Your favourite top 10 Test matches

[SillyCowCorner1]

I'm a year older than you so these were rather conveniently timed in my case. Can stay late up at night in Class XI without it affecting you too much.

As an aside, I remember how I used to do some tricky Math homework problems while watching late night cricket during the '90s (Sahara Cup in Canada, WIs matches etc.). Funny how memory works. I can't remember to switch off the lights when I leave a room and where I left my glasses last night. But to this day, I can recall the exact assignment I was doing on the day when some memorable match occurred.

I remember that I was helping to prepare the pitch at our local ground when Gilchrist was going crazy in the 2007 CWC final. After our game ended (which was late), the SL-AUS was still going on...in darkness.

 

[h_hurricane]

Tell me about it. I remember a random ODI Vs RSA in Calcutta, as it was called back then, probably the first day and night game in India but have a hard time remembering the NZ tour that just went by even though I watched all the LO games fully in that series, I think.

Martin Crowe had kicked off the world cup with a great hundred. Boon responded with a quality hundred but Australia were well behind the target in the chase. Chris Harris finished off any hopes they had with an ATG throw from the deep. Had one stump to aim at and he hit it on the full. Boon's running was a bit comical, there really was never a second run in it. Me and my late grand father were in splits after seeing that live. Boon was really my grand dad's favorite player,Indians included. Booney is still my favorite Aussie player of all time.

And yes, I remember that Ind vs SA series in 1991, the one marked for SA's return to international cricket especially the last match. I think this is the day and night match you were talking about. It was children's day and hence missed the first half due to a parade organized in the school. Came back to find that Sanjay Manjrekar(of all people) scored a blistering 80 ball hundred. The outfield for that match looked like an 'athletics track and field' one lol. Probably was not a cricket stadium.

 

[vcs]

I think Boon was the stand-in wicketkeeper when Srinath and someone else went for the third run to tie the game against Australia. That was heartbreaking, but what a crazy sequence of events. Four needed off the last ball, Srinath gets a great connection but manages to perfectly pick out Steve Waugh on the boundary, who drops it but has the presence of mind to put in a great throw, Boon whips off the bails. India were robbed by the rain rule as well.

 

[h_hurricane]

And Bill Lawry's exciting commentary ! missing those days.

 

[honestbharani]

I think Boon was the stand-in wicketkeeper when Srinath and someone else went for the third run to tie the game against Australia. That was heartbreaking, but what a crazy sequence of events. Four needed off the last ball, Srinath gets a great connection but manages to perfectly pick out Steve Waugh on the boundary, who drops it but has the presence of mind to put in a great throw, Boon whips off the bails. India were robbed by the rain rule as well.

And Bill Lawry's exciting commentary ! missing those days.

The best thing was the two Indian players celebrating that shot after Steve Waugh dropped it.

 

[SteveNZ]

Yep, absolutely these ones.

Some others for me, from a NZ perspective:

NZ v Aus, Hobart 2011 (NZ won by 7 runs)
NZ v Aus, Adelaide 2015 (Aus won by 3 wickets)
NZ v England, Auckland 2013 (Draw - England 9 wickets down)
NZ v West Indies, Hamilton 1999 (NZ won by 9 wickets, after WI were 282-1 at stumps on first day)

I'll add the following:

The Lord's and Oval Tests in 99, v England in 08 when Millsy destroyed their top order in the 4th innings, the Crowe/Jones Test v Sri Lanka in the 90s, beating Sri Lanka in Colombo (?) when Ross had just been booted as skipper, v England in 01/02 at Eden Park, v West Indies in 2005, v India at Eden Park in 2014, v England 2015 at Leeds, and Pakistan at Abu Dhabi in 2018. All beauties.

 

[kingkallis]

1. India vs Australia, Kolkata - 2001
2. England vs Australia, Edgbaston - 2005
3. Pakistan vs India, Chennai - 1999
4. West Indies vs Australia, Barbados - 1999
5. India vs South Africa, Johannesberg - 2013
6. England vs Australia, Nottingham - 2013
7. England vs Australia, Headingley - 2019
8. South Africa vs Australia, Adelaide - 2012
9. New Zealand vs Australia, Hobart - 2011
10. England vs Pakistan, Karachi - 2000

 

[TheJediBrah]

Aus v Pak, Hobart, 1999 (Gilchrist 149*)
Ind v Aus, Kolkata, 2001 (Laxman 281)
Eng v Aus, Headingly, 2001 (Butcher 173*)
Aus v Pak, Sharjah, 2002 (Hayden 119 in 50 degree heat)
Aus v Eng, Sydney, 2003 (S.Waugh 100 off last ball of the day)
Aus v SL, Galle, 2004 (Aus win after trialing by 160 runs in 1st innings)
Aus v Ind, Bangalore, 2004 (Clarke 151 on debut)
Aus v Eng, Adelaide, 2006 (Eng lose after making 550 in 1st innings)
Aus v Eng, Sydney, 2007 (last test for Warne, McGrath, Langer)
Aus v Ind, 2017, (SOK 12 wickets on dustbowl)

 

[StephenZA]

SA vs Aus, Sydney, 1994 (Fanie!) ... the game that made me fall in love with Test cricket. Was at home with 2 busted arms having fallen down a flight of stairs.
SA vs Pak, Faisalabad, 1997 (Symcox, Kirsten, Pollock)... Gary carrying his bat first innings with the help of Symcox, Pollock 5 for.
SA vs Aus Perth, 1st Test 2008... Chased 414!
SA vs Aus, Melbourne. 2nd Test 2008. Duminy 166, Steyn 76 and 5 for ... Was lying in bed listening on radio during SA first innings, never slept that night.
SA vs India, Nagpur, 2010 Steyn... we all know this Test.
SA vs Aus, Cape Town, 2011, Philanders debut....!
SA vs Eng, The Oval, 2012, Amla 311... this was made all the more sweet considering the british papers going into that match.

Ind vs Aus. Kolkata, 2001... another we all know. Failed an Advanced Algebra test because of this Test.

SA vs Eng, Cape Town, 2016 Stokes bruising my heart
SL vs SA, Durban, 2019 Perera breaking my heart

 

[h_hurricane]

The best thing was the two Indian players celebrating that shot after Steve Waugh dropped it.

hehe, doesn't get much dumber than that. 2 genuinely quick runners might have completed that 3rd run. Srinath and Raju never stood a chance.