5 worst batting collapses in fourth innings run-chases

It has been almost 140 years since the first Test match was played, and throughout its glorious journey, we have seen that the fourth innings chases are always very tough. As per the records, 418 is the highest chased down total in Tests which West Indies achieved against Australia at St.John’s, in Antigua, back in 2003.

In the recently concluded series between New Zealand and Pakistan, the Asian giants were set a target of 369 runs in the fourth innings. Though they started brilliantly and lost no wickets till the 131^st run, it all went wrong after that. They were bowled out for 230 runs having lost all 10 wickets for just 99 runs after the opening stand.

On that note, let us have a look at the 5 worst batting collapses in fourth innings chases:

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#5 England (vs Australia, 1902 in Manchester) – 44/0 to 120/10

A still from the Manchester Test in 1902

The first ever Test match was played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1877 and Charles Bannerman faced the first ball in International cricket and also scored the first century in his first innings itself. About two and a half decades later, it was Victor Trumper, who opened the batting for Australia during the 1902 Ashes.

Having won one Test, the Aussies were on the up and were looking to claim the series in the third Test at Manchester. Trumper scored a century which guided the visitors to a competitive total of 299 in the first innings. The England team responded decently but fell 37 runs short of Australia’s score and had to be satisfied with 262.

Australia’s second innings was a nightmare, as they managed only 86 runs and set a target of a mere 124 runs in the fourth innings for the hosts to pull back one in the series. Though the English openers started pretty well and were cruising along, the first wicket fell when the scoreboard read 44, and the second on the 68-run mark.

From there, it was Australia all the way. Hugh Trumble took 6 wickets and sent the opposition batting line-up to the pavilion, for just 120!

#4 New Zealand (vs Pakistan, 1993 in Hamilton) – 19/0 to 93/10

Wasim and Waqar blew New Zealand away

Pakistan’s tour to New Zealand back in 1993 had only 1 Test, which was played at the Trust Bank Park in Hamilton. Skipper Javed Miandad led from the front after they were put into bat by the hosts, and the legendary batsman scored 92 runs only to see the rest of side struggle and eventually be bowled out for a mere 216 runs.

The Kiwis got a slender lead of 48 runs by virtue of a century from Mark Greatbatch. Danny Morrison produced a memorable performance, taking a five-for, which set the hosts a target of 127 runs for a win in the one-off tie.

Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, who formed one of the deadliest bowling pairs in the world of cricket proved their worth once again. It took less than 44 overs to topple the Kiwi batting line-up. Akram and Waqar took 5 wickets each, restricting New Zealand’s total to 93 out of which 22 runs were extras and only two batsmen reached the double figure mark.

#3 Pakistan (vs South Africa, 1993 in Faisalabad) – 23/0 to 92/10

Gary Kirsten in action during a Test match against Pakistan

After the honors were shared in the first two Tests, both South Africa and hosts Pakistan were looking to win the final tie and clinch the series. The venue was Faisalabad and the Proteas decided to try their luck with the bat after winning the toss. South-paw Gary Kirsten's ton guided his team to a total of 239, and Wasim Akram was the pick of the bowlers with 4 dismissals.

The Asians scored 308 runs with Inzamam-ul-Haq missing the century mark by 4 runs. In the second innings, the South Africans were caught in the spin-web of Pakistan’s duo, Mushtaq Ahmed, and Saqlain Mushtaq. The Hansie Cronje led side managed to set a target of 146 for Pakistan.

The visitors were not prepared for what was coming, as they were blown away by the sheer brilliance of Shaun Pollock and tricky bowling by Pat Symcox. They lost their first wicket for 23, and subsequently fell like a ‘house of cards’ and crumbled to just 92 runs! The Proteas scripted a historic Test series win.

#2 New Zealand (vs South Africa, 1953 in Johannesburg) – 35/0 to 100/10

Bert Sutcliffe of New Zealand in action during the Johannesburg Test match

Back in 1953, when the New Wanderers was not built, the South Africans hosted their home matches in Ellis Park, a rugby ground, recently used for the FIFA World Cup also. It was during New Zealand’s tour in the early 1950s that they witnessed one of their most forgettable Test matches.

The hosts batted first after winning the toss and posted a formidable 271 runs on the board, while the Kiwis could manage only 187 runs in the first innings. The Black Caps came back strongly as they bundled the hosts for 148 runs in the second innings by virtue of some classy bowling from John Reid and Tony MacGibbon claiming 4 wickets each and needed 233 run in the fourth innings for a memorable victory.

The chase started smoothly and the visitors were poised at 35 for no loss, but fate had other plans. From there, a slide came which saw the Kiwis bite the dust and ended their innings just when they reached the three-figure mark.

#1 England (vs West Indies,1994 in Port of Spain) - 0/0 to 46/10

Curtley Ambrose was a frightening prospect to deal with

West Indies was the ultimate dominating force during the late 70s to mid-80s, but thereafter the team from the Caribbean lost its lustre. Yet, they were still a challenging side and with the lethal duo of Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh witnessed some memorable victories in both ODIs and Tests.

When the England team visited the islands in 1994, they were greeted rather bitterly having outclassed the visitors in the first two Tests before aiming to pocket the series in Port of Spain. Having won the toss, skipper Richie Richardson decided to bat first and the hosts were bundled out for 252 mainly due to superb bowling of Angus Fraser and Chris Lewis.

England replied strongly and scored 328, thus gaining a lead of 76 runs with Graham Thorpe scoring 86 runs along with supporting acts from Michael Atherton and Graeme Hick. Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s half-century in the second innings helped the West Indies to score 269 runs and set a target of 194 runs for England in the fourth innings.

The chase was forgettable for the European nation as their batting line-up was toppled by fierce bowling from Curtly Ambrose who took 6 wickets and Walsh chipped in with 3 scalps bundling the visitors for just 46 runs!