Best Test innings since 2001 (Part I)

Last week, I found myself drifting during the drudgery of the working day and pondering if any recent gem of a knock would catapult into Wisden’s list of greatest Test innings, released in 2001.

I started going through individually all Test tons since July 26, 2001, but I started to nosebleed and decided to stop.

My criteria involved the deeds that are still vivid in my memory, and I’ve placed an emphasis on the context of the knock – did it shape a series? Was it historically important? Will it be still indelible 50 years from now?

Anyway, enough rambling. I have to admit my list is pretty Aussie heavy – as in, most of the innings are during Australian matches.

Here’s my (by no means conclusive) list of great innings since July 26 2001.

Australia

Matthew Hayden, 119 v Pakistan, Sharjah 2002. Australia won
Hayden’s brilliant ton in stifling heat outscored Pakistan’s abysmal match score (59 and 53).

Sure, it’s sometimes hard to judge Pakistan, due to – ahem, dodgy practices – but still this shouldn’t deter from Hayden’s performance under duress.

Plus, Pakistan’s attack did boast Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Razzaq and Saqlain Mushtaq.

Ricky Ponting 156 v England, Manchester 2005. Draw
This is my all-time favourite Punter innings. He will always be remembered for his flashy shots, particularly his brutality off the back-foot, but I always believed his grit was undervalued.

Ponting was Border 2.0. Perhaps he was more aesthetically pleasing, but he was made of just as much steel.

That was never more evident than on the final day of the third Test when he defied a steam-rolling England attack, virtually single-handedly.

Ricky Ponting 196 v England, Brisbane 2006. Aus won
Another one of my favourite Ponting knocks. The innings stands out for me because the series was so hyped. I’ve never experienced cricket so fever-pitched as it was on the morning of the first Test of the ’06-07 Ashes.

Sure, England’s attack was nowhere near the strength of their ’05 version but it doesn’t detract from Ponting’s brilliance.

He was at his absolute peak during that innings – which he had been dreaming of since Australia had surprisingly lost the Ashes in ’05.

A captain’s knock on the big stage.

Adam Gilchrist – 102* (59) v England, Perth 2006. Aus won
Sure, Australia was already in a commanding situation when Gilly walked out to the crease in the second innings, but why quibble?

This was the most brutal assault I’ve ever seen. In fact, it was the second fastest ton in Test history, just one ball shy of Viv Richards’ 56-ball assault against England in 1986.

I’ll be recounting Gilly’s evisceration on poor old Monty Panesar to my grandkids one day. One of the most memorable innings this century.

Michael Clarke – 151 v South Africa, Cape Town 2011. SA won
This Test will forever be remembered for Australia embarrassingly being dismissed for that inept total of 47 in the third innings.

It’s too bad Michael Clarke’s 151 (out of 284) first innings gem on a difficult trek against a quality attack has been overshadowed. I still believe it is Clarke’s greatest innings.

Michael Clarke – 329* v India, SCG 2012. Aus won:
India’s nightmare tour of Australia is remembered as a one-sided series – Quite rightly, considering Australia swept the series.

But the first Test was a close affair (India actually were in a dominant position after two days) and their maligned pace bowlers were causing the brittle Aussie batting line-up to hop and holler.

After being skittled for 191, India clawed back into the contest thanks to Zaheer Khan scything Australia’s top three for just 37 on the board.

In walked Clarke who, over the next two days, not only ensured this series would transform from a contest into a cakewalk, but stamped himself as an-all-time great batsman.

England

Mark Butcher 173* v Australia, Leeds 2001. Eng won
Bloody Mark Butcher! His unexpected blinder defied Australia a historic sweep in the mother country.

Butcher eviscerated one of the greatest attacks of all-time – Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee and Shane Warne.

For one day, Australia’s all-conquering attack was humbled by Mark Butcher. 12 years later, I still can’t believe that happened.

Kevin Pietersen 158 v Australia, The Oval 2005. Draw
England needed to hold out on the final day of the riveting ’05 series to reclaim the Ashes for the first time in nearly two decades. This was no easy proposition against an attack comprising McGrath, Warne, Lee and a young Shaun Tait.

England were wobbling after lunch until Pietersen’s brutal assault on Lee and Warne helped secure a famous draw and thus the fragile urn.

Alastair Cook 235* v Australia, Brisbane 2010. Draw
This was the best knock in the series. It’s easy to forget that the ’10-11 Ashes was billed as even money on series eve.

Australia dominated the first three days, and the Brad Haddin/Mike Hussey partnership on day three looked set to ensure more Australian soil misery for England.

But Andrew Strauss, Jonathan Trott and particularly Cook batted for an eternity to save the Test and, more importantly, provided the platform and momentum for England to dominate the series.

West Indies

Brian Lara 221 v Sri Lanka, Colombo 2001. WI lost
This is arguably the best solo Test performance this century. Lara scored more than 50 percent of his team’s score for the entire Test, including twin hundreds.

But since we’re discussing best innings then I’ll select his 221 gem in the first dig, where he obliterated Muttiah Muralitharan (1-115 from 37 overs).

The Windies only scored 390 and just two other players scored in double figures, highlighting Lara’s dominance.

Brian Lara 400* v England, Antigua 2004. Draw
The world record (obviously). Lara amazing reclaimed the record just six months after Matt Hayden set the benchmark with 380 against a turgid Zimbabwe.

Apparently the St John pitch was more flat than a catwalk model’s chest, but it was still an incredible effort from Lara, considering England had steamrolled the Windies in the preceding three Tests and boasted an attack of Steve Harmison (at his peak and before he became a punchline), Matthew Hoggard, the severely underrated Simon Jones and Andrew Flintoff.

And, in case you;re wondering, I don’t have Hayden’s 380* on my list because of the ineptitude of the opposition.

India

Rahul Dravid 233 v Australia, Adelaide 2003. India won
This brilliant knock probably has an asterix because there was no McGrath, Warne and to a lesser extent Lee. Australia’s attack was Gillespie, Andy Bichel, Brad Williams(!) and Stuart MacGill.

Still, Australia were nearly invincible during this period and appeared set for another victory after India slumped to 4-85 in reply to 556.

Then Dravid and VVS Laxman came to the rescue again and India eventually conjured one of the most unlikely victories against Australia. Again!

Virender Sehwag 319 (304) v South Africa, Chennai 2008. Draw
It’s pretty hard to fathom that Sehwag could score a triple ton in better than a run a ball against an attack comprising Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Jacques Kallis and Paul Harris.

It was a very high-scoring game, meaning the pitch was an archetypal road.

Virender Sehwag 293 (254) v Sri Lanka, Mumbai 2009. India won
Another tour de force by Sehwag, decimating an attack that featured Murali and Rangana Herath.

I find it hard to judge some of the sub-continent knocks considering the batting-friendly conditions but this was obviously a special (insert Bruce McAvaney’s voice) knock.

South Africa

Hashim Amla 311* v England, The Oval 2012. SA won
This was the series featuring the two top teams in world cricket at the time, and I remember thinking England deserved to be favourites.

In the first Test they posted a decent 385, before Amla, Graeme Smith and Kallis destroyed England’s attack, which boasted James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and Tim Bresnan.

SA would win the Test by an innings, giving them the momentum to eventually dominate the series.

New Zealand

Nathan Astle 222 (168) v England, Christchurch. NZ lost
This was a pretty remarkable knock considering balls faced and that this was in the fourth innings of a 550 chase. England was a mediocre team during this period but still won, so that loses some lustre for Astle.

But still, 11 sixes amid the carnage and scoring nearly half of his team’s score makes this an indelible innings of the 21st century.