Top cricketers who got stuck on 99 not out in Tests

Misbah ul Haq. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Going back to the pavilion on an unbeaten 99 in Tests is one of the unluckiest things to happen to a batter. In the history of Test cricket, there are only a few incidents when some of the batters were unfortunate to have carried the bat after scoring unbeaten 99 runs. In the same vein, recently, James Anderson got dismissed at the hands of Cameron Green in the first innings of the fourth Test of the Ashes 2023. Anderson’s scalp finished England’s innings on 592. Consequently, this prevented Jonny Bairstow from scoring a memorable ton as he was left stranded on an unbeaten 99. With this unfortunate dismissal of Anderson, Bairstow became only the second English cricketer in the distinguished Test tournament to miss the century by a whisker.

Similarly, during the 1979 Ashes, Geoff Dymock dismissed Bob Willis, and Geoffrey Boycott from the other end had to walk back to the pavilion with his unbeaten 99-run knock along with Willis. Along with these two instances, there are five more incidents when players remained unbeaten on 99 in the innings in the Test format.

Here are the five instances when players carried the bat with their unbeaten 99-run knocks:

5. Misbah-ul-Haq vs West Indies in 2017

Misbah ul Haq. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

In 2017, Pakistan toured the West Indies and played a three-match Test series. After their emphatic victories over the hosts in One-Day Internationals (ODI) and Test series, Pakistan were riding high on confidence and thrashed the Windies team by seven wickets in the inaugural Test. In the opening game, Pakistan won the toss and invited the West Indies to bat first.

Roston Chase’s 63, Jason Holder’s unbeaten 57, and wicketkeeper batter Shane Dowrich’s 56 helped the Caribbeans post 312 runs on the board. Pakistan gave a solid reply to the Windies team with the help of Babar Azam’s 72 and Younis Khan’s 58. Captain Misbah also stepped up and played some excellent strokes through his bat and crossed the 90-run mark to help his team reach 400. With nine down on 407, Misbah was the only main batter present at the crease along with the tailender, Mohammad Abbas.

On the fourth delivery of the 139th over, Roston Chase trapped Abbas through leg-by-wicket (lbw) and wrapped up Pakistan’s innings on 407. When Abbas got out, Pakistan skipper Misbah was standing on 99 at the other end. With Abbas’s wicket, Misbah also walked back to the pavilion, missing out on a century.

4. Alex Tudor vs New Zealand in 1999

Alex Tudor. (Photo Source: RANDY BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images)

New Zealand toured England for four Tests in 1999 for four Tests. In the opening contest at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground, New Zealand were handed a seven-wicket defeat by the hosts. The Kiwi captain Stephen Fleming won the toss and put his team to bat first. From the Black Caps, only wicketkeeper batter Adam Parore looked confident with his bat, playing 73-run innings.

With Parore’s decent batting effort, New Zealand amassed 226 runs in the first innings. Following the Black Caps’ low score, England failed to do big and got folded on 126. In the second innings, Andrew Caddick and Alan Mullaly wreaked havoc on New Zealand batters and bundled out the visitors on 107.

Following the low total of 208, England received an early blow when opener Alec Stewart departed on a duck. However, Alex Tudor held his nerves and took the game home for his team by seven wickets but couldn’t complete his century. Before hitting the winning runs, Tudor was batting on 95 and he was required to hit a maximum to score a ton. Instead of clearing the fence, Tudor scored a four and walked back home with his unbeaten 99-run innings. For his match-winning batting display, Tudor also received the Player of the Match award for his valiant knock.

3. Andrew Hall vs England in 2003

Andrew Hall. (Photo Source: Twitter)

South Africa visited England in 2003 for five Tests and after three games, the series was on an intriguing stage as both teams had won one game apiece. In the fourth Test at Headingley, the Proteas performed excellently and vanquished the hosts by a huge margin of 191 runs.

In the game, South Africa batted first after winning the game and put 342 runs on the board in the first innings, riding on Gary Kirsten’s 130, Jacques Rudolph’s 55, and Monde Zondeki’s 59. England displayed courage while following the total and scored 307 runs in reply.

In the second innings, South Africa were reeling on 219-6, but the momentum of the game changed when Andrew Hall played some marvellous strokes and helped his side to cross 350 runs. James Kirtley claimed the wicket of Dewald Pretorius and concluded South Africa’s innings on 365. With Pretorious’s scalp, Hall was stopped from scoring his maiden international hundred as the Protea went back to the dressing room scoring an unbeaten 99.

2. Shaun Pollock vs Sri Lanka in 2002

Shaun Pollock. (Photo Source: Twitter)

In 2002, South Africa hosted Sri Lanka for a couple of Tests and five ODIs. After the convincing triumph by an innings and 64 runs against the island nation in the opening Test, the Proteas were looking to dominate the visitors in the second Test at SuperSport Park and seal the red-ball series. The South Africa skipper, Shaun Pollock, invited Sri Lanka to bat first after the coin tossed in his favour.

Unlike the first Test, Sri Lanka batters showed some resistance and ended up their first innings at a decent score of 323. Hashan Tilakaratne played a 104-run knock and notched up his maiden and only century on South African soil. Replying to Sri Lanka, South Africa scored 448 runs and took a huge lead of 125 runs.

Shaun Pollock became the highest scorer for his team in the innings, with his unbeaten 99-run knock. Pollock could’ve completed a century for South Africa if their last man Makhaya Ntini had spent a few more minutes at the crease. In the second innings, Sri Lanka bowlers showed some fight while saving 121 but eventually, the Proteas held their nerves and took the game away with three wickets in hand. In South Africa’s intriguing win, Pollock became the Player of the Match.

1. Steve Waugh vs England in 1995

Steve Waugh. (Photo Source: Professional Sport/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)

In the 1994 Ashes, Australia were in a comfortable position after four Tests as they were leading the series by 2-1 against their arch-rivals England. With a couple of victories in the tournament, Australia retained the ‘urn’ but in the final contest, they were looking to thump England and win the competition as well.

Australia batted first after winning the toss and piled up 402 runs in the first innings. From the Aussie team and fans’ point of view, everything went well for them except for their number 11 batter Craig McDermott’s run out at the hands of Chris Lewis and Graham Gooch.

After helping Australia cross the 400-run mark, Steve Waugh was eyeing to score a century but McDermott’s wicket broke his heart and Australia team’s supporters as the stylish right-handed Aussie batter also walked back to the dugout on an unbeaten 99 along with his colleague. The final Test went to the Aussies eventually by 329 runs and Waugh became the recipient of the Player of the Match award for his effective unbeaten 99 and brilliant 80 in the match.