Going for glory and falling just short
An anecdotal account of close finishes similar to the recent Adelaide Test, and yet another Bradman surprise
Australia have defended targets in 11 of the 14 Tests that finished as closely as the recent Adelaide Test, with the Adelaide Oval itself hosting six of these • Getty Images
This article has a nice story behind it. Normally I start preparing for my articles two weeks before publication and last week I had in front of me two serious analytical articles relating to Tests and ODIs. I was undecided on which one to go for. Then Adelaide happened. A wonderful but foolhardy chase was enacted and India finished losing by a margin of around 15% of the target. I changed my mind instantly and decided to look for such matches and do an anecdotal article around this theme, especially since I remembered India had played a similar Test against New Zealand earlier in 2014. As you all know I am a sucker for anecdotal articles.
First, the criteria for selection: fairly simple and obvious. I wanted Tests with fourth-innings chases in which the losing team scored in excess of 300 but lost by fewer than 50 runs. The 50-run margin is to ensure that there was an intriguing chase that failed narrowly. The 300-run score is to ensure that the target was substantial. I do not want to include an awful match like the 2004 Mumbai disaster, played on a mud track, in which a 100-run target proved beyond a top team.
I expected around 25-30 matches from which I would have to make a further selection. But I found, to my surprise and delight, that only 14 Tests qualified. That made my task easy. No selection needed. These Tests are presented in a chronological order. Let us first get some history in. I would rather start with Archie Jackson or Wally Hammond than Virat Kohli or Brendon McCullum.
1. Test #113. Australia vs South Africa.
On 7,9,10,11,12,13 January 1911 at Adelaide Oval*. South Africa: 482 all out JW Zulch 105 SJ Snooke 103 WW Armstrong 42.4 9 103 4 Australia : 465 all out VT Trumper 214* CB Llewellyn 31.0 4 107 4 South Africa: 360 all out GA Faulkner 115 WJ Whitty 39.2 5 104 6 Australia : 339 all out (4.05) RO Schwarz 15.0 3 48 4 South Africa won by 38 runs.
* Please click on the venues to view match scorecards
2. Test #160. Australia vs England.
On 16,17,19,20,21,22,23 January 1925 at Adelaide Oval. Australia : 489 all out J Ryder 201* R Kilner 74.4 7 127 4 England : 365 all out JB Hobbs 119 Australia : 250 all out FE Woolley 25.2 1 77 4 R Kilner 29.3 7 51 4 England : 363 all out (2.45) Australia won by 11 runs.
Jack Ryder's famous double-hundred at No. 7 took Australia to a big first-innings total. England conceded a substantial first-innings lead, required to score 375 runs and they fell short by 11 runs. Almost everyone contributed, with the top score being 75. The bowlers shared the wickets. This was also quite a slow innings.
3. Test #179. Australia vs England.
On 1,2,4,5,6,7,8 February 1929 at Adelaide Oval. England : 334 all out WR Hammond 119* CV Grimmett 52.1 12 102 5 Australia : 369 all out A Jackson 164 MW Tate 42.0 10 77 4 JC White 60.0 16 130 5 England : 383 all out WR Hammond 177 RK Oxenham 47.4 21 67 4 Australia : 336 all out (2.21) JC White 64.5 21 126 8 England won by 12 runs.
This was a very balanced match in terms of innings scores. All four innings were between 300 and 400. Two 300-plus first-innings scores meant that Australia had a lead of 35. The Australian innings included one of the all-time great innings: 164 by Archie Jackson. Then Wally Hammond played an equally great innings of 177 and Australia needed to score 349 and fell 12 runs short. This was Don Bradman's debut series and he scored 40 and 58. Jack White won the match singlehandedly for England with an almost unbroken spell of eight wickets.
4. Test #626. Australia vs India.
On 19,20,22,23,24 January 1968 at Woolloongabba, Brisbane. Australia : 379 all out India : 279 all out Australia : 294 all out EAS Prasanna 44.4 9 104 6 India : 355 all out (2.43) ML Jaisimha 101 RM Cowper 53.0 8 104 4 Australia won by 39 runs.
The next such match was after 40 years. India conceded a first-innings lead of 100 runs but dismissed Australia for 294. They needed to score nearly 400 runs but fell short by just 39 runs. ML Jaisimha scored an excellent century. India were 310 for 5 at one time and looked like causing one of the greatest upsets ever.
5. Test #722. England vs New Zealand.
On 7,8,9,11,12 June 1973 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. England : 250 all out BR Taylor 29.0 7 53 4 DR Hadlee 19.0 6 42 4 New Zealand : 97 all out AW Greig 10.4 0 33 4 England : 325 for 8 wkt(s) decl. DL Amiss 138* AW Greig 139 New Zealand : 440 all out (2.34) BE Congdon 176 V Pollard 116 GG Arnold 53.0 15 131 5 England won by 38 runs.
New Zealand were in a pitiable condition when they replied to England's average first-innings score of 250 with 97. I am almost certain that the follow-on target was 150 but this was not enforced. England's second-innings score was almost totally due to two contrasting hundreds by Dennis Amiss and Tony Greig. The target of 479 looked way out of reach for New Zealand. But Bev Congdon and Vic Pollard probably played their best Test innings ever and New Zealand fell agonisingly short by 38 runs. They collapsed from 402 for 5 to 440 all out.
6. Test #800. Australia vs England.
On 12,13,14,16,17 March 1977 at Melbourne Cricket Ground. Australia : 138 all out England : 95 all out DK Lillee 17.5 2 26 6 MHN Walker 20.0 3 54 4 Australia : 419 for 9 wkt(s) decl. RW Marsh 110* CM Old 37.0 2 104 4 England : 417 all out (2.78) DW Randall 174 DK Lillee 46.0 7 139 5 Australia won by 45 runs.
This was one of the most famous Tests of all time. The Centenary match played almost exactly 100 years after the first Test match. Two very poor first innings batting performances meant that Australia had a first innings lead of 43 despite scoring only 138. Then Rod Marsh scored a magnificent hundred and Australia seemed to be home and dry, setting a huge target of 463. Derek Randall played one of the greatest fourth-innings centuries ever with a magnificent 174. From 346 for 4, England collapsed to 417. Dennis Lillee was outstanding. The winning margin was eerily the same as 100 years back.
7. Test #809. Australia vs India.
On 2,3,4,6 December 1977 at Woolloongabba, Brisbane. Australia : 166 all out BS Bedi 18.3 3 55 5 India : 153 all out WM Clark 24.0 5 46 4 Australia : 327 all out S Madan Lal 25.2 2 72 5 India : 324 all out (2.86) SM Gavaskar 113 JR Thomson 26.3 1 76 4 WM Clark 34.4 1 101 4 Australia won by 16 runs.
This match followed the pattern of a few earlier matches. Two below par first innings meant that little separated the teams. From 7 for 3, the Packer-hit Australians recovered to 327. India needed to score 341. Sunil Gavaskar scored a patient hundred but India finally finished 16 runs short. Bishan Bedi's flamboyant 26 was in vain. The final margin was almost the same as the first-innings lead.
8. Test #816. Australia vs India.
On 28,29,30 January, 1,2,3 February 1978 at Adelaide Oval. Australia : 505 all out GN Yallop 121 RB Simpson 100 BS Chandrasekhar 39.2 0 136 5 India : 269 all out WM Clark 27.5 6 62 4 Australia : 256 all out KD Ghavri 14.1 2 45 4 BS Bedi 26.4 3 53 4 India : 445 all out (2.36) B Yardley 57.2 6 134 4 Australia won by 47 runs.
This is the only instance of a second match from the same series finding a place in this collection. India played a weakened Australian team in the series decider. However this match was totally different to the first one. India conceded a first-innings lead of 236 but were not made to follow on. They fought back and restricted Australia to 256 all out. However there was a huge chase of nearly 500 runs. Without a single century, India reached 445 and fell short by 47 runs. That was the difference between the two teams in a close series. India faced no fewer than 188 overs.
9. Test #1184. Australia vs India.
On 25,26,27,28,29 January 1992 at Adelaide Oval. Australia : 145 all out India : 225 all out CJ McDermott 31.0 9 76 5 Australia : 451 all out MA Taylor 100 DC Boon 135 Kapil Dev 51.0 12 130 5 India : 333 all out (3.32) M Azharuddin 106 CJ McDermott 29.1 8 92 5 Australia won by 38 runs.
Now we come to the modern era. Australia batted poorly and conceded a first-innings lead of 80. The second innings was much better all round. Mark Taylor and David Boon scored hundreds and Australia set India 372 to win. A lovely hundred by Mohammad Azharuddin and good support from Manoj Prabhakar meant that India came within 38 runs of the target. This was a case of the team behind in the first innings batting and bowling well to register a win.
10. Test #1688. Sri Lanka vs Australia.
On 16,17,18,19,20 March 2004 at Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy. Australia : 120 all out DNT Zoysa 16.0 3 54 4 M Muralitharan 15.0 4 48 4 Sri Lanka : 211 all out MS Kasprowicz 24.0 5 83 4 SK Warne 20.1 3 65 5 Australia : 442 all out AC Gilchrist 144 DR Martyn 161 M Muralitharan 50.3 8 173 5 Sri Lanka : 324 all out (4.43) ST Jayasuriya 131 JN Gillespie 20.0 1 76 4 SK Warne 21.1 2 90 5 Australia won by 27 runs.
This match was almost a mirror image of the previous match played in Adelaide. A first-innings lead of 89 was conceded. Two wonderful hundreds by Adam Gilchrist and Damien Martyn took Australia to 442. Sri Lanka fell 27 short. One great hundred by Sanath Jayasuriya. I have to mention Shane Warne's match-winning spell. I have rarely seen two Test matches so similar. One can only marvel at the breakneck speed of the Sri Lankan second innings. But unlike in Adelaide, there was no draw option available.
11. Test #1941. Australia vs West Indies.
On 16,17,18,19,20 December 2009 at Western Australia Cricket Association Ground, Perth. Australia : 520 for 7 wkt(s) decl. West Indies : 312 all out CH Gayle 102 DE Bollinger 20.0 3 70 5 Australia : 150 all out DJ Bravo 17.3 6 42 4 West Indies : 323 all out (3.42) Australia won by 35 runs.
We now move on to the WACA in 2009. This Test imitates the deciding match of the 1976-77 series between Australia and India. A huge first-innings lead conceded, a fightback by the third bowling team, a substantial chase, just falling short. No centuries in the last innings but good batting all round. This would have been a great victory for the down-and-out West Indies team as it would have been for the Indian team three decades earlier.
12. Test #2013. Zimbabwe vs New Zealand.
On 1,2,3,4,5 November 2011 at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo. New Zealand : 426 all out MJ Guptill 109 CB Mpofu 34.0 10 92 4 Zimbabwe : 313 all out DL Vettori 43.0 13 70 5 New Zealand : 252 for 8 wkt(s) decl. KM Jarvis 18.0 1 64 5 Zimbabwe : 331 all out (3.06) BRM Taylor 117 DAJ Bracewell 25.0 2 85 5 New Zealand won by 34 runs.
This is a special match in this collection since it represents the only instance of an unfancied team from the lower echelons of Test cricket making a fist of it. Zimbabwe conceded a first-innings lead of over 100 runs despite scoring 313. Then they bowled very well and had New Zealand down at 199 for 7. New Zealand eventually declared at 252 for 8. Aided by a brilliant hundred from captain Brendan Taylor, Zimbabwe fought to the end and fell 34 runs short.
13. Test #2118. New Zealand vs India.
On 6,7,8,9 February 2014 at Eden Park, Auckland. New Zealand : 503 all out KS Williamson 113 BB McCullum 224 I Sharma 33.4 4 134 6 India : 202 all out N Wagner 11.0 0 64 4 New Zealand : 105 all out India : 366 all out (3.79) S Dhawan 115 N Wagner 25.0 8 62 4 New Zealand won by 40 runs.
Now we come to the two Tests India lost during 2014: chalk and cheese, these are. Against New Zealand early in the year, India fell behind by over 300 runs in the first innings. If New Zealand had enforced the follow-on they could as well have won by an innings. But they batted again, this time miserably, and were dismissed at 105. India needed just over 400 runs to win and until the halfway stage, looked like carving out a very unlikely win. Shikhar Dhawan's hundred let them move to 222 for 2, that too at a good pace. Then wickets fell at regular intervals and India finished 40 short. A very brave effort indeed. Over 100 overs remained in the match, so a draw was out of the question.
14. Test #2148. Australia vs India.
On 9,10,11,12,13 December 2014 at Adelaide Oval. Australia : 517 for 7 wkt(s) decl. DA Warner 145 MJ Clarke 128 SPD Smith 162* India : 444 all out V Kohli 115 NM Lyon 36.0 4 134 5 Australia : 290 for 5 wkt(s) decl. DA Warner 102 India : 315 all out (3.61) V Kohli 141 NM Lyon 34.1 5 152 7 Australia won by 48 runs.
This was a very different match. At various times India looked like winning, especially in the last innings when India were at 242 for 2. Then three wickets fell and at 277 for 5, the game was in the balance: between a draw and a loss. I think Virat Kohli let his instincts as a batsman take over and smother his responsibilities as captain. The draw was a great option, considering that fewer than 15 overs remained to be bowled. The ODI/T20 instincts won over the pragmatic processes of Test cricket. Milind has taken the wicket value concept one step further and his graphs on score projections, which I will present soon, indicate that this decision should have been taken even earlier, at 247 for 4, especially in view of the fragility of the Indian tail.
Let me sum up the analysis. First, let me state a few interesting conclusions. Then I will discuss these.
- Australia have been involved in the fourth-innings defence of 11 of these matches and won nine.
- New Zealand have been involved in the fourth-innings defence of two of these matches and won both.
- England have been involved in the fourth-innings defence of two of these matches and won both.
- India have looked to chase the fourth-innings target in six of these matches and have lost all six.
- Six of these matches have been played in Adelaide and Australia have won four and lost two .
- The southern hemisphere has hosted 11 of these 14 matches: nine in Australia and two in New Zealand.
- No such Test has been played in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or South Africa.
Now for some explanations. Readers are welcome to share their own views.
- The Australian pitches are of such quality that the deterioration is minimal. Even on the fifth day, the batsmen are able to go for significant targets. At the same time the bowlers also get some assistance. Imagine going for a target of 364 in 98 overs in India.
- Australia, as a team, also offer targets that teams can go for. They do not shut out the opponents. I remember a match a few years back in which Ricky Ponting set a target of 370. Not to forget the 364 target at Adelaide. On the other hand Andrew Strauss set targets of 503 and 502 runs and the opponents drew the matches.
- New Zealand and England have done well in the four instances they defended and won every time. Possibly because of their bowling strength.
- India have started well on most of these chases but batting collapses have undermined the chases. They could have won at Eden Park and drawn in Adelaide.
A short paragraph on the ongoing Test series. I am writing this from my neutral stance as an analyst. If India had played with some common sense, tactical awareness and purpose, they could be sitting at 1-0 or 1-1 instead of 0-2. It is quite silly to forget that drawing a Test is a valid and acceptable result. Contrast this with the pragmatic approach taken by the normally aggressive South Africans at the Wanderers. They went on to win the series in Durban.
And when you have the opponents down at 247 for 6, you go back to the bowling mark, bowl purposefully and on the spot and work towards a lead of 100, not engage in silly and provocative banter, pseudo-aggression and concede a lead of 100. Any student of cricket history will know that Australians play hard and never give up. Their shoulders rarely drop. Mr Rohit Sharma, if you cannot walk the talk, it would be prudent to avoid talking. Mr Ishant Sharma, as a vegetarian who has managed visiting over 20 countries, I can confidently say that there is nothing to beat a cheese sandwich or pizza meal, supplemented by fruits, yoghurt and dessert.
Now for the Bradman memorabilia. A commemorative plate created to mark Bradman's 100 first-class hundreds. The ten scores of 250 and above are represented by bats while the other scores by stumps. A beautiful plate to recognise a truly wonderful achievement. To view the scan, please click HERE.
Anantha Narayanan has written for ESPNcricinfo and CastrolCricket and worked with a number of companies on their cricket performance ratings-related systems