The devoted fans of cricket have been treated to a number of truly spectacular batting displays in the game’s history, much to their delight. In addition to all of that, they became legendary figures in the game of cricket. The individual performances seen here are unparalleled in the history of test cricket. One can see these greatest innings via cricket match highlights.
- Steve Smith (30) 144 (Australia v England, Edgbaston 2019) –
Have you forgotten to think about this? Many people think that Smith’s century in his first Test after a one-year ban is one of the best performances by a single player in the history of the series. At times, it seemed like Smith was playing a different game than the other 21 players on the field. However, he was at his best when the bowling conditions were good, saving Australia from a score of 122-8 and helping them win the match. It’s too bad that this game will only be remembered as the second-best part of the whole series. It tasted great. Smith is lucky because he still has a chance to do better than that.
- Martin Donnelly’s 206 runs in New Zealand vs. England, Lord’s 1949 –
Donnelly achieved the unprecedented feat of scoring a century and a half for New Zealand in a test match. It was the first time in New Zealand’s history that they went undefeated in a Test series that was played in a location that was not their country of origin. Donnelly’s performance included a great deal of style, technical skill, impeccable timing as he shifted from incredible care to severe aggression, and true importance. His performance was filled with these characteristics. The performance of Donnelly was the deciding factor in whether or not New Zealand would suffer its first loss in a Test series played outside of the country.
- Sunil Gavaskar, 222 runs (India v England, The Oval 1979) –
Sometimes people don’t realize how good a game was until after it’s over, and other times it’s the other way around. Both scenarios have their advantages and disadvantages. Gavaskar’s magnificent double-hundred would have been in the pantheon of great batting performances if India had been able to chase down an impossible 438 in four sessions, as they almost did here when they were 366 for 1 with 12 overs left to play. In the end, India was defeated by England by a score of nine runs because their captain, Venkataraghavan, rearranged the batting order of his team, and because Mike Brearley, an English player, slowed down the number of overs they were playing.
- Mark Butcher 173* (England vs. Australia, Headingley, 2001) –
Yes, the game was played for no real purpose, and yes, it was nice of Australia’s stand-in captain Adam Gilchrist to declare, thereby giving England 315 runs to win in conditions that were favorable for batting. But playing that game was a complete waste of my time. The unbelievable century that Butcher scored, which decimated an Australian attack that included McGrath, Gillespie, Lee, and Warne, was enough to get a nation that had become accustomed to mediocre cricket to start believing in miracles again.
- Marcus Trescothick (England v South Africa, Johannesburg 2004-05) –
When a player has a good inning, it almost seems as though it was a fluke that it happened. The incredible attack that Trescothick carried out on the Wanderers served as wonderful because it was able to break the impasse in more than one way. Trescothick seized command of the match on the fifth morning of the competition by thwarting an assault that was being mounted by Pollock, Ntini, Kallis, and Steyn. Prior to this point, the score was 1-1 in the series, and it appeared that the game would end in a draw at this point. This laid the groundwork for a win later that night that will remain in people’s memories for a very long time.
- Nathan Astle (New Zealand v England, Christchurch 2001-02) –
This is still the record for the most runs scored in the second innings in a test match, despite the fact that it has been nearly twenty years since it was established as the standard. It remains the record holder for the quickest test ever completed in a double century. After losing their ninth wicket, England just needed 217 more runs to win the match. However, they were bowled out. Instead, Astle was able to demolish 118 of them in less than an hour by delivering a succession of clean hits with the assistance of Chris Cairns, who suffered just partial injuries in the fight.
- Viv Richards 291 (West Indies v England, The Oval 1976) –
The region does not have any water at all. Absolutely everything about it was wonderful. The most scorching summer in recorded British history has finally come to an end, and it did so with scorching innings of beauty and arrogance. This knock does not demonstrate any aggression or clear authority, despite the fact that Richards is a very large man. When developing a strategy to send the ball toward the edge of the playing field in a way that is both elegant and effective, timing, movement, and balance are all essential components to consider. Despite the fact that Richards had played baseball for the past 20 years, he had never appeared unbeatable before this particular inning.
- Sanath Jayasuriya had a total of 253 runs (SL v Pakistan, Faisalabad 2004-05) –
At the beginning of the third day of the competition, Jayasuriya had a slight deficit that he needed to make up. Even so, he didn’t look like he was at his best. He was caught by Shoaib Akhtar off a no-ball, and Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene typically took the lead in the batting order. On the morning of the fourth day, when he was alone except for the tail, he acted out of the blue and did the kind of strokeplay that made his best knocks so shocking and jaw-dropping. He did this by playing with the tail.
