100 Test Matches at The Oval

[Lillian Thomson]

The Oval joins a small select number of venues that have hosted 100 Test Matches. JBMAC will probably claim to remember all of them. I've witnessed all of them (99.9% on TV) since the early 70's. Some great moments, great innings and a lot of great memories and matches. My favourite memory is oddly enough an England defeat. The Oval pitch in the mid-70's was an absolute featherbed, especially 74-76. Michael Holding's bowling on the final day of the 1976 Test was fast bowling at its best. It was the flattest of flat pitches and although the England batting line-up wasn't the greatest they'd made over 400 in the first innings (admittedly Dennis Amiss made nearly half of them). There was nothing intimidating, just extremely fast and accurate fast bowling. Viv also made 291 which was a great innings, but that seemed a little more inevitable that summer.

 

[wpdavid]

The Oval joins a small select number of venues that have hosted 100 Test Matches. JBMAC will probably claim to remember all of them. I've witnessed all of them (99.9% on TV) since the early 70's. Some great moments, great innings and a lot of great memories and matches. My favourite memory is oddly enough an England defeat. The Oval pitch in the mid-70's was an absolute featherbed, especially 74-76. Michael Holding's bowling on the final day of the 1976 Test was fast bowling at its best. It was the flattest of flat pitches and although the England batting line-up wasn't the greatest they'd made over 400 in the first innings (admittedly Dennis Amiss made nearly half of them). There was nothing intimidating, just extremely fast and accurate fast bowling. Viv also made 291 which was a great innings, but that seemed a little more inevitable that summer.

Yeah, you and I will be sharing similar memories, and I feel the same way about 1976 as you do.

Beyond the Holding/Amiss match, 2005 and 2009 were especially sweet. The former because it had been so very long since we'd held the urn, and 2009 because it was so unexpected.
Devon Malcolm's mauling of SA in 1994 is another favourite, as is Tresco's demolition of the same opponents in 2003.

 

[S.Kennedy]

Yip v the WI in the '70s. Viv having that massive innings. Bit before my time but I've seen the highlights. Also Pietersen's 158 in 2005 - and Warne dropping that catch!

 

[fredfertang]

India in '79 - never much cared for Gavaskar before that or after but found myself wanting India to win on that last afternoon

 

[wpdavid]

India in '79 - never much cared for Gavaskar before that or after but found myself wanting India to win on that last afternoon

You must remember the one that they did win, in 1971.

That was my first summer of watching the game actually.

 

[fredfertang]

You must remember the one that they did win, in 1971.

That was my first summer of watching the game actually.

Absolutely - was certainly supporting India that day, as they had more Lancastrians in their side than England

The first Oval Test I actually remember was 1968 when Underwood won it after the ground had been under water

 

[Howe_zat]

Stuart Broad running through Australia to win the Ashes in 2009 was ****ing sensational

https://youtu.be/ZTyEZ_EYwYU?t=3717

 

[wpdavid]

Stuart Broad running through Australia to win the Ashes in 2009 was ****ing sensational

https://youtu.be/ZTyEZ_EYwYU?t=3717

Yeah, I just loved that test.

 

[jimmy101]

The '93 Oval Test was my first glimpse of the great ground. The Oval has always been one of my favourite English venues, what with its gasometer and large size which always breeds an exciting brand of cricket.

 

[bagapath]

My boyhood favorite Ravi Shastri scored the most fluent of his eleven test hundreds at The Oval in 1990. Apart from the '86 tied test when he scored 62 and 48 not out (in 36 balls with two massive sixers), I don't think he ever batted with so much freedom and super confidence as he did when he scored this 187.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLVckNIa47A

 

[ImpatientLime]

Tuffers recall in 1997 and then going onto spin a web around australia.

 

[honestbharani]

My boyhood favorite Ravi Shastri scored the most fluent of his eleven test hundreds at The Oval in 1990. Apart from the '86 tied test when he scored 62 and 48 not out (in 36 balls with two massive sixers), I don't think he ever batted with so much freedom and super confidence as he did when he scored this 187.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLVckNIa47A

We have had very different childhoods, my friend.


Back then in our family, Kapil Dev was all the rage for all of us guys. The ladies seemed to love Shastri though. Back around 1988 or 89, as I was the 4 year old out of the group of teenage cousins, I did win all those arguments and made them concede Kapil was better.

 

[vcs]

Kapil's decline in the early '90s was a bit painful to watch, when it seemed to take him forever to break Hadlee's record.

Prabhakar (loved his action) and Srinath had definitely become better options by then.

 

[bagapath]

Well, you were too young to have seen Shastri in his peak years; from WCC in Australia till Reliance WC, he could do anything. He would come to the crease either at six and bat with the tail and keep fighting till the end, resorting to slogs when needed - or he would open the batting and grind out world class fast bowling to lay a firm foundation for the team. He also had a knack of getting the wickets of star opposition batsmen with his left arm spin bowling. I did a statsguru search to illustrate my point but found nothing to support my claim. **** statistics. if billions believe in god with no evidence, I can believe, without statistical evidence, in Shastri being the best allrounder in the world for three years in a game called cricket which only seven teams used to play at the international level.

 

[honestbharani]

Kapil's decline in the early '90s was a bit painful to watch, when it seemed to take him forever to break Hadlee's record.

Prabhakar (loved his action) and Srinath had definitely become better options by then.

Yeah he was not very good post 1992 I thought.

 

[Agar]

Well, you were too young to have seen Shastri in his peak years; from WCC in Australia till Reliance WC, he could do anything. He would come to the crease either at six and bat with the tail and keep fighting till the end, resorting to slogs when needed - or he would open the batting and grind out world class fast bowling to lay a firm foundation for the team. He also had a knack of getting the wickets of star opposition batsmen with his left arm spin bowling. I did a statsguru search to illustrate my point but found his nothing to support my claim. **** statistics. if billions believe in god with no evidence I can believe, without statistical evidence, in Shastri being the best allrounder in the world for three years in a game called cricket which only seven teams used to play at the international level.

What nonsense, there is plenty of proof that Sachin Tendulkar exists.

 

[harsh.ag]

Well, you were too young to have seen Shastri in his peak years; from WCC in Australia till Reliance WC, he could do anything. He would come to the crease either at six and bat with the tail and keep fighting till the end, resorting to slogs when needed - or he would open the batting and grind out world class fast bowling to lay a firm foundation for the team. He also had a knack of getting the wickets of star opposition batsmen with his left arm spin bowling. I did a statsguru search to illustrate my point but found nothing to support my claim. **** statistics. if billions believe in god with no evidence, I can believe, without statistical evidence, in Shastri being the best allrounder in the world for three years in a game called cricket which only seven teams used to play at the international level.

Since 82-90 were also Imran's peak years, I would probably dial down on the faith to best all rounder in the country.

 

[OverratedSanity]

lmran's prime ended in late 87/88. Was primarily in the team as a batsman after that.

 

[vcs]

Best ODI allrounder in the world for a brief period of 2-3 years would probably be fairer. Haven't really looked at his stats though.

 

[honestbharani]

You **** s just cant let bags have his moment, can you?