Best innings in a bad pitch.

[Spark]

Steyn to Pujara was incredible. And the ball a couple of overs later in the same spell that clipped Harbhajan's off-stump on the way to the keeper, without dislodging the bail. And the first over on the same day which he bowled to Tendulkar, taking the edge a couple of times and beating the bat on 3 more occasions. Has to be one of the best ever spells of Test match bowling.

The special thing about how Wasim got Dravid in that over was the way he set him up. Should have had him LBW with the ball coming back into the right-hander, which resulted in Dravid playing inside the line, only for the next ball to move slightly away and clip off-stump. It is like checkmating an opponent in chess with a series of moves thought out well in advance. For that reason alone, I would rate it above any Mitch wonder-ball.

We're talking about individual deliveries though

As far as a spell of bowling though basically anything Wasim does >>>>>>>>> Mitch because of that. Aside from maybe some of his stuff vs SA in SA.

 

[Dasa]

lol.. the diff. between youtube highlights and watching the actual game live, tbh..

Nah, it was a regular fifth day pitch, nothing particularly untoward about it. Lara's innings was amazing enough, you don't have to big it up more by saying the pitch was a minefield or whatever.

 

[honestbharani]

99 Chennai track was pretty tough ,as usually was the case with the chennai pitch at the time.

By the way it wasn't a 5th day track but a 4th day one as the match ended in 4 days with all team scores about only 250 in each innings.

And the last innings was the toughest with the ball swinging early one ,then reversing and spinning big time of the footmarks.

Here is what Akram did to Dravid when Sachin had come in -

YouTube - Wasim Akram vs Rahul Dravid Ball of Century CRICKET

The match ended in 4 days actually .

Surprising you don't remember since you were at the ground that day?

That pitch was a bowler friendly one for the whole match with all scores around the 150 mark and was easily at its toughest in the last innings.

lol.. The pitch was sluggish, but come on, Afridi got 141 the previous day.. And Wasim, at that stage of his career, was capable of the odd magic ball but not of sustained brilliance.. The very fact that he was nowhere near getting 4 or 5 wicket hauls should show that. Waqar was a shell of himself... Saqlain was on top of his game but that was all...


To me, the greatness of Sachin's knock lay in the fact that he did not panic and go for his shots when all other recognized batsmen were dismissed and even more impressive was the fact that he went in for the grind even though it was injuring his back more and more.. I mean, paddle sweeps with a bad back.. jeez, the guy wanted that win..

 

[honestbharani]

Nah, it was a regular fifth day pitch, nothing particularly untoward about it. Lara's innings was amazing enough, you don't have to big it up more by saying the pitch was a minefield or whatever.

read my first post on the subject.. I never said it was a minefield.. It was on the worser side of the average 5th day pitch though, definitely.. I am not bigging anything up.. It was not juz sluggish as a regular 5th day track but the ball was cutting off the seam nicely and Warney and MacGill got more than their fair share of turn, esp. off the rough created by Gillespie and McGrath..

 

[honestbharani]

VVS Laxman's 66 not out to follow his 281 in the next match deserve a mention too -

3rd Test: India v Australia at Chennai, Mar 18-22, 2001 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

Also VVS laxman's 69 and Sachin Tendulkar's 55 in the last test match of the 2004 series at Mumbai were super knocks as well under pressure and the ball turning square,even for Michael Clarke.

4th Test: India v Australia at Mumbai, Nov 3-5, 2004 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

They do not get mentioned that much because India had already lost the series but considering the fact that when they came in India were traling in the match by about 100 runs with openers going early again ,it should.

The pitch was incredibly difficult and the match ended in the first session of the 3rd day.

That has a shout for being Sachin's best knock, tbh.. The pitch was turning ridiculous around that time AND affording help to McGrath and Gillespie with their cutters 'coz of the sluggish pace and bounce. Martyn and Laxman looked a class apart as well..

 

[smash84]

And Wasim, at that stage of his career, was capable of the odd magic ball but not of sustained brilliance.. The very fact that he was nowhere near getting 4 or 5 wicket hauls should show that. (

Not really. In the beginning of 1999 Wasim was still a force to reckon with.

I am not sure you followed his career after that because his series in SL and WI in 2000-01 were fast bowling treats. You can find videos on youtube and see the "sustained brilliance".....Also he got both his hattricks later on in the year.

The way he swung the ball in SL and the caribbean was outstanding. Some of the greatest displays of swing bowling ever.

I think it was after that series that Ranatunga said that he wanted to be born as Wasim Akram IIRC. Not totally sure about this though

 

[vcs]

Sometimes we focus too much on the pitch TBH.. put a great attack even on a pitch that offers a little bit of assistance and it's a tough challenge. Doesn't have to be an out-and-out greentop or dustbowl. Looking at Lara's innings, he came in at 78-3 after 40 or so overs.. he was the only one going for the win apparently, the strike rates of the rest of the batsmen are negligible.

 

[Borges]

To me, the greatness of Sachin's knock lay in the fact that he did not panic and go for his shots when all other recognized batsmen were dismissed and even more impressive was the fact that he went in for the grind even though it was injuring his back more and more.. I mean, paddle sweeps with a bad back.. jeez, the guy wanted that win..

Yes.

Wasim bowled unplayable deliveries quite often....the quality is not that great but you can tell

YouTube - Wasim Double Swing

First heard about that ball here:

Halfway down the pitch towards the right-hander, the delivery seemed innocuous. Delivered left-arm from round the wicket by Wasim Akram, it had the usual slithery speed, and was up there in length – an attempted yorker probably, but too full. It began to angle down the leg side, a low full-toss just ripe for Robert Croft, the England offspinner, to flick away to fine leg for an easy boundary. Croft planted his front foot and began the process of turning the ball away. He missed, the ball thudded into his pad, and Wasim roared his appeal. Negative, said the umpire, and we in the press box nodded knowingly: missing leg by miles.

Then came the replay, in super slow motion, and it was so astounding it left mouths gaping. For in the last ten feet or so, the ball ceased angling down the leg side and instead swung back the other way, eluding Croft's bat by six inches. Unquestionably it would have hit middle stump, but it all happened so fast and late that it deceived the eye of everyone, not least the umpire. The single most astonishing delivery that I have witnessed failed to produce a wicket.

This is a better quality video: YouTube - wasim akram's magical ball

 

[honestbharani]

Not really. In the beginning of 1999 Wasim was still a force to reckon with.

I am not sure you followed his career after that because his series in SL and WI in 2000-01 were fast bowling treats. You can find videos on youtube and see the "sustained brilliance".....Also he got both his hattricks later on in the year.

The way he swung the ball in SL and the caribbean was outstanding. Some of the greatest displays of swing bowling ever.

I think it was after that series that Ranatunga said that he wanted to be born as Wasim Akram IIRC. Not totally sure about this though

Again, how many 5fers did he get at that time? I was a very big fan of the Pak bowlling attack at that time and was following them closely (not least because of the emergence of Shoaib Akhtar).. As I said, while he was bowling excellent deliveries, he was just not picking up the wickets and big hauls as he did in the early and mid 90s.. Might be that with him losing a bit of speed due to injuries, his swing was getting slightly more easier to pick and play or atleast miss nicking..

 

[Borges]

Sometimes we focus too much on the pitch TBH.. put a great attack even on a pitch that offers a little bit of assistance and it's a tough challenge. Doesn't have to be an out-and-out greentop or dustbowl. Looking at Lara's innings, he came in at 78-3 after 40 or so overs.. he was the only one going for the win apparently, the strike rates of the rest of the batsmen are negligible.

True enough.

Though, 'put a somewhat competent attack on a pitch that offers a great deal of assistance and it's a tough challenge' is equally true.

 

[smash84]

Wasim was never very good against Eng for some reason and his 1999 series in Australia in which Pakistan were whitewashed 3-0 was a very bad one which gives his record a very bad tinge during that time. Otherwise he bowled superbly well against India, SL, and WI in the years 1999-2001

see for yourself

Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

And toward the late 90s he was a diabetic so he could not bowl extremely long spells anymore

 

[smash84]

Yes.



First heard about that ball here:


This is a better quality video: YouTube - wasim akram's magical ball

yeah.....much better quality video and an absolutely stunning delivery..........actually I always thought that Wasim was sometimes just too good with the ball with a lot of times the umpire making a mistake (as above) or the batsmen not being able to put bat on ball. Tbf he also got a lot of decisions in his favor which shouldn't have been so it kind of cancels out but the guy was a magician with the ball. The most exciting bowler I ever saw.

 

[Bun]

best innings on a bad pitch - sehwag 300 vs SA
best innings on a deteriorating pitch - laxman vs aus mumbai 04

 

[Spark]

Oh, and in before someone mentions Kim Hughes's MCG ton, which gets a lot of love around here.

 

[Noble One]

Oh, and in before someone mentions Kim Hughes's MCG ton, which gets a lot of love around here.

Post 37 makes good reading .

 

[Spark]

*note to self: reading helps*

 

[Austerlitz]

Gooch 154* vs the west indies pace battery.
Kim hughes 100*
Sachin 136
akmal 109.
vvs 281.
vvs 96.
lara 153*
sachin 114 at perth.[strange no one mentions this]


Greatest ball for me warne to chanderpaul bowled.And waqar to lara bowled.

Next probably gatting ball,akram.

Akram's ball is on par with steyn's hellswinger to pujara imo.Also sreesanth[] to kallis.

These are the ones i have seen or watched highlights.

 

[Xuhaib]

Sree to Kallis was both hilarious and incredible at the same time.

 

[smash84]

Gooch 154* vs the west indies pace battery.
Kim hughes 100*
Sachin 136
akmal 109.
vvs 281.
vvs 96.
lara 153*
sachin 114 at perth.[strange no one mentions this]


Greatest ball for me warne to chanderpaul bowled.And waqar to lara bowled.

Next probably gatting ball,akram.

Akram's ball is on par with steyn's hellswinger to pujara imo.Also sreesanth[] to kallis.

These are the ones i have seen or watched highlights.

Steyn to pujara where? can you post link?

 

[robelinda]

Sachin 114 was on a good pitch, no terrors there for anyone. His team mates might have sucked but the pitch was true. Lara 153*, nothing wrong with the pitch there. Laxman 281? Pretty flat for most of that test, which makes the loss more damning for us.

Slater 123 vs England 1999, much better knock on a spinning wicket.

BUT- surely one of the MOTHER of all knocks in ridiculously testing conditions was Steve Waugh's 63* in 1995 vs West Indies on a greentop in Trinidad.