The Greatest Test Innings: A New Look

The Greatest Test Innings: A New Look


It has been 10 years since Wisdenpublished their controversial list of the top 100 best innings in Test cricket history. Don Bradman topped the list with his 270 against England in 1937 after he reversed the batting order and came in at no.7 with the score at 90/5.

Ranking that innings at no.1 was not controversial at all. Indeed, it would be controversial in the extreme not to put that innings in at least the top 10 or 20 of any list attempting to rank the greatest Test innings. The controversy was caused by the absence of any Tendulkar innings in the top 100.

I have been working on ranking the best batsmen and bowlers in Test cricket and one-day international cricket for some years now. Only now am I getting close to creating a formula I am happy to present to cricket fans and followers. Whilst working on rating the great Test batsmen, I also thought about rating their innings/performances, thereby incorporating them in their career ratings. Entertaining players like Stan McCabe and Adam Gilchrist, who played some of the most famous and talked-about knocks in history, and yet only averaged in the 40s, will be well-served by this.

So, I set to work in creating a formula in ranking Test innings. I only had the help of Microsoft Excel so it has taken some time, and quite often I had to reset the formulas. Finally, I arrived at a list that I am pleased with. It is different from theWisden 100 but one thing still remains: the great Tendulkar, who I admire and enjoy watching so much, does not feature in my top 100.

I will not bore readers with the exact workings of the formula, but I will give brief summary of the factors involved:

1. Base runs scored
2. Runs scored by other batsmen in the same team innings, divided by the number of batsmen used. The highest score I have found for this measurement so far has been for Bannerman's 165 retired hurt in 1877, the first innings in Test history! The other ten batsmen used scored an average of 72 runs between them (I have discounted the 8 extras in that innings). Bannerman thus scored over 6 times more than his teammates in one innings!
3. Runs per wicket of all the other batsmen in the match. This helps players who scored heavily in large victories.
4. % of team runs scored (including the extras this time).
5. Runs scored with the bottom-half of the batting order: specifically, runs scored with no.7-11 batsmen. For example, in Clem Hill's famous 188 at the end of the 19th century, the fifth wicket fell at 32. When Hill was ninth out, the score stood at 303. Australia finally made 323, which meant that Hill helped score 84% of the total team runs with the bottom half of the batting order: (303-32)/323

Those first five factors give a base score for an innings. They are then multiplied by the following factors:

1. Strike-rate. Astle's 222 and numerous Gilchrist innings` are rewarded with this measurement.
2. Match won/drawn/or lost. Close wins or close draws?
3. State of the series. Was it a 'live' match or a dead rubber? Was it the deciding match in the series? Was a batsmen's team behind in the series and then went on to win the rubber, i.e. Botham?s 149*, or Laxman's 281?
4. Home match or Away match?
5. Strength of the opposition and/or bowling attack. Australia or West Indies at their peak or Bangladesh?
6. Situation of the match. Following on 200 or more runs behind and going onto win? Winning after chasing 350 in the final innings? Having a 100+ lead after the first innings?

All those factors will produce a final rating for any innings played in Test history. However, I have left out any innings in which the team score was less than 150 with no more than 4 wickets lost. For example, 120/1, 145/4, etc.

Before presenting you with my top 100, I want to say that in no way do I think that stats-based ratings like this one orWisden's are the only way with which to judge Test cricket innings. It is one way to promote discussion on forums and to introduce some readers to great innings long forgotten. People who have actually played the game and were there on the day should know a good innings from a bad one. Scorecards from 1902 also cannot record how fluent a batsman looked at the crease or how many chances he gave. People may not agree with my final list, but I put a lot of thought into it (you can tell by looking at the number of measurements used!), and to be honest, when an earlier formula produced a top 10 list which just looked wrong, I went back to the drawing board.

Finally, if there are any innings which I have missed out on, please let me know, and I will measure them. But let me say now that I have measured a number of Tendulkar innings and not one so far has gotten near the top 100. The closest is his 136 against Pakistan in 1999 in a losing chase, which fetched a rating of 15.48.
Enjoy the list!
DoG

Top 10 pen-portraits:
1. Brian Lara 153* vs Australia at Bridgetown in 1999. Rating: 26.84
The seminal innings in a 4th innings run chase and rated the greatest innings of all-time based on my formula. Lara was under fire throughout the Caribbean following the 0-5 loss in South Africa. He answered his critics at Kingston in the 2nd Test with a double century (rated 25th on my list) to level the series against the world-conquering Australians. It was in Bridgetown that he forever sealed his status as a great batsman. He basically won the 3rd Test single-handed after coming in at 78/3 with 230 runs still required. He put on 133 with Jimmy Adams (of which Adams made 38) before working with Ambrose and Walsh to score the final 63 runs with the last two wickets. It is the innings of a master batsman under pressure against a great bowling attack. Need I say more, except that it could have been so different had Ian Healy managed to hold onto that catch in the final stages of the run chase.

2. Ian Botham 149* vs Australia at Leeds 1981. Rating: 26.65
If there is one innings that is more famous than Lara's it is Beefy's slog at Leeds that basically turned the Ashes on its head. Following on, England were still 122 runs away from making Australia bat again when Botham came in at 105/5. He proceeded to hit 149 not out off 148 balls, putting on 221 runs with the last 3 wickets. His innings would have been a mere footnote had Willis not come out firing in the 4th innings so I guess it is somewhat appropriate that Lara's innings is rated at no.1 with Beefy having to settle for no.2.

3. Graham Gooch 154* vs West Indies at Leeds 1991. Rating 26.34.
Another great innings played at Headingley (there are a total of 5 in the top 100). This is an innings of a batsman who was so far ahead of his peers for one match that it was almost ridiculous. The next highest score in the match was 73. The average of all the other batsmen in the match was 14.40. Gooch stood alone in this match like no other batsmen has done in the modern-day era of Test cricket. And let us not forget that this was against a great bowling attack as well. Pure class.

4. V.V.S. Laxman 281 vs Australia at Kolkata in 2001. Rating: 25.55
Everyone knows of this innings and no description is really necessary. I have no doubt that the majority of Indians would deem this to be the greatest innings ever but I hope they can take solace in the fact that it is still the best of the 21st century so far. The only thing that counts against Laxman in my formula is the amount of support he got from Dravid, which means that he did not shoulder the burden alone as much as the 3 innings rated above him.

5. Charles Bannerman 165 retired not out vs England at Melbourne in 1877. Rating: 25.15
I find it somewhat fitting that the first ever innings played in Test cricket was one of top 5 greatest in the history of the game. The stats by themselves are incredible. Bannerman scored 67% of his team's runs (the highest ever) and scored 6.8 times the amount of runs that his teammates scored combined. Bannerman played only 3 matches but he left his mark on the game forever.

6. Don Bradman 270 vs England at Melbourne in 1937. Rating: 24.99
The Don's greatest innings helped turn an Ashes series in much the same way that Botham?s did some 44 years later. England won the first 2 matches of the rubber with Bradman averaging a mere 30.00, including 2 ducks. Australia batted first in Melbourne and made 200 (Bradman again failing with 13). They bowled England out for 76 after rain set in and left the wicket sticky. Bradman, the master strategist, then reversed his batting order so that he could get the best batting conditions when he came in at number 7. It worked to perfection. He came in at 97/5 but put on 346 runs with Jack Fingleton and Australia eventually won by a comfortable 365 runs. Bradman went on to score a century in each of the final two tests and Australia won the series 3-2. An incredible reversal.

7. Virender Sehwag 201* vs. Sri Lanka at Galle in 2008. Rating: 24.22
The Indian batsmen were all at sea against the debutant Ajantha Mendis throughout this series but somehow Sehwag tamed him and batted through the entire innings for a double-century triumph. And with a strike-rate of 87. India won the match and although they lost the final match and the rubber, Sehwag's innings will be remembered as one of the greats.

8. VVS Laxman 167 vs. Australia at Sydney in 2000. Rating: 24.18
It takes a special batsman to have two innings ranked in the top 10 of all time. And VVS is a special batsman whose career average of 46 does not reveal the full story of how many great innings he has played for country. This is the greatest innings in a losing cause. Against a rampant bowling attack, India were following-on, and soon in trouble. Laxman was eighth out with the score on 258. The next highest score was 25. It is a very similar innings to Gooch's, except that the match was lost and was never likely to be saved. A beautiful innings, nonetheless, and Laxman's first century.

9. Sanath Jayasuriya 253 vs. Pakistan at Faisalabad in 2004. Rating: 24.17
Jayasuriya's second-to-last century and it would not have been had Shoaib Akhtar not no-balled when he had Jayasuriya caught behind early in his innings. Sanath went on to score 253 runs out of a team total of 438 at a strike-rate over 70 to send Sri Lanka to a rare victory away from home against a Test-playing nation. The next highest score in the innings was 59.

10. Stan McCabe 232 vs. England at Nottingham in 1938. Rating: 23.46
This is one of my favourite innings and it is still the greatest innings played by an Australian abroad, according to my formula. England made a mammoth 658/8 and had Australia in all sorts of trouble at 150/5. McCabe increased his scoring rate as he lost more partners. This culminated in him scoring 72 out of 77 runs for the last wicket in 28 minutes. Whilst McCabe was at the crease, other players and extras scored a total of 68 runs! Australia made 411 and the match was eventually drawn. Don Bradman apparently summoned his players to the player's balcony to watch, saying that "they would never see anything like it again."

Pos	Name	Runs	Opposition	Venue	Year	Rating
1	B.C. Lara	153*	Australia	Bridgetown	1999	26.84
2	I.T. Botham	149*	Australia	Leeds	1981	26.65
3	G.A. Gooch	154*	West Indies	Leeds	1991	26.34
4	V.V.S. Laxman	281	Australia	Kolkata	2001	25.55
5	C. Bannerman	165*	England	Melbourne	1877	25.15
6	D.G. Bradman	270	England	Melbourne	1937	24.99
7	V. Sehwag	201*	Sri Lanka	Galle	2008	24.22
8	V.V.S. Laxman	167	Australia	Sydney	2000	24.18
9	S.T. Jayasuriya	253	Pakistan	Faisalabad	2004	24.17
10	S.J. McCabe	232	England	Nottingham	1938	23.46
11	D.L. Amiss	262*	West Indies	Kingston	1974	23.11
12	AzharMahmood	132	South Africa	Durban	1998	22.81
13	Saeed Anwar	188	India	Kolkata	1999	22.54
14	C. Hill	188	England	Melbourne	1898	22.49
15	C.G. Greenidge	134	England	Manchester	1976	22.40
16	G.S. Chappell	176	New Zealand	Christchurch	1982	21.75
17	Inzamam-ul-Haq	329	New Zealand	Lahore	2002	21.35
18	Mohammad Wasim	192	Zimbabwe	Harare	1998	21.25
19	M.J. Slater	123	England	Sydney	1999	21.03
20	V. Sehwag	319	South Africa	Chennai	2008	20.84
21	D.G. Bradman	299*	South Africa	Adelaide	1932	20.60
22	G.L. Jessop	104	Australia	The Oval	1902	20.58
23	H.P. Tillekaratne	115	Pakistan	Faisalabad	1995	20.46
24	D.G. Bradman	334	England	Leeds	1930	20.29
25	B.C. Lara	213	Australia	Kingston	1999	20.26
26	M.E. Trescothick	180	South Africa	Johannesburg	2005	20.26
27	S.M. Gavaskar	221	England	The Oval	1979	20.17
28	K.J. Hughes	100*	West Indies	Melbourne	1981	20.01
29	N.J. Astle	222	England	Christchurch	2002	19.93
30	C.L. Walcott	220	England	Bridgetown	1954	19.91
31	K.C. Sangakkara	156*	New Zealand	Wellington	2006	19.90
32	AsifIqbal	146	England	The Oval	1967	19.84
33	R. Dravid	223	Australia	Adelaide	2003	19.81
34	G.M. Turner	223*	West Indies	Kingston	1972	19.74
35	D.G. Bradman	103*	England	Melbourne	1933	19.67
36	P.F. Warner	132*	South Africa	Johannesburg	1899	19.59
37	R.E. Foster	287	Australia	Sydney	1903	19.54
38	N. Kapil Dev	129	South Africa	Port Elizabeth	1992	19.46
39	S.M. Gavaskar	236*	West Indies	Madras	1983	19.46
40	A.C. Gilchrist	149*	Pakistan	Hobart	1999	19.35
41	G.C. Smith	154*	England	Birmingham	2008	19.32
42	D.G. Bradman	212	England	Adelaide	1937	19.26
43	L. Hutton	205	West Indies	Kingston	1954	19.19
44	W.R. Hammond	231	Australia	Sydney	1936	19.09
45	Hanif Mohammad	337	West Indies	Bridgetown	1958	18.95
46	M.A. Butcher	173*	Australia	Leeds	2001	18.94
47	B. Mitchell	164*	England	Lord's	1935	18.90
48	G.S. Sobers	168	Australia	Sydney	1961	18.88
49	G.R. Viswanath	97*	West Indies	Madras	1975	18.88
50	O.G. Smith	168	England	Nottingham	1957	18.79
51	G.J. Bonnor	128	England	Sydney	1885	18.76
52	V.T. Trumper	159	South Africa	Melbourne	1911	18.75
53	G.A. Headley	270*	England	Kingston	1935	18.55
54	Hanif Mohammad	187	England	Lord's	1967	18.42
55	M.A. Taylor	144	West Indies	St. John's	1991	18.34
56	M.E. Waugh	116	South Africa	Port Elizabeth	1997	18.26
57	R.G. Pollock	274	Australia	Durban	1970	18.16
58	L. Vincent	224	Sri Lanka	Wellington	2005	18.12
59	C.G. Greenidge	213	New Zealand	Auckland	1987	18.12
60	B.C. Lara	226	Australia	Adelaide	2005	18.05
61	J. Ryder	201*	England	Adelaide	1925	18.02
62	D.L. Amiss	179	India	Delhi	1976	18.01
63	W.R. Hammond	336*	New Zealand	Auckland	1933	17.97
64	A.R. Border	163	India	Melbourne	1985	17.96
65	C.L. Cairns	80	England	The Oval	1999	17.96
66	G.R. Viswanath	114	Australia	Melbourne	1981	17.95
67	B.F. Butcher	133	England	Lord's	1963	17.93
68	G.R. Viswanath	139	West Indies	Calcutta	1974	17.85
69	K.P. Pietersen	142	Sri Lanka	Birmingham	2006	17.85
70	Kamran Akmal	113	India	Karachi	2006	17.84
71	L. Hutton	364	Australia	The Oval	1938	17.70
72	G. Kirsten	100*	Pakistan	Faisalabad	1997	17.63
73	G.R. Viswanath	124	West Indies	Madras	1979	17.53
74	S.M. Nurse	258	New Zealand	Christchurch	1969	17.50
75	D.C.S. Compton	278	Pakistan	Nottingham	1954	17.49
76	D.J. McGlew	255*	New Zealand	Wellington	1953	17.43
77	D.P.M.D. Jayawardene	167	New Zealand	Galle	1998	17.43
78	C.H. Gayle	333	Sri Lanka	Galle	2010	17.39
79	D.N. Sardesai	212	West Indies	Kingston	1971	17.38
80	C.G. Greenidge	214*	England	Lord's	1984	17.35
81	M.A. Atherton	185*	South Africa	Johannesburg	1995	17.35
82	J.R. Reid	142	South Africa	Johannesburg	1962	17.34
83	R.T. Simpson	156*	Australia	Melbourne	1951	17.31
84	D.G. Bradman	304	England	Leeds	1934	17.25
85	A. Flintoff	73	Australia	Birmingham	2005	17.25
86	W.W. Armstrong	159*	South Africa	Johannesburg	1902	17.21
87	R.T. Ponting	257	India	Melbourne	2003	17.19
88	D.I. Gower	154*	West Indies	Kingston	1981	17.17
89	G.S. Chappell	182*	West Indies	Sydney	1976	17.07
90	K.D. Walters	104*	New Zealand	Auckland	1974	17.06
91	Saeed Anwar	118	South Africa	Durban	1998	17.06
92	Aamer Sohail	133	Australia	Karachi	1998	16.98
93	D.M. Jones	184*	England	Sydney	1987	16.91
94	M.J. Greatbatch	146*	Australia	Perth	1989	16.90
95	R.G. Pollock	125	England	Nottingham	1965	16.89
96	V.S. Hazare	145	Australia	Adelaide	1948	16.88
97	M.C. Cowdrey	102	Australia	Melbourne	1954	16.85
98	S.R. Waugh	108	England	Manchester	1997	16.81
99	K.C. Sangakkara	232	South Africa	Columbo	2004	16.81
100	R.N. Harvey	167	England	Melbourne	1959	16.80