The year that has given us the most unforgettable Cricket World Cup final ever has also produced two of the greatest successful run chases in Test history – both achieved against impossible odds with only the last wicket in hand!
- On 16 February, with his number 11 giving him company, Kusal Perera led Sri Lanka to the mother of all improbable victories against South Africa at Durban, playing what some have called the greatest Test innings of all time.
- On 25 August, Ben Stokes achieved a remarkably similar feat at Leeds, against Australia in third test of the Ashes.
Here are some striking similarities between the two incredible fourth-innings finishes this year.
Last-Wicket Magic!
- Sri Lanka went from 226/9 to 304/9
- England went from 286/9 to 362/9
When Sri Lanka lost their ninth wicket at 226, a distant 78 runs away from the target of 304, it seemed a certain win for South Africa. When England lost their ninth at 286, the stiff ask of 359 looked unattainable. Little did we know!
- Sri Lanka put on 78 for the last wicket
- England put on 76 for the last wicket
Kusal Perera and Vishwa Fernando put on 78 for the final stand, making it the highest tenth-wicket partnership in a successful chase. Ben Stokes and Jack Leach came close to breaking Perera and Fernando’s record as they put on 76 runs in their historic partnership at Leeds.
Before the Sri Lanka duo’s exploits, the record for the highest tenth-wicket partnership in a successful run chase was held by Pakistan’s Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mushtaq Ahmed who scored 57 against Australia in a memorable finish in 1994.
And just to give you a sense of how rare such finishes are (and why we’re raving about two of them taking place in the same year) – before Inzy and Mushtaq, the record had been held by South Africa’s Dave Nourse and Percy Sherwell since 1906!
The South African duo had put on a partnership of 48 runs for the tenth wicket and helped pull off a victory against England at Wanderers, Johannesburg. Their record remained unbroken for 88 years.
The Odds-Beaters
- Perera scored match-winning knock 153 not out
- Stokes scored match-winning knock of 135 not out
There’s a phrase that Ravi Shastri would love saying in the comm-box (and no, I’m not talking about cricket being the real winner), “Cometh the hour, cometh the champion!”
Ben Stokes has surely had the greatest two months of his life, starring in a World Cup final win in July and as if that wasn’t dramatic enough, an equally thrilling Test win in August. The only reason Stokes’ 135 not out at Leeds isn’t the undisputed chasing knock of the year is because Kusal Perera’s 153 not out is a compelling claimant to the title too.
The greatest thing about the two knocks is that for a huge part of their innings, Perera and Stokes only had tailenders for company. Even Steve Waugh, legendary for his exploits with the Aussie tail, would have been proud. Oh, and there’s another similarity there.
- When Chris Woakes got dismissed at 261/7 and Jofra Archer came in to join Stokes, England were 98 runs away with three wickets in hand.
- When Sri Lanka’s Suranga Lakmal got dismissed at 206/7 and Lasith Embuldeniya came in to join Perera, Sri Lanka were - you guessed it, 98 runs away with three wickets in hand.
Never Forget the Number 11s
They are definitely my favourite bit of this article, the people who deserve to get the “this-couldn’t-have-happened-without-them” mentions in the victory speeches of Stokes and Perera. Yes, I’m talking about the number 11s who hung in there for dear life and made sure that the tail wagged past the finish line.
- No. 11 Vishwa Fernando's 6 not out of 27 deliveries
- No. 11 Jack Leach's 1 not out of 17 deliveries
Just like Herschelle Gibbs’ sizzling 175 in the 434-438 ODI against Australia may have well gone in vain had tailenders Roger Telemachus and Andrew Hall not scored some quick-fire boundaries at the end, both Perera and Stokes may have ended up on the losing side had their number 11s not hung in there in the way they did.
Leach got off the mark on the 17th and final delivery he faced, to level the scores at 358/9. He was at the crease for a total of 60 minutes, and ended the match with the happiest 1 not out he will have ever scored.
Vishwa Fernando was at the crease for even longer. At 73 minutes and 27 deliveries, his 6 runs were worth much more than that in scripting Sri Lanka’s victory.
Oh, and guess what, both Perera and Stokes ended the match with a boundary!
Two such magically enthralling Test matches this year, and people still debate the relevance of Test cricket? There really is no denying it, the beauty of the five-day format is simply irreplaceable. And 2019, we shall be forever grateful!
P.S.: In case you haven’t watched Stokes’ and Perera’s innings yet, here are the two videos you need to see right away. If you didn’t love Test cricket already, they’ll make sure you will.
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