The Greatest Test Match Ever Played?

[laksh_01]

Hi Friends, If U would like to know or discuss about The Gratest Test Match Ever Played in the Cricketing History, then here we go...

 

[Richard]

........

Highlights assembled said it all IMO...

The Ultimate Test​

 

[silentstriker]

Would have to be either England, Australia or West Indies, I think.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

There was that development test match staged on an oversized cheese grater a few years back. I think the pitch was laid based on a mid 90s Sabina Park design. That would probably go down as the gratest test.

 

[Richard]

Heath on fine form. Hadn't spotted that-'un.

 

[Richard]

Would have to be either England, Australia or West Indies, I think.

With the poll posted, it's clear the question is actually different to the one you'd presume...

A rather odd question TBH. Obviously, the teams who have been involved in most interesting Tests are going to be those who've played the most of them.

This is nothing but pot-luck.

Far more interesting to discuss the best games, regardless of who was most often involved really.

 

[Isura]

I don't understand the question.

 

[Engle]

The Aust-WIndies Tied test is generally regarded as the Greatest Test ever played in the history of the game.

Let's now pick those involving other teams, e.g. which is the Greatest Aus-Eng test....and so on

 

[Richard]

........

Highlights assembled said it all IMO...

The Ultimate Test​

Anyway... to expand on this, this Test had everything you could possibly wish for - though admittedly a few of those things can only be realised with hindsight. This, though, is true for most games.

This game was the Second Test of the five-match series between England and West Indies. England had not beaten West Indies since 1969, 31 years prior to this series. For 17 of those years they'd not even won a Test, and though they'd been more competetive in the 1990s than in the 1980s or the 2nd half of the 1970s, and could very easily have drawn all 5 series of the period with just one or two small tweaks and a bit less misfortune. They had also come from an awful defeat the previous summer at home to New Zealand to have a better-than-expected winter in South Africa and a heartening, thumping victory over Zimbabwe in the opening Test of the summer. What's more, a relatively settled side had emerged: Atherton, Hussain, Vaughan (though he missed the start of the summer with injury), Stewart, Caddick and Gough were all household names. So it was a great disappointment, then, when they struggled in the next game against Zimbabwe (possibly being saved from defeat by the weather) and were then hammered by West Indies, Ambrose and Walsh being the conquerors as so many times before.

England had two players returning who'd missed the first 3 Tests of the summer with injury, Michael Vaughan and Craig White. This was offset by the loss of captain Nasser Hussain, but Dominic Cork returned for his first Test for over 18 months. This was particularly heartening for yours-truly. West Indies' side was mostly settled: Sherwin Campbell, Wavell Hinds, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Jimmy Adams, Ridley Jacobs, Curtley Ambrose, Franklyn Rose, Reon King and Courtney Walsh were all household names. Only Campbell's opening partner caused any debate: Chris Gayle had played in the First Test and failed, and had no notable Test career behind him (at that stage), and Adrian Griffith, who had scored 130 in the previous tour-game and had several - moderately successful - Tests to his name, was recalled.

All three days of the Test were played in a distinctly damp air - rain caused problems sporadically, but never forced long breaks in play. The pitch, while not green, offered plenty of movement off the seam (and later a hint of uneven bounce), and the Duke balls had been swinging very nicely all summer.

Stewart, deputising for Hussain, won the toss and had no hesitation in choosing to take first use of the pitch. England had been expected to pick this team:
Atherton
Mark Ramprakash (who was, oddly, opening at that time)
Vaughan
Graeme Hick
Stewart
Nick Knight (an opener... batting six... genius...)
White
Cork
Robert Croft
Caddick
Gough

However, Yorkshire seamer Matthew Hoggard unexpectedly elbowed-aside Croft when the nature of the pitch became clear. Hoggard was a hopeless batsman (at that time) and hence batted eleven.

Gough's opening over was testing, and contained an edged four to third-man from Campbell. Caddick's was much less so - he started with a wide delivery short of a length, and there have been few better players of the cut-stroke than Campbell. Campbell carried-on in this vein - he edged a fair few, some going just wide of the packed slip-cordon and one going into Hick's hands and out again. This miss proved costly. Hoggard's opening Test over, after a short, wide ball first-up, was a testing one, but he was soon spraying the ball, and Campbell capitalised.

Griffith was much more sedate, but had always been content to play second-fiddle when in partnership with Campbell. At Lunch, West Indies were 79 for 0. However, Griffith took-on Caddick's flat, powerful, accurate arm in the opening over afterwards, and ran himself out. However, Hinds, after a dodgy start, was soon flaying the bowling, and as Tea approached, West Indies were 162 for 1. Then Cork bowled a short one to Campbell. Campbell hooked at it, top-edged, and Hoggard at fine-leg pouched it. This would prove a decisive turning-point for the innings. 6 wickets then clattered for 54; Gough dismissed Lara as he flayed at one outside off; Hinds edged an inswinger from Cork to Stewart and should have had Adams lbw 1st ball; Gough then got him with one that was sliding down leg. Cork had Jacobs caught off the gloves attempting a hook, and Ambrose was caught, superbly, by Ramprakash at short-leg off a fine Cork inswinger.

However, Rose, with his shuffle-accross technique, had posed problems at Edgbaston, and scored a run-a-ball 29 again here, while the obdurate Chanderpaul hung around. Finally, Gough got them both, Rose inevitably lbw and Chanderpaul dragged-on. The bowlers had not been at their best - Caddick ineffectual, Hoggard expensive, Gough mixing nonsense with goodies, White sparsely used after his illness and expensive. The one exception to this was Cork: 24 overs, 39 runs, 4 wickets, he had been outstanding on comeback.

The following morning, Caddick wrapped-up the innings with his very 1st ball, and England were in to bat. Things did not go according to plan, however - Ambrose and Walsh, as ever, were bang on the button. Ramprakash edged an away-swinger to Lara at first-slip; Atherton played a nothing shot to a wide Long-Hop from Walsh; Vaughan was bowled by a beauty of a nip-backer from Ambrose; Hick, after a counter-attacking 25, fell the same way; and Knight fenced at one from King and edged to Campbell at second-slip. West Indies' catching, as England's, had not been of the highest quality, and this continued as Stewart was dropped and had the chance to counter-attack with White. It couldn't last that long, though, and when Walsh extracted another edge with yet another beauty, Jacobs finally held onto one. Cork then ran White out, which was a shame, as he had played nicely for 27. Despite more drops, Cork and Caddick went cheaply to Walsh, and Ambrose removed Gough. England were 133 behind, and in need of serious inspiration, as even 200 was going to be a hell of a tough chase on this surface.

Little did anyone know that inspiration would arrive. Caddick's 1st delivery was markedly similar to the first-innings - short, wide, and to Campbell. This time, however, the batsman could not keep it down, and Gough at third-man took a brilliant catch running in. England's fortune was not over: Hinds was given caught at short-leg by Ramprakash off his shoulder and helmet, and Griffith, who had been struck on the helmet by a full delivery from Gough, was adjudged caught behind from a ball that flicked his trousers. Then, after a beauty from Caddick to get Lara caught by Cork at gully, Chanderpaul was once again adjudged caught at short-leg, this time off his hip, and this time to Gough. Adams' lbw, always on the cards after he had been leaving all-and-sundry, was far from certain, but was at least straight, and a beautiful inswinger from Cork. This was after Jacobs had edged Caddick to Atherton at first-slip. Finally, a catch at short-leg was legitimately given, as Ambrose gloved Caddick. Cork grabbed a caught-and-bowled from Rose, and after a potentially vital partnership of 13 from King and Walsh, Cork had King lbw to complete match-figures of 7-54 on comeback. Caddick had banged down overs for nothing: his 13 cost just 16, and he had 5 wickets. Gough took 2-17 from 8. The upshot was that England had to chase 188.

After just 7 balls, the light intervened, and, unusually, the players went off to a cheer from the crowd. They would come back tomorrow still needing 188.

Ramprakash did not last long, dragging Walsh on in the 6th over. Now Atherton and Vaughan came together. In those days, Vaughan had none of the "dasher" renown that has come since he was promoted to open in 2002, and was often regarded as a second-coming of Atherton himself. Never, however, had Atherton's obstinacy been needed more - England had to chase this target now they'd given themselves a chance, otherwise they'd be 2-0 down, the series would almost certainly be gone and the first whispers of the dreaded word "blackwash" would be heard for 14 years. Atherton obliged, keeping out several deliveries from Ambrose especially that would have dismissed most players. Vaughan too played well, and finally, when Ambrose and Walsh were taken off, feasted on some loose offerings from Rose. King was better, but was almost immediately warned for running on the pitch, a warning repeated later and one which meant he ended-up bowling just 8 overs out of 70.

Atherton and Vaughan eventually ended-up putting-on 92, the 1st half-century partnership for England of the series. Just as things were looking fairly rosy, however, Walsh struck again. Vaughan edged yet another magnificent delivery to Jacobs, and the partnership was broken. Hick played several fine strokes in his 15 either side of Tea, but was eventually caught by Lara attempting to flay through the off. Shortly after, the big wicket fell, and the mood turned to despair. Atherton may have been unfortunate with the height, but it was another superb nip-backer from the big Jamaican. Stewart counter-attacked again, but fell to another delivery - this time no doubt about the height as it kept low. Immediately, White was gone too, as England got another bad decision back, caught behind off his shirt. Knight, who had received a blow on the finger (which would soon lead directly to the start of Marcus Trescothick's international career) and was far from in tip-top condition, edged Rose to Jacobs, and England were 7 down with 39 still required and just tail-enders left.

Cork, however, is not merely someone who knows how to hold a bat but one who loves a bit of drama. He played four spanking strokes, and though he lost Caddick after two, he kept the mood up. After this, with 16 needed, he and Gough settled for singles. Every call was loud and definitive, adding still to the theatre - a run-out now could not be afforded. Eventually, he forced Walsh through the off for two to level the scores. 3 later, he hit the winning run, to complete a game that had swayed one way then the next often within barely 5 minutes, and had contained seam-bowling rarely short, apart from in the first 2 sessions, of the highest calibre, plus some obdurate and some counter-attacking batting. England's victory was the catalyst: though the next Test was an honours-even draw, in the final two they pressed-on and dominated thoroughly, completing two crushing wins and the first victory over West Indies in the lifetime, never mind conscious memory, of most of those watching. Thirty-one years, remember, is a long, long time.

BTW - I don't know how many people read this. But it was a pleasure to write, to relive that game.

 

[Richard]

The Aust-WIndies Tied test is generally regarded as the Greatest Test ever played in the history of the game.

Let's now pick those involving other teams, e.g. which is the Greatest Aus-Eng test....and so on

The greatest Australia-England Test is almost universally held to be this one by those with a true sense of history. I only wish it were the case that every ball of a game was filmed back then.

For Australia-India surely nothing could beat this one and for West Indies-Pakistan this is surely unrivalled.

 

[laksh_01]

Wat About the Test Between Aus & Eng during Ashes 2005?

 

[Shaggy Alfresco]

Wat About the Test Between Aus & Eng during Ashes 2005?

Yes, that one off test.

Anyway, the Edgbaston test 2005 was in my opinion better than the one Richard posted, largely because it was the Ashes. That adds a certain mystique to the test by itself.

 

[Burgey]

As for the poll question itself, I'm biased but I would say that all nations have had some doozys, but Australia have been involved in the most number of thrillers/ great matches.

Some which spring to mind are:

The two tied tests; WI @ Adelaide 1993 (1 run); Edgbaston 05; Pakistan in 1994(?) when INzy & Mushie got 40 odd for the last wicket; Hobart 1999 chasing 370-odd; WI on our last tour there when the hosts chased I think 418 to win; the other tests in 60-61 were crackers; the AB-Thommo partnership match at MCG 1982-83; Lords 1930 was a great game; Leeds 1948 likewise; that test in SL when the hosts lost 4 for nothing to lose when Warne made his first real impact; v SA @ SCG 1993-4 when Martyn choked; Adelaide 2006 v England; the 2001 Indian series was a cracker as well. Going way, way back the 1882 birth of the Ashes and the first ever test were apparently epics. The Melbourne Centenary test was a bottler as well.

There have been so many great matches. The fact that it's so much easier to recall great tests than great ODIs says a fair bit about the respective forms of the game imo.

 

[iamdavid]

I saw the England-West Indies tests in 2000 and The Australia-West Indies tests of the previous year, the 2005 Ashes series. And highlights of plenty of earlier matches including the one run loss to Windies in 1993 and the capitulation against South Africa in 1993/94. And for me this game wins hands down.

 

[neville cardus]

The Aust-WIndies Tied test is generally regarded as the Greatest Test ever played in the history of the game.

Bollocks. It can only be the Ashes Test of 1882.

 

[Perm]

Australia, fairly comfortably I'd imagine.

 

[neville cardus]

BTW - I don't know how many people read this.

I read it. Great stuff.

But it was a pleasure to write, to relive that game.

Just as much a pleasure to read.

 

[pasag]

Two greats that I've read about recently:

http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/62706.html

http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/62688.html

 

[neville cardus]

I haven't heard about the first in ages. Thanks.

 

[Richard]

Anyway, the Edgbaston test 2005 was in my opinion better than the one Richard posted, largely because it was the Ashes. That adds a certain mystique to the test by itself.

Meh. Wisden Trophy = Ashes IMO, if both teams are on an even footing.

And the 31-years-of-hurt thing is without precedent. No-one has ever gone 31 years between victories over another team. You'd have had to be in your 50s in 2000 to remember with much clarity the last time England beat West Indies. That's really quite something.