Page 1 of 4

Best Test Performances of the last 50 years

PostPosted: Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:21 pm
by Red Devil
http://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/ ... erformance

VVS wins it with Botham in second - difficult to argue too much with those choices, although Murali's 9fer against England ranks pretty high for me in terms of performances I've seen and remember - he ranked eights for the panel here

Botham in 5th as well; and Lara has 4 of the top 50

WI have more in the top 50 than any other country, just highlights how far they've fallen

Re: Best Test Performances of the last 50 years

PostPosted: Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:30 pm
by Arthur Crabtree
I'd have thought Freddie at Edgbaston 05, and Dean Jones in Chennai would have been up there.

Re: Best Test Performances of the last 50 years

PostPosted: Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:45 pm
by Arthur Crabtree
Apparently, no SRT in there (I've not checked) which is hard to believe for a couple of reasons.

Re: Best Test Performances of the last 50 years

PostPosted: Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:50 pm
by Arthur Crabtree
It does underline the way Tests lend themselves to mythology and offer a fertile source of good writing- in comparison with ODIs and T20. Could you do this in these other formats? Of course, you could, but there would be a limit to the extent of the drama you could call upon, and the variety of options..

Re: Best Test Performances of the last 50 years

PostPosted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:00 am
by Dr Cricket
No surprise that tendulkar doesn't have any, he doesn't really have any memorable knocks barring chennai even then sehwag knocks more memorable.

Tendulkar doesn't have any decisive knock that wins the game.
Saying that if India had a better team during 1997-2001 during his peak, he would be mentioned.
A lot of the players mentioned got in during their peak.

Even in my list of top 10 Indian knocks tendulkar will hardly be in it.
Laxman, Dravid, sehwag will fills most of them.

Tendulkar is so much like bell you can hardly remember a knock of his that was important lol.
Quite amazing really since tendulkar has scored 16 thousand runs.

Reckon it is because of all the greatest Indian victories tendulkar doesn't really feature in them barring chennai.
Whereas everyone remember laxman and Dravid winning games in Kolkata, Adelaide, headingley, Durban, Johannesburg and many more.

Re: Best Test Performances of the last 50 years

PostPosted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:02 am
by Arthur Crabtree
Not sure if you're joking?!

Re: Best Test Performances of the last 50 years

PostPosted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:05 am
by Dr Cricket
Although Johannesburg is weirdly never mentioned, sreesanth should have been a legend after that game, if he was a batsman everyone would still be talking about that performance now.
Was the only overseas test which India failed with the bat and still won, South Africa all out for 80.

Re: Best Test Performances of the last 50 years

PostPosted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:08 am
by Dr Cricket
Arthur Crabtree wrote:Not sure if you're joking?!

Being serious actually wasn't this discussed before when tendulkar name didn't get mentioned once in a list of the best centuries in test.
Tendulkar is really odd in this aspect.

Even in India ask anyone their most memorable knock and tendulkar won't feature be loads of laxman, Dravid and sehwag.

Guessing it is because of the wins, tendulkar never had a win after him barring chennai.

Re: Best Test Performances of the last 50 years

PostPosted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:12 am
by Arthur Crabtree
Off the top of my head, obviously against England at Chennai.
Didn't he get a ton in 01 v Aus at Kolkata?
150 at Cape Town in 2011 after being written off.
The 250 at Sydney that Aussies always mention.

I'm sure India fans will do better than that. Two of those were draws and in one (maybe two) he was overshadowed.

Re: Best Test Performances of the last 50 years

PostPosted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:20 am
by Dr Cricket
Nope failed in both innings at 01 Kolkata.
150 Cape Town was a good knock but India didn't win so not that memorable.
250 sydney is usually mentioned because tendulkar was out of Nick and didn't drive one ball, if India won that game think it would be higher up since India would have won the series 2-1 and the knock would go down in history as one of the finest.

Re: Best Test Performances of the last 50 years

PostPosted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:24 am
by Arthur Crabtree
Lovely photo of VVS and The Wall at the top of that link.

SRT got a ton in one of those legendary Tests in 01 though I think. I've looked it up, 126 in Chennai.

As you say, he doesn't tend to get Tests named after him.

Re: Best Test Performances of the last 50 years

PostPosted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:40 am
by braveneutral
On another note I don't like the idea that some of the people on the panel could be eligible.

Much like Nick Grimshaw being voted 2nd in GQ's best dressed list yet being a panel member.

I haven't gone through the list and panellists on this to see if there are any conflicts of interests but it isn't very Corbynesque.

Re: Best Test Performances of the last 50 years

PostPosted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:55 am
by Arthur Crabtree
Nothing by Kallis.

Don't really get the absence Dean Jones in the tied Test.

If WI have the most picks, they must also be the opposition for the most picks too, such was the value of doing well against them.

Re: Best Test Performances of the last 50 years

PostPosted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:59 am
by Dr Cricket
Arthur Crabtree wrote:Lovely photo of VVS and The Wall at the top of that link.

SRT got a ton in one of those legendary Tests in 01 though I think. I've looked it up, 126 in Chennai.

As you say, he doesn't tend to get Tests named after him.


If tendulkar was born 10 years later, a lot of his knocks would be more memorable.
Better tv coverage, India play more test and also the fact he played more meaningful test.
The fact is that tendulkar didn't have a meaningful test match after 1992 till 1997 and 99.
And in those occasions he didn't score a memorable knock after that it was 2001 when he next played a meaningful test and then Dravid and laxman started getting headlines.

The fact is only test against England, aus and wi mattered in those days, just like now where India, eng and aus although greater tv coverage means all test matches in the world can be seen Not the case in the 90s.

Actually thinks tendulkar greatest test knock might be the Pakistan one in 1999.


Thinking about it without using google or wiki I doubt anyone can remember any tendulkar knocks in the 90s.

Re: Best Test Performances of the last 50 years

PostPosted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 2:53 am
by bigfluffylemon
Amazed Flintoff '05 at Edgbaston didn't make the top 50. By the numbers it may not look that amazing, but in both innings, with bat and ball, he made a match-defining contribution, and not only that, one that set-up and defined an amazing series and put cricket back on the front pages in England. And he had the spirit of cricket award for the summer as well consoling Brett Lee.

Hard to argue with the winner, although Lara at Bridgetown is for me the best knock ever, given the conditions, the bowling attack and the match situation.