the match which unveiled the next generation of batting stalwarts (as we hoped) with Ramprakash and Hick making their debuts. The bowling was pretty inexperienced or not very good anyway (usually), but they came out with an inspired display, espeiclaly in I2 after Gooch had built the platform to defend.

Overall, I'd say that the 1991 and 2000 England sides (at least in the two matches under discussion) were about equal - the 91 side was stronger in batting and the 2000 side in bowling. But what our opponents were like differed wildly - WI had a whole bunch of all-time great players on show at Headingley, not a couple of old warhorses and a supporting cast of mediocrities and neophytes.

And the difference in the quality of the WI sides was reflected in the quality of the cricket.

At the end of the 2000 match, I was thrilled, but I'd watched some middleweight streetfighters having a brawl. In 1991 I saw something much more like Clay v Liston.

In my view, of course, going by what I saw from the stands. And since I am entirely confident that no-one else posting here has that perspective (and Richard admits to not seeing a single ball of the 91 Test even on TV), I win.


Cheers,

Mike

 

[Pratters]

West Indies vs. Australia 3rd Test 1999

I laughed, I cried, I celebrated.

Same goes for me..

Thats the best test match I have seen and would say its the best test match ever.. it was the best match I had seen but the first one day between India and Pakistan was better as a match..

I never thought I could pick a one day as the best over a test match but the first one dayer was truly special and Pakistan should have won it..

West Indies vs Australia.. the day Brian Lara showed his mastery as only he can remains the best test match..