|
Narrowly drawn Tests
So close to victory... and yet so far
August 16, 2005
Text size:
A
| A
 |
|
The third Ashes Test between England and Australia at Old Trafford ended in a draw. But the result remained uncertain until the very last ball was bowled. Few believed that cricket could reproduce the quality that had been on display at Edgbaston where Australia lost by two runs. Those few were rewarded for their faith at Old Trafford where only a single wicket stood between England and victory. It was perhaps the most thrilling draw ever. But it is not alone in the category of nail-biting drawn Tests. Here are some of the other Tests that went down to the wire with cricket emerging as the only winner from the contest.
List of matches when the team batting fourth was nine wickets down
| Match | Venue/Year | Scorecard |
| Eng v Aus | Old Trafford/2005 | Scorecard |
| Eng v SL | Galle/2003-04 | Scorecard |
| WI v Zim | Harare/2003-03 | Scorecard |
| NZ v Aus | Hobart/1997 | Scorecard |
| Pak v WI | Trinidad/1988 | Scorecard |
| NZ v Aus | Melbourne/1987 | Scorecard |
| WI v Ind | Kolkata/1978 | Scorecard |
| WI v Aus | Jamaica/1978 | Scorecard | WI v Pak | Barbados/1977 | Scorecard |
| WI v Aus | Adelaide/1969 | Scorecard | Eng v WI | Guyana/1968 | Scorecard |
| Eng v WI | Lord's/1963 | Scorecard | Aus v WI | Adelaide/1961 | Scorecard |
| Ind v Eng | Old Trafford/1946 | Scorecard |
Then there are instances when the team batting fourth was within touching distance of victory but did not manage to score those vital runs.
List of narrowly-drawn run chases
| Match | Venue/Date | Team/runs to win |
| Eng v Zim | Bulawayo/1996 | Scores level |
| Ind v WI | Mumbai/1949 | India/5 runs |
| Eng v WI | Lord's/1963 | England/5 runs |
| Aus v Eng | Melbourne/1974 | Australia/7 runs |
| Ind v Eng | The Oval/1979 | India/8 runs |
George Binoy is editorial assistant of Cricinfo. For the stats, he was assisted by Travis Basevi from the Cricinfo London office
Feeds: George Binoy
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
TopE-mail
Feedback
Print
George Binoy
Assistant Editor After a major in Economics and nine months in a financial research firm, George realised that equity, capital and the like were not for him. He decided that he wanted to be one of those lucky few who did what they love at work. Alas, his prodigious talent was never spotted and he had to reconcile himself to the fact that he would never earn his money playing cricket for his country, state or even district. He jumped at the opportunity to work for ESPNcricinfo and is now confident of mastering the art of office cricket
Related Links
Verdict : A most befitting finale
Matches:
England v Australia at Manchester
Series/Tournaments:
Australia tour of England and Scotland
Tour Results
Sponsored Links
Watch Bollywood movies for free
Citibank NRI Account, Fast Reliable & Secure Way to
Transfer Money. Apply Online Now!
Access your Indian Rupee earnings from anywhere in the world.
ICICI Bank Money2India brings " locked exchange rate" and a free gift
on registering and transfer of USD 250 and above.
BUY England 2012 official Test & ODI kit
Available now at Cricshop
