What have been the best Test matches ever?

The game was only competetive because of Australia's limited preparation. Nothing against Bangladesh but if Australia had played two warm up games instead of flying in a couple of days beforehand, the test would probably have been over in 3 innings

Without a doubt the best thing about that game for mine was Langer getting hit in the head by a bouncer and then smiling back at Akram revealing a recently dislodged tooth!

We're talking about cricket. Does Australia buy their cricketers?

Freud, As a Manure supporter, you may not understand teams that are unable to go and buy the talent they need, and instead do the best with what they've got. But deny me that Fatuallah in '06 was one of the finest Test matches ever played. Tell me what it didnt have. Ian Whitchurch

Vinay, Quite by accident I cam across a Foxtel special earlier this week on the famous tied-test series between Australia & Windies 1960/61. Man, you have to admire the batsmen of those days - no helmets, only rudimentary padding. You lived or died (literally sometimes) by your wits, quick eye & feet & hand movements. When considering players from different generations, it is necessary to take into consideration how helmets may have helped many modern batsman, just as 'sticky' (uncovered) wickets worked against batsmen of prior generations.

Vinay, I was probably a little further away from you than that. I was in I think the Bill O'Reilly stand as it was known, before becoming the Pat Hills stand. This is the stand on the Eastern side, near the main entrance from Moore Park Road. I wasn't far from the entrance thoroughfare. The scuffle occurred at the base on the small hill area adjoining to the north-east, which later became the Doug Walters stand (I think). No, I didn't throw any soft drink cans either. I was more fascinated than anything else - I hadn't seen anything like this in my short life up to that point!

That 1977 Centenary Test was probably the best Test match seen here in Australia, after the Tied Test in 1960-61 in Brisbane: 5 days of ever changing fortunes; 200 greats of the game, from Bradman to Dexter, from Simpson to Alec & Eric Bedser were present; Randall's 174; Lillee's 11 wickets, including 6 wickets in the first innings; England bowled out for 95 in the first innings; the late David Hookes hitting Tony Greig for 5 fours off 1 over; Rod Marsh recalling Randall when Randall was thought to be out on 161 after Marsh inidicated he didn't take the catch cleanly; the raw courage of Rick McCosker; and Australia winning by exactly the same margin as in the first-ever Test 100 years ago: 45 runs.

Yes, I have to admit that while I find some of Ian's reminiscing nauseating especially of such a mediocre cricketing nation it is nice to know they have a supporter in him, adds a little bit of diversity to The Roar.

I recall sitting at the Coogee Bay Hotel watching India being forced to follow on and losing early wickets at Kolkatta in 2001. I turned to my mate and siad "well thats that series over then". Spent the next two days listening/watching a Laxman batathon. I had to work on the final day of that Test and only found out the result later and to this day I'm still astonished by it. The majority of my test match watching time has been while Australia has been clearly ascendant through the Border, Taylor and Waugh eras. As such the best matches have generally been the ones where Australia have been pushed to the limit and more often that not lost the match. Hourable mentions go to the WACA 2008 test. SAF chased the 4th highest 4th innnings score to win and made it look easy following all round classy cricket. The 5th Oval Test in 2005. The only time I have heard a crowd who paid 50-60 quid per person cheer loudly when the English took the light midway throught the fifth day. The drama and noise as Billy Bowden tipped the bails was something to remember. Also the Sydney test of 2008 was something special especially given the tumult that followed. So often it is the context surrounding it that makes Test cricket so memorable. Ian W, love that description of the Bang vs Aus test.

That was the beginning of their dominance for mine, they were an excellent team but winning that match in the way they did sort of seemed unreal, like it just couldn't happen - at least not amongst mere mortals.

Ah, yes. I recall Langer getting a big nick behind to one but the umpire was unmoved.

Who can forget the 1999/2000 Pakistan Vs Aust. Test in Hobart when Aust. needed 369 to win and were 5/126 when Gilchrist (playing in his 2nd test) joined Langer at the crease. Facing Akram, Younis, Shoab Akhtar and Mushtaq, Langer made 127 and Gilly peeled off a lazy 149no to win the game by 4 wickets. As good a comeback win as I have seen especially against such a strong bowling attack as that. Even more enjoyable if you are a West Aussie!.

There you go,Sheek, I was below the scoreboard in the middle of the Hill so we must have been about a 100 meters away. I probably threw one of the cans and you probably threw a soft drink can.

Sheek..In the 60's and early 70's there was a primal air about the cricket. No helmets,unlimited bouncers,toothpick bats and brave shortlegs. This was high theatre. There was danger and the smell of cordite. Roberts and Holding to the Chappels and Redpath was like Gunfight at the OK Corall, Big bad patterson was like the Raging Bull. The chant of Lillee! Lillee! and the thumping of the signs on the fence was a crescendo as every delivery was hurled at the batsman. An esky full of beer and Xmas Ham..as someone sang..those were the days. I recall one day when Greg Chappel got a fifty and I jumped up and cheered. I felt someone place a hand on my shoulder and this great big Jamiacan lilted: " Man,you some kind of Australian?" But he had a great big smile on his dial.

There were some cracking games in my early years of following the game, apart from those mentioned by Jason. 5th test v England at The Oval, 1972. 3rd test v Pakistan at Sydney, 72/73. 4th test v Windies at Georgetown, Guyana (I think), 1973. 1st, 2nd & 5th tests v India Brisbane, Perth & Adelaide, 1977/78. After this memory fades.....

Vinay, I always like to tell the story I was about 50m from the drunken guy on the fence who grabbed John Snow's shirt soon after felling terry jenner, which led to beer cans raining onto the field, & Illingworth leading his players off. I don't know, I was 14 then (1970/71), but as I get older the distance away seems to be contracting. However, I do recall having a very clear view of the incident, so perhaps I really was about that close!

For all those roarers that missed the Austalian and West indies Tests and Super Tests between 1975 and 1990 grab hold of the old tapes and maybe later CD's. Some of the best cricket ever pllayed was between these two sides in that 15 year period. Waugh, Border and Taylor growing up would have had their heroes as the Chappells,Lillees,Walters,lloyd,Holding and marshall. You cant really appreciate what is happening now without the Historical perspective.

Unfortunately, three that spring to mind are ones we lost! There's no.6 on your list, when Kasper was wrongly given out by Billy Birmingham for England to win by 2. A test that decided the Ashes series, as there's no way England would have come back from 2 down. I don't blame Billy for giving Kasper out, as it did look out on first viewing from front on, but it just adds to the drama and memory of the test that he wasn't out (hand was off the bat)! Then there's no.5 on your list, when Billy the Kid McDermott was given out caught off the grill of his helmet, for the Windies to win in Adelaide by 1 solitary run. And of course the one where Border nearly saved us (no.3 on the list), when Thommo was caught off the rebound by Geoff Miller at slip (I think Both fumbled it first). It's not just the closeness of the results, but the incredibly dramatic finishes. Two were proven wrong decisions, and the other was a fumble then catch.

Australia vs Bangladesh, at Fatullah, April 2006. This match had it all. A brilliant first-day century by Sharihar Nafees, who treated Shane Warne like a club bowler on his way to a first-day century. Warne 0-112 and early shower from a "sore shoulder", his worst figures since Ravi Shastri and the boys took him behind the woodshed at the SCG at the start of his career. Tigers finally dismissed for 427, with 50s from Saleh and Bashar, with MacGill getting 8 wickets for 108. Australia put on the rack at 6-93, before a rescue job by Gilchrist with 144 (fifteen fours, six sixes) of the total 269, with slow left armer Rafique getting five. Without Gilchrist, Australia would be forced to follow on. Bangladesh collapse in the second innings for 148, with Gillespie 3-18, and Warne getting some of the allegedly cheap Bangladeshi wickets with 3-28 (match figures, an unspectacular 3-140).. Australia chasing 308 in the fourth innings on a slow and turning track, against the old stager Rafique and the kid SLA, Enamul Haque Junior. 173 runs, going along smoothly, then Hayden falls, and then Martyn, then Clarke, then Gilchrist with the score 225. 80 to get, 5 wickets in hand, Ponting still there the last of the recognised batsmen. Warne goes at 231. Six down, 70 runs or four wickets to get. Lee goes at 277. Seven down, 30 runs needed. Ponting is dropped by Mortaza off Shahadat at 284, and brings his side home with an unbeaten century. Australia by three wickets. One of the absolute, all time best Test matches, won by two magnificent performances by two of the best there ever was, in Gilchrist and Ponting. Carn the Tigers. Ian Whitchurch

1st test Aus v RSA @ WACA 2008 - Johnson 8 wickets, Smith 100 and Duminy unbeaten 50 on debut